Margaret Seiler helps keep Portland Monthly clear, readable, and grammatically correct. She also writes about local politics, history, sports (from the Thorns to Tonya Harding), and her hobby of extreme transit. The native Kentuckian landed in Oregon after youth-hostelling her way around the continent (before cell phones!) and worked at Willamette Week and the Portland Tribune before joining Portland Monthly in 2010. She lives in North Portland with her brewer husband and their two children.

Bookshelf

Riot Grrrl History in Kathleen Hanna’s Rebel Girl

The Portland-born musician’s memoir details ’90s Olympia, Bikini Kill, life on tour, and some serious trauma and healing.

05/17/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Road Trip

Portland to Seattle: How to Survive the Drive on Interstate 5

Hippie sandals, squirrel bridges, playgrounds, a car museum, hot pot, skydiving ... take a few breaks on the drive between Portland and Seattle.

05/09/2024 By Cassondra Bird, Michelle Harris, and Margaret Seiler

Hiking

These Oregon Coast Hikes Have All the Views

Neahkahnie Mountain, Cape Lookout, and other coastal trails beckon with shady walks and vast ocean vistas.

05/01/2024 By Julia Silverman and Michelle Harris

Transit Trip

We Took Amtrak to Oregon City for $2

And, besides the municipal elevator, we found cookie jars, boob art, dive bars, and quirky T-shirts.

04/30/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Full Court Press

5 Takeaways from Portland’s March Madness Sweet 16

As eyes shift to Cleveland and the Final Four for the NCAA Women's Tournament, we take a moment to reflect.

04/05/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Summer Fun

Portland Pickles 2024 Schedule Is Here: Robots, Farts, Monty Python

Tickets are on sale for nights dedicated to Dilly Parton, the Simpsons, and sleep—oh, and baseball games, too.

03/06/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Travel

Visit These 10 Oregon Oddities and Roadside Attractions

Our state has shipwrecks, shoe trees, and sinkholes awaiting you.

02/15/2024 By Gabriel Granillo, Katherine Chew Hamilton, Fiona McCann, and Margaret Seiler

Soccer

The Portland Thorns 2024 Schedule Is Finally Here

Dunn decamped, Bixby has a baby on the way, and Menges migrated south, but Kling, Sinc, Weaver, Sauerbrunn, Smith, Moultrie, and the rest will kick off March 16.

01/25/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Ski Trips

Beyond Hood: Eastern Oregon’s Ferguson Ridge Is the Gosh-Darn Cutest

The first rule about Fergi is we don’t talk about Fergi.

01/19/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Ski Trips

Beyond Hood: Is Anthony Lakes Worth the Drive?

Find a beer yurt, a rollicking saloon, and the highest base elevation in the state at this laid-back Eastern Oregon ski area.

01/05/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Toe pick!

Where to Go Ice-Skating in Portland and Beyond

Total beginner? Wannabe Winterhawk? Aspiring Olympian? We have the rink for you.

12/15/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Destination Drinking

The 10 Best Bars in Portland

These are our favorite bars in the city, for the magic deep at their core.

10/13/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton, Margaret Seiler, and Matthew Trueherz

Unrated

In a Former Porn Cinema, PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater Will Screen Everything But

Like live programming from the Talking Heads’ David Byrne, for starters.

10/11/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

Bar Week 2023

6 Very Different Karaoke Experiences around Portland

You can book a private room, share the stage with a stripper or a live band, bask in the glow of a tiki bar, and more.

10/11/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton and Margaret Seiler

Bar Week

The PoMo Bar Bathroom Challenge: Get Privy to Our 7 Favorites

The bathroom is the window to a bar’s soul. These are worth the price of a cocktail.

10/10/2023 By Michael Novak, Conner Reed, Margaret Seiler, and Matthew Trueherz

Moon vs. Sun

An Annular Eclipse Graces Oregon Skies October 14

“Interesting but forgettable,” this is not the ring of fire Johnny Cash sang about.

10/05/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Power Ranking

We Ranked Every McMenamins in and around Portland

The local brewery-winery-distillery-historic-hotel-theater-concert-hall-wedding-venue-etc. empire turned 40 in 2023, and we graded every one within 20 miles.

09/22/2023 By Dalila Brent, Arianne Cohen, Katherine Chew Hamilton, Isabel Lemus Kristensen, Michael Novak, Margaret Seiler, and Sam Stites

Public Transit

4 Fall Adventures around Portland with No Car

Leave the car at home for World Car Free Day—or just because gas is so expensive.

09/20/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Back Off, Idaho! A Visitor's Guide to Eastern Oregon

You Won't Forget the Bathrooms at the Imnaha Tavern

Two roadside bars out east are worth the (long) drive.

09/04/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Back Off, Idaho!

Where to Eat, Stay, and Play on a Road Trip to Eastern Oregon

Who knew La Grande was such a shopper’s paradise? A rodeo in Pendleton, vintage bling in La Grande, biscuits and gravy in Baker City, a historic hotel in Burns, plus hot springs.

09/04/2023 By Margaret Seiler and Sam Stites