50 Reasons to Love Winter

50 Reasons to Love Winter Don't let the cold months put you in a funk. We've come up with 50 cool ways to welcome winter from secret saunas and midnight snowshoes to luxurious drinking chocolates.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

DO THIS NOW

Off Hours: January 2011

Bikes, Blazers, and some boot-stompin' punk

12/22/2010 By Zach Dundas

READ

30 seconds with… Richard Settersten

The coauthor of _Not Quite Adults_, comes to the aid of twentysomething late-bloomers.

12/22/2010 By Zach Dundas

Mudroom

The Perfect Party: January 2010

Celebs we'd most like at our dinner party this month.

12/22/2010

Portland Monthly Presents

State of the Game

Voters may have trounced the state's first nontribal casino. Lottery revenues may be down. But history shows that Oregonians' yen for games of chance is destined to grow.

12/21/2010 By Meghan Hilliard, Veronica Martin, and Martin Patail

Culturephile

Something About Mary

Veteran Portland choreographer Mary Oslund returns to the stage

12/21/2010 By Barry Johnson

Long Story [Short]

The Queen

The reigning Miss Oregon gives us a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the world of pageantry.

12/21/2010 By Lauren Fox

PDX Index

'Portlandia' by the Numbers

How many stylists, pigeons, and undersize sweaters did the show need to skewer Portland?

12/16/2010 By Georgia Perry

Mudroom

Word on the Street: January 2010

This month's word: tofu, n.

11/06/2010

Eat & Drink

EAT HERE NOW

Introducing: ROOST

After working at high-end East Coast restaurants and jet-setting as a personal chef to celebrity clients, Roost's Megan Henzel was primed for a return to minimalism.

12/23/2010 By Rachel Ritchie

Wine

Cellar Notes: January 2011

There are deals to be had with winter wines.

12/22/2010 By Condé Cox

Pour

Are Homemade Sodas the Next Artisan Drinking Frontier?

Kick off 2011 with a taste of Portland’s most innovative zero-proof beverages.

12/22/2010 By Rachel Ritchie

Savor

Great Grains

Farro is a great grain change up to liven up winter entrees. Follow the recipe from local food authority Jim Dixon.

12/22/2010 By Deena Prichep

Review

Ocean's Heaven

Fin takes advantage of our proximity to two rivers and an ocean.

12/21/2010 By Karen Brooks

Editor's Note

Editor’s Note

Bridge of Sighs

The rush-hour creep between Vancouver and Portland could lead almost anyone to conclude that traffic on the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River will only get worse.

12/22/2010 By Randy Gragg

Health & Wellness

Corner Shop

Board Room

With La Niña predicted to drop an extra few hundred inches of powder on Mount Hood this winter, Dave Pietka’s latest endeavor, Castle Boardshop, seems practically assured of a soft landing.

12/22/2010 By Eden Dawn

Mudroom

Relay to Reel

_Hood to Coast_ follows four teams through the insane antics, crazy logistics and sheer endurance of the annual Timberline-to-Seaside relay race.

12/22/2010 By Rachel Ritchie

Trail of the Month

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

The Ridgefield wildlife complex includes more than 5,200 acres of marshes, ponds, sloughs, and lakes; a welcome sight to a staggering array of migratory birds.

12/22/2010 With Brian Barker

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Oregon's Pre-Existing Condition

Freelancers and the self-employed may gravitate to Portland's creative economy and affordability, but when it comes to getting insurance, only the healthy need apply.

12/21/2010 By Hannah Wallace

WHAT'S UP, DOC?

Top Doctors 2011

For the sixth year, we bring you our annual selection of Portland's best physicians—292 doctors in 59 specialties—as chosen by their peers.

12/15/2010

Home & Real Estate

Mudroom

The Silver Lining

We salute one of the city’s most ingenious downspouts, at the headquarters of the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.

12/22/2010 By Georgia Perry

Dig

Winter Tool Maintenance

Clean and oil garden tools in winter. Come spring, you’ll be more excited to use gear that looks spiffy and actually works.

12/22/2010 By Kate Bryant

IN ORBIT

Trading Spaces

Evan Thomas, the director of PSU’s new Sustainable Water, Energy, and Environmental Technologies Lab, managed the design of a unit to monitor the International Space Station’s recycled water and also created cook stoves for use in rural Africa, using the

12/22/2010 By Julian Smith

News & City Life

Mudroom

The Best of Times

A recent Brookings Institution study identified Portland as one of the recession’s hardest-hit cities ... in the world. But Portland harbors good news in business—and even more crucial areas, like education and, y'know, oxygen.

12/22/2010 By Zach Dundas

Article

The Edge Ledger

If you must gamble, here's how to lose more slowly

12/16/2010 By Martin Patail and Ali Moran

Salem 2011

Friends With Benefits

Salem insiders agree that the key to success in the 2011 Oregon Legislature lies in trust between individuals, across party lines. We asked several lawmakers to name their BPF—best political friend—in the rival party.

12/16/2010 By Randy Gragg and Zach Dundas

Style & Shopping

Rainmaker: Profiles in Profit

Dollars & Scents

Meet the couple behind Portland candle and body-care company Pacifica and the body-butter boom.

12/22/2010 By Kasey Cordell

Emerging Designer

Alicia Wood Weaves Family and Earthy Elegance into Every Ensemble

Surrounded by kids and chickens while collaborating with her husband, the designer sews family into every seam.

12/21/2010 By Eden Dawn

COZY UP

50 Reasons To Love Winter

Do Portland's dark months have you feeling blue? Let us and Heidi, the new Timberline puppy come to the rescue with 50 great ways to ward off the wet and chill.

12/15/2010 With Brian Barker

Travel & Outdoors

video

Heidi the St. Bernard’s Photo Shoot

It's a very cute video about an adorable dog whose face graces these very pages.

12/22/2010 By William Anthony