February 23, 2024

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Today’s Forecast

58º | 10% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. | Sunset 5:48 p.m.
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📖 A new look to check out

An outside view of Multnomah County's Central Library in downtown Portland. The library's second story has oversized arched windows surrounded by red brick, while the lower level is covered in pale gray stone.

Visitors can register for guided tours of the Central Library ecoroof from April to October. | Photo by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday

Entering familiar worlds with undiscovered twists and turns is as easy as opening a book… or passing through the front doors of downtown Portland’s Central Library.

Multnomah County Library’s historic flagship location celebrates its grand reopening today, Feb. 23. It was closed for nearly a year to undergo $13 million in renovations. Supply chain issues and severe weather kept Central Library’s doors locked a bit longer than anticipated, but they’ve now been thrown open to the public — so we stopped by to get a first look at the extensive updates.

New chapters

Designed by Portland architect Albert Doyle in a style he described as Georgian, much of the 110-year-old building remains unchanged. But upgrades are noticeable from the outside, starting with the outdoor pavilion that’s been expanded on either side to accommodate new terraces.

Inside, visitors will find a main floor lobby that houses an updated Friends of the Library store selling popular books, puzzles, cards, and tote bags. The towering bookshelves in the fiction and nonfiction sections have been replaced with dramatically shorter shelves, and part of the children’s section has been turned into a space specifically for teens.

An animated GIF file of multiple images showing interior elements of Multnomah County's Central Library, including its updated restroom, shorter bookshelves, and green floral carpet. — The library also has new kiosks where card holders can self-check materials.
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Photos by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday

Gone are the peachy-pink walls of the second-floor periodicals and fiction rooms, painted in sunny yellow and gold tones instead. New furniture — like lounge chairs and sofas — have been scattered throughout the rooms, along with tables and power outlets with USB ports.

One of our favorite upgrades is the carpet. Multiple shades of green with rose motifs pay homage to the library’s former “Garden of Knowledge” theme (seen in the black granite staircase with floral engravings), implemented when it was last renovated nearly three decades ago. The restrooms also underwent facelifts, making them more inclusive, safe, and accessible.

Next in the series

Seven other Multnomah County Library locations are either closed or scheduled to close soon for improvements. Fairview-Columbia Library closed last month and is expected to reopen as early as this spring; Hillsdale Library is next in line, with a scheduled closing date of March 3.

Events

Friday, Feb. 23

The Great Portland Beer Fest | Friday, Feb. 23-Sunday, Feb. 25 | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. | Pine Street Taproom, 126 SW Second Ave., Portland | $25 | Exchange 12 tasting tokens for frothy brews from 30+ Portland area breweries and order snacks from vendors like Thai Peacock and Tita’s Juice Bar.
“Dirty Dancing” w/ Salsa Dance Lessons | Friday, Feb. 23 | 7 p.m. | Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St., Portland | $15 | Learn the moves with the help of dance trainer Rick Davis, then watch the classic 1980s film on the big screen to see Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey pull off their famous lift.

Saturday, Feb. 24

Lunar New Year 2024 | Saturday, Feb. 24 | 2-4 p.m. | Multnomah County Central Library, 801 SW 10th Ave., Portland | Free | Swing by the flagship library to enjoy a lion dance, a calligraphy workshop, crafts, and gift shopping in honor of the Year of the Dragon.
Portland Timbers vs. Colorado Rapids | Saturday, Feb. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Providence Park, 1844 SW Morrison St., Portland | $42-$252 | If you aren’t there for the season opener, are you even a Timbers fan?

Sunday, Feb. 25

Spring Baby Farm Animal Tours | Sunday, Feb. 25 | 1 p.m. | Triskelee Farm, 29700 SW Mountain Rd., West Linn | $15 | Take the whole family to the countryside to spend time with lambs, baby bunnies, and other animals like ostriches, goats, and alpacas; farm-to-table food will be available.

Thursday, Feb. 29

2023/24 Portland Arts & Lectures: Charles Yu | Thursday, Feb. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland | $40 | Hear from author Charles Yu, known for his novels “Interior Chinatown,” the winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction, and “How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe."*

Events calendar here

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News Notes

Arts

The city is once again collecting the Portland arts tax. Adult residents who made at least $1,000 during the previous tax year are required to pay the $35 annual fee, which funds arts and music education for K-5 students across six local school districts. (KOIN)

Sports

Portland Timbers fans can enjoy beers from 10 Barrel and Widmer Brothers Brewing while watching matches this season in a new standing-room-only beer patio on field-level at the south end of Providence Park. The Pub Beer Patio includes “the world’s smallest dive bar” and will be open to general admission ticket holders.

Eat

A dining experience in Southwest Washington is one you must see to believe — or rather, not see. At Wyld Pines Public House in Camas, $70 gets you a seat in the “Black Forest,” seven undisclosed courses… and a blindfold. Chef Brandon Edgerton explains each dish after the meal. (KGW)

Try This

Take your big (and small) dwelling design dreams to the Portland Spring Home & Garden Show. Going on now through Sunday, Feb. 25 at Portland Expo Center, the event caters to garden enthusiasts, homeowners, remodelers, and urban creators and features vendor exhibits, demonstrations, and opportunities to connect with industry pros.

Biz

UPS is cutting 331 jobs at its North Portland sorting facility, citing “volume loss in our network.” The company said the facility will be closed in mid-April and it will try to place the impacted employees in other positions. (KGW)

State

A deadlocked vote in the Oregon Senate blocked a bill seeking to end daylight saving time. Opponents argued that a permanent switch to standard time, while all other West Coast states continue observing DST, would confuse travelers. Oregon will likely need its neighbors’ support to move forward. (OPB)

Outdoors

Change is on the horizon for North Portland’s George Park. Portland Parks & Recreation, the Portland Parks Foundation, and advocacy group The Kidz Outside are teaming up to develop a concept plan for redeveloping the park at North Burr Avenue and Fessenden Street. Implementation is expected to begin later this year.

Sports

Should the Trail Blazers keep Malcolm Brogdon and trade Anfernee Simons? In the latest episode of daily podcast Locked On Blazers, host Mike Richman discusses the options and shares listener feedback.

Finance

These four credit cards offer 0% intro APR for up to 18 months — meaning that when life piles up (unexpected tax payments, medical appointments, picking up the bill for the whole table at Le Pigeon...) — you could have almost two years to avoid interest charges.*

Seasonal

🥬 Lettuce talk about eating locally

Bundles of carrots, beets, and radishes are stacked on crates outside.

Eat a veritable rainbow all year long while supporting local farmers. | Photo by Wendy Wei

Happy CSA Week, Portland. Standing for Community Supported Agriculture, local farms offer up shares of their crops (think: subscriptions or memberships) to the community each season.

Here are four local farms that are enrolling (or soon enrolling) for seasonal offerings:

47th Avenue Farm | $485+ for 6 months
Fill a bag with vegetables grown in Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood every week during the summer (every two weeks during the winter) at locations in Southeast Portland or Lake Oswego.

Cloud Cap Mushrooms | $24+ for 4 weeks
Get culinary-grade mushrooms from this family-run business (there are four pick-up locations in Portland) or add their mushrooms to one of several local CSA programs.

Cully Neighborhood Farm | $125+ for 6-13 weeks
Pick up a bag of fresh vegetables every week or every other week, summer through winter; add-on options include U-pick herbs, cut flowers, and more.

A fruit-only CSA

The Buy

Chips and salsa, because honestly, is there a better snack? Sobremesa’s salsa is well worth the chip dip with flavors including layered, complex Mole Poblano + spicy Smoky Salsa Oaxaqueña.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie

From the editor

As someone who enjoys dining next to the water, I’m sad to hear that Beaches Restaurant and Bar is closing at the end of the year. How dare the owners retire… If you’ve never eaten at the Vancouver restaurant along the Columbia River, I recommend the fish and chips. They taste extra nice with views of passing sailboats.

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