Find your hygge place 💚

23 ways to experience hygge in Portland

A plate of puffy balls of dough with powdered sugar on top

Aebleskiver are fluffy balls of heaven. | Photo by @brunchbosspdx

Are you familiar with hygge? The Danish word roughly translates to “warm coziness” and has been a design and wellness trend in the US for a few years now. With an emphasis on “enjoying the little things,” like comfy clothes, warm socks and blankets, and steaming mugs of tea, it’s easy to see its appeal.

Pro tip: it’s pronounced “hyoo-guh.” Keeping that in mind, here are 23 ways to get hygge with it locally this year.

1. Observe the most important meal of the day the Nordic way at Broder with æbleskiver (Danish pancakes) served with house-made lemon curd and lingonberry jam.

2. Stay in your pajamas and learn a new card game. A couple of our favorites are golf and cribbage (if you don’t have a board, just count up to 121).

3. Whether you visit Steven Smith Teamaker, The Dragonfly Coffee House, or Roste Chocolate House, just find a warm beverage and wrap your hands around it.

4. Put on your finest flannel and sip a beer by the fire in the Little White Shed at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. Nearby Rock Creek Tavern offers a bit more space, with a similar moss-roofed log cabin vibe.

Serving pints of beer White Shed — If anyone does hygge well, it’s McMenamins.

5. Feet yo’ self with the winter collection at Sock Dreams on North Mississippi Avenue.

6. Meander ‘round and ‘round the city for a day of vinyl record hunting.

7. Take a tour of Fogelbo, a historic Steiner-built log cabin that was deeded to Nordic Northwest by Sir Ross Fogelquist in 2014.

8. Visit the Oregon Zoo and head straight to the dwarf mongoose enclosure. Inside the building, it’s toasty warm, and you can watch the little mammals scurry around you from a viewing bubble.

9. Explore the joy of artistic expression at The Drawing Studio.

10. Put your worries on a shelf and dive into a page-turner at Mother Focault’s Books.

HYGGE-TA READ THE REST

Click here to have your event featured.

Tuesday, Jan. 10

Ben’s Friends | Tuesday, Jan. 10 | 10-11 a.m. | Online | Free | This weekly meeting offers hope, fellowship, and a path forward to anyone who struggles with substance abuse or addiction, with a specific focus on food and beverage industry workers.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Orlando Magic | Tuesday, Jan. 10 | 7 p.m. | Moda Center, 1 N. Center Court St., Portland | $9+ | Do you believe in magic? Rip City could use some to go on a mid-season run.
Nature Night: Oregon’s Marine Reserves – What Have We Learned in 10 Years? | Tuesday, Jan. 10 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Portland Audubon, 5151 NW Cornell Rd., Portland | Donations encouraged | Join this panel discussion with marine reserves experts to learn more about the successes and challenges of conserving biodiversity in Oregon’s coastal waters.

Wednesday, Jan. 11

Rethinking Oregon Jewish Pioneers | Wednesday, Jan. 11 | 12-1 p.m. | Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave, Portland | $5-$50 | Explore the impact of these shifting historical narratives and how they relate to Jewish history in the American West.
DIY Perler Bead Keychains | Wednesday, Jan. 11 | 4-5:30 p.m. | Multnomah County Library, Troutdale Meeting Room, 2451 SW Cherry Park Rd., Troutdale | Local kids grades 6-12 can learn to make cool designs using perler beads and turn their creations into keychains.

Thursday, Jan. 12

Cajun/Honky Tonk Night | Thursday, Jan. 12 | 7-10:30 p.m. | The Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge, 4830 NE 42nd Ave., Portland | Free | Join a night of two-stepping and music twanging, part of the five-day Portland Old Time Music Gathering.

Friday, Jan. 13

Portland’s Folk Festival | Friday, Jan. 13-Sunday, Jan. 15 | Times vary | Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St., Portland | $35-$90 | You should be excited as folk to spend the weekend with the region’s best emerging artists.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

EVENTS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY

What’s your best pickup line?

Do you think you have the best local pickup line? | Graphic by 6AM City

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’ve got love on the brain.

To usher in the month of love, we want to hear the best pickup lines in the city. The pickup line must include the name of our beloved city, something that our city is known for, or a local landmark. It can be so sweet that it almost gives us a cavity.

We’ll use these pickup lines for something fun soon — keep your (heart) eyes peeled. 😍

So, let’s hear it…

DROP YOUR BEST LINE

Weather

49º | Partly cloudy | 13% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:49 a.m.
Set: 4:46 p.m.

Sports

Thorns assistant coach Mike Norris, who joined the team ahead of the 2022 championship season, has been promoted as the fifth head coach in franchise history. Previously, he was the set play and goalkeeper coach for the Canada Women’s National Team during their Olympic gold medal run. ⚽

Coming Soon

We say yessirree to Filipino-style rotisserie. Building off the success of Magna Kusina, chef Carlo Lamagna plans to open Magna Kubo, a restaurant that will bring the magic of lechon (spit-roasted meats) to Beaverton this March. It will occupy the historic Kiel’s Grocery building alongside Pip’s Original Doughnuts & Chai. 🍖 (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Watch

Clinton Street Theater almost instantly sold out a showing of “Cat Daddies,” a documentary about “a diverse group of men whose lives have been forever changed by their love of cats.” Feline generous, the cinema owners decided to add one last screening on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. You’d better secure your tickets right meow. 🐈 (Willamette Week)

Learn

Starting Sunday, Jan. 22, Oaks Park Roller Rink will offer a four-week contemporary recreation skating course for those ready to do more than just skate forward. Classes will teach a mix of rhythm, style, and artistic skating skills. The $48 registration fee includes an open skate session after each lesson. 🛼

Number

1,200. That’s how many applications Portland’s Habitat For Humanity recently received for a pool of 40 homes. Last year, the nonprofit’s efforts got an $8 million boost courtesy of philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, which will fund new constructions and provide vital repairs to 50-60 houses, enabling low-income homeowners to stay in their homes. 🏡 (OPB)

Tech

Dry January has gone digital. A Portland-developed app, BuzzCut, will allow users to input their zip code to find bars and restaurants in the area with nonalcoholic cocktails and beer. There will be a free fundraising party at Victoria Bar on Saturday, Jan. 28, with a nationwide launch date of summer 2023. 📱 (Eater Portland)

Award

For committing to making oat milk its default option, Stumptown Coffee Roasters received PETA’s Compassionate Coffee Chain Award. The company also will not charge customers extra for any plant-based milks.

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Big names for BrewFest 🍻

ilani BrewFest is back with star power

A side by side collage shows three chefs' headshots

Headlining chefs are Alex Guarnaschelli, Justin Sutherland, Antonia Lofaso, and Robert Irvine (not pictured). | Photos courtesy of ilani

If you’re looking for a sure bet, it’s that you’ll have a great time at ilani BrewFest.

The four-day event (Thursday, Feb. 16-Sunday, Feb. 19) returns to the Southwest Washington casino with hundreds of beers, seltzers, ciders, spirits, and wines on tap, as well as live cooking demonstrations from a lineup of celebrity chefs. Here are a few of the highlights:

Beer, Bourbon & Burgers Dinner | Thursday, Feb. 16 | 7-8:30 p.m. | The Stadium Sports Bar & Grill, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield | $49 | Chefs Doug Adams and Brian Duffy will guide you on a journey through three of the finer things in life.
Celebrity Chef Dine-Around | Friday, Feb. 17 | 7-10 p.m. | Meeting & Entertainment Center, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield | $89 | Get an up-close look at your favorite celebrity chefs’ talents as they prepare curated pairings with premium craft brews, wines, and cocktails.
Craft Beer Seminar | Saturday, Feb. 18 | 2-2:45 p.m. | Bamboo 8, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield | $29 | Join an intimate conversation about everything hops-to-table.
Oyster Open | Sunday, Feb. 19 | 1-5 p.m. | Meeting & Entertainment Center, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield | $39 | Witness the area’s fastest shuckers during the Grand Tasting.

THE FULL SCHEDULE

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Ben.

Editor’s pick: Are you a fellow Oregon Ducks fan living in Portland? Do you have space on your desk? If your head is vigorously nodding up and down, then you’re in luck.

In honor of National Bobblehead Day — celebrated over the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 7 — the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum created 2,023 officially licensed, limited-edition Oregon Ducks bobbleheads. You can purchase Puddles for $35 plus $8 shipping, or choose from any of the other brand new releases like King Charles or the Eiffel Tower.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Give yourself a break by taking a mental health day.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Rachel Sklenar | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?