Ann Vinciguerra: My Favorite Street

11.17.2017

My Favorite Street

It amazes me how little is said in so much of today's travel writing. In addition to showing the reader next to nothing about a destination, much of the writing sounds forced and corny. On one hand this is depressing but on the other, it gives me confidence in my ability to produce a publication-worthy travel story.

I mimicked a cliched travel article a few weeks ago (http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2017/09/laramie-travel-piece.html) and when I stumbled across this article in the in-flight magazine during a recent trip, I knew I had found my next exercise.

Mike and I gallivanted off to Oregon last weekend to spend time with his family in the shadows of Mt. Hood and catch up with my friend Jim Bergman.

Jim Bergman on Alberta Street in Portland, Oregon

Bink's

After a several years stint in Montana, former Colville Melody bass play Jim Bergman returned to his native Pacific Northwest. “While Big Sky Country was undeniably beautiful, the endless winters were not my thing,” he says.

A true artist possessing an incomparable mesh of athleticism and intellect, Jim has been making his home in Portland since 2010. “What I’m discovering as a musician is that Portland’s cool damp climate is the perfect petri dish allowing artistic ideas to ferment prodigiously,” he says.

Jim still collaborates with former Colville Melody band mates Dylan Rieck and Michael Bajuk, the trio spreading a tapestry of musical and artistic masterpieces across the Pacific Northwest. He also uses his tech skills to elevate laudable philanthropic causes throughout the greater Portland area. “I want to make sure art and altruism don’t get lost in today’s venomous political environment,” he says.

Bink’s Bar

Come sundown, Portland pubs become makeshift living rooms. “My fondest memories come from nights with friends at Bink’s. Nothing says connection and comfort like libations in front of their fireplace on a drizzly evening.”

La Petite Provence

After deconstructing French cuisine across the globe, Jim finds perfection 5,000 miles from Paris. “Breakfast at LaPetite Provence or a pastry any time of day matches anything I’ve had on the Champs-Élysées.

Caravan Tiny House Hostel

“I always put visitors up at the Caravan. Their curated collection of food trucks and hand-selected mix of small homes epitomizes the Portland experience for out-of-towners.”

LaBonita

Locals get into verbal fistfights over the best burritos in Portland and Jim always defends this Alberta Street institution. “LaBonita concocts hearty portions with an artisanal flair. While culinary fusions proliferate throughout Portland none of them meld with such sumptuousness.”