I love riding on train stations and I love this train station, but it's hard to talk about either one without commenting on the state of rail travel in this country. It's a disaster. The northbound Coast Starlight (LA to Seattle), for instance, routinely arrives 5+ hours late but because that's been happening for years, Amtrak staff at Union Station no long even bother to apologize for the delay or change the posted arrival time. I've loved the trips I've taken out of Union Station. The completion of the new MAX line downtown will make an already convenient location EXTREMELY convenient. There's no more pleasant way to travel to and from Seattle and the feeling of arriving back at Union Station off a train from Chicago is a special one indeed. It's just important not to have high expectations of punctuality, good value, or convenience. Amtrak is a sad and broken system.

For years, I thought Rejuvenation was just a catalog, a website, and a warehouse. I was working at an architecture firm in New York and one of my jobs was to spec lighting for high end residential remodels and new construction. It's not easy to find classy, reasonably-priced, traditional lighting, but Rejuvenation usually had what we were looking for. It wasn't long after moving to Portland before I found the Rejuvenation store. A whole block of architectural detail/hardware nirvana. Not only do they sell their fantastic lines of period lighting and hardware, they also have a great selection of salvaged materials including larger items like doors and bathtubs. Their prices aren't shy but it's clear that they're picky about what they sell. I still can't say that I've ever purchased anything significant at Rejuvenation but I visit now and then to look at doorknobs, lightbulbs, old doors, and all the other delightful treasures they've got on display. It's also worthy of note that the great old brick building they inhabit has been beautifully renovated to accommodate their store. A new building out toward Gresham probably would've been cheaper, but Rejuvenation clearly values tradition. My favorite detail? The kids play area under the stairs. This store is truly a playground for everyone.

Who knew there could be something so delightful out in officeparkland?! A recent bike ride was quickly turning into a swim meet recently as the rain came down harder and harder. Being lost didn't help. Seeing Bob's Red Mill, with millwheel turning, helped a lot. We locked our bikes up out front and scurried into a warm and dry world of not only grains, but also great bulk items, gifts, and general groceries (you can buy Heinz ketchup there!). We stocked up on good bulk snacks (dried fruit, nuts, etc.), had a piping hot bowl of oatmeal (they have a great little restaurant there!), and wandered around reading about the company's history until the rain cleared up. Bottom line: even if it's not pouring rain and your lost on your bike, Bob's Red Mill is a worthwhile stop, a hidden gem.

The used bike business is a tough one. It's nearly impossible to sell used bikes and parts without dealing with STOLEN used bikes and parts. Two years ago, the Recyclery sold me a stolen 3-speed. I wouldn't have known had I not been chased down the street by the bike's original owner. Turns out she had never reported it stolen but when I confronted Robbie, the owner of the Recyclery about it, he was quick to look up the bike's Serial Number just to double check and, even though he couldn't have known for sure that it had been stolen, he gave me a full refund. The original owner got her bike back, and I gained a local shop I could trust. Showing movies on Thursday nights, opening the shop up as the set of a local online bike-themed sitcom, holding frequent swap meets, offering discounts to local bike groups...the Recyclery is a great local resource. The ghost bikes you see around town in memory of fallen cyclists? Many of those were donated by and then painted at the Recyclery. I highly recommend this shop.

Mountain Soles recognizes that what's best for the customer is what's best for them, even if it means sending that customer elsewhere. After the prompt and beautiful job they did repairing my favorite old backpack and resoling my old boots, I went straight to them when the crepe soles on my old Clarks started to give up the ghost. Without hesitation, they handed me a businesscard for a downtown shoerepair operation, saying that they don't usually work on that type of sole and that the procedure would perhaps be better done by the fellow on the card. That says a lot about the quality of a business. My Clarks are as good as new now but Mountain Soles has a customer for life.