Swimming Holes 2016

Your Ultimate Guide to Northwest Swimming Holes From hidden gems to trusty stalwarts, here’s where to cool down when the mercury soars up. Plus: your essential river rat gear guide and some etiquette suggestions (if we may).

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

B-SIDES

What Makes Baby Ketten Karaoke Such an Enduring Force in Portland?

Standby tunes are forbidden at what the New York Times has called “America’s greatest karaoke night.”

07/12/2016 By Casey Jarman

THE ESSENTIALS

Joseph to Buster Keaton’s Oregon-Shot Silent Film: August’s Pop Culture Hot List

The festival, album, book, and film you can’t miss this month

07/12/2016 By Fiona McCann

MUSIC

After Playing with Billie Holliday and John Coltrane, 80-Year-Old Portland Bassist Chuck Israels Still Fights for Jazz

Forget retirement.

07/12/2016 By Fiona McCann

PERFORMANCE

How the Small-But-Mighty Stumptown Improv Festival Powers Up Portland Comedy

In its third year, the fest promises another killer lineup of improv and sketch from Portland and beyond.

07/12/2016 By Rebecca Jacobson

SUMMER READS

Summer Reading 2016: Brand-New Short Stories and Poems from Top Portland Writers

We’ve got fresh fiction from Margaret Malone, David Shafer, and Diana Abu-Jaber, plus poems by Anis Mojgani, Elyse Fenton, and Samiya Bashir. Dive in.

07/12/2016 Edited by Fiona McCann By Margaret Malone, David Shafer, Diana Abu-Jaber, Anis Mojgani, Elyse Fenton, and Samiya Bashir

SUMMER READING 2016

3 New Poems by Top Portland Poets

Fresh verse from Anis Mojgani, Elyse Fenton, and Samiya Bashir.

07/12/2016 By Anis Mojgani, Elyse Fenton, and Samiya Bashir

SUMMER READING 2016

Night Air: A Short Story by David Shafer

“And I liked the Oregon license plate. Seriously. That tree. It reminded me of an air freshener, like Oregon was being clever.”

07/12/2016 By David Shafer

SUMMER READING 2016

The Buried Forest: A Short Story by Margaret Malone

“The only other person on the beach gets closer. Hey, I know her. It’s that weird chick from the bakery who used to do that creepy thing with her eyebrows.”

07/12/2016 By Margaret Malone

SUMMER READING 2016

Blackberries: A Short Story by Diana Abu-Jaber

“Their whole honeymoon had been like that. Brilliant sunlight, Mount Hood in the distance, crisp as a paper cutout.”

07/12/2016 By Diana Abu-Jaber

Eat & Drink

EAT HERE NOW

At Vivienne Kitchen & Pantry, “Pleasant” Is a Very Good Thing

Breakfast sandwiches to toothsome porridge to pork and beans, this new Hollywood cafe refreshes in its simplicity.

07/12/2016 By Kelly Clarke

WORD OF MOUTH

What to Eat at Hat Yai, Langbaan’s Spin-Off Southern Thai Joint

Critic Karen Brooks gives (at least) one good reason southern Thai fried chicken is better than southern American fried chicken.

07/12/2016 By Karen Brooks

Beer

In the Heart of Wine Country, This Newberg Brewery Crafts Hyperlocal Wild Ales

Think you know farmhouse ales? At Wolves & People, think again.

07/12/2016 By Ramona DeNies

RECIPES

Move Over, Gazpacho: This Summer Is All About Garlic Almond Soup

Here’s how to prepare Olympia Provisions’ silky-smooth, sherry-revved, garlic-forward sipper.

07/12/2016 By Benjamin Tepler

REVIEW

A Chef from Lima Unites Peru and Portland, Electric-Yellow Chile Swoops to Top-Notch Cebiche

At Paiche, Jose Luis de Cossio’s dishes are never boring.

07/12/2016 By Karen Brooks

LEVEL UP

Ground Kontrol vs. Quarterworld: Which Portland Arcade Reigns Supreme?

Two arcades that are also bars? Adulthood is no longer mandatory.

07/12/2016 By Marty Patail

Editor's Note

EDITOR'S NOTE

Why Portland Monthly Won’t Keep Your Favorite Swimming Hole a Secret

Public land belongs to the public.

07/12/2016 By Zach Dundas

Home & Real Estate

HABITAT

How Two Portlanders Turn Interior Design into Mind-Bending Art Projects

Artists Trish Grantham and Michael Paulus create striking, one-of-a-kind painted interiors across the city.

07/12/2016 By Heather V. Keeling

News & City Life

THE SHAKEDOWN

Should Portland Bring Back Pro Baseball?

America’s pastime has been banished from the city since 2010.

07/12/2016 By Marty Patail

ESSAY

A History Sleuth Tracks Down Portland’s Most Mysterious Founder—and Unearths a Much Rougher Origin Story Than You Know

According to Randall Trowbridge, primordial Portland was less “Little House on the Prairie and a little more Deadwood.”

07/12/2016 By Leah Sottile

UNDERDOGS

At One Oregon Jail, Young Men and Unwanted Dogs Help Each Other

Project POOCH saves dogs’ lives while teaching skills to juvenile offenders.

07/12/2016 By Claire Colby

5 THINGS ABOUT

As the Portland Streetcar Turns 15, Here’s What You Need to Know about Our Little Trolley

Including whether you should wait or walk.

07/12/2016 By Marty Patail and Margaret Seiler

SPORTS

In the Run-Up to Rio, Can the Nike Oregon Project Outpace Controversy?

Portland native Galen Rupp is on track to run the Olympic marathon. Chasing him, and coach Alberto Salazar, is the elite sport’s complicated relationship with performance shortcuts.

07/12/2016 By Ramona DeNies

PDX INDEX

Are Portlanders Doomed to Be Vitamin D-Deficient?

Climate change notwithstanding.

07/12/2016 By Kailla Coomes

DISPATCH

Enchanted Forest, Oregon’s Brilliantly Surreal Amusement Park, Turns 45

The family-run Willamette Valley icon lives on as a fortress of yesteryear fun.

07/12/2016 By Eden Dawn

Style & Shopping

STYLE

Meet Four Portland Designers Blazing the Trail of Plus Size Fashion

Our city’s plus size fashion scene comes into its own.

07/12/2016 By Eden Dawn Photography by Christopher Dibble Styled by Abibat Durosimi

WINNING FINDS

From Canned Sparkling Wine to New Pendleton Blankets, August’s Best Locally Made Goods

Oregon makers are in a class of their own.

07/12/2016 By Eden Dawn

Travel & Outdoors

WATER WORLD

Your Ultimate Guide to Northwest Swimming Holes

From hidden gems to trusty stalwarts, here’s where to cool down when the mercury soars. Plus: your essential river rat gear guide and some etiquette suggestions (if we may).

07/12/2016 By Benjamin Tepler, Margaret Seiler, Rachel Ritchie, and Caleb Diehl

GET OUT

The Pacific Northwest Swimming Hole Hall of Fame

The one caveat: everyone else knows about these 10 spots, too.

07/12/2016 By Benjamin Tepler

MANNERS

The Swimming Hole Code of Conduct

Or, how not to infuriate your fellow bathers.

07/12/2016 By Portland Monthly Staff

GEAR UP

Your Essential River Rat Gear Guide

From doggie life preservers to the most refreshing beer for your cooler, here’s our favorite Northwest-made stuff to schlep to the swimming hole.

07/12/2016 By Benjamin Tepler

JUMP IN

Here’s a Map of 19 Great Swimming Holes within 3 Hours of Portland

You're welcome.

07/12/2016 By Portland Monthly Staff

Take the Plunge

9 Incredible Northwest Swimming Holes

Breath-stealing waterfalls. Secluded lakes. Rollicking rivers. The Northwest’s greatest summer destinations hide off the beaten path—and within three hours of Portland.

07/12/2016 Edited by Benjamin Tepler By Rachel Ritchie, Margaret Seiler, and Caleb Diehl