Whitney Gomes, Author at Bridgeliner

(47 posts)

A Bridge and its Park

The St. Johns Bridge is one of the most iconic bridges in Portland, but the area below it has its own history. It was home to Native American tribal grounds and a Lewis and Clark landing site before it became Cathedral Park. For decades, it housed junkyards and factories. But “honorary mayor” Howard Galbraith and […]

Community / January 18, 2022

Finding Love at Oaks Park

So where to find love in Portland? Start with a perfect date! Oaks Amusement Park in Sellwood has hosted everything from roller derby events to competitive beer miles to holiday festivals. Along the way, the 114-year-old park has helped more than a few Portlanders find love. Why? Their new showstopper is the over-the-top thrill ride […]

History / January 11, 2022

Go Ahead: Eat This Raw Cookie Dough, Portland

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The Pearl District WHAT IS BETTER? Oreos or Cookie Dough? Or you can’t decide? Well, you don’t have to decide. THE PLACE: Remember sneaking cookie dough batter from the mixing bowl as a kid? Or maybe… more recently? Now there’s a spot where you dig into dough guilt-free. The Cookie Dough Cafe, became […]

Dessert Spots / January 5, 2022

How “Salvage Sundays” Gives Bikes a Second Chance

Carl Wilson was on the verge of homelessness when he took a job at the Community Cycling Center in Northeast Portland 16 years ago. Now he says he’s living the good life with a house and two cats, and he’s helping give old bikes a second life through the CCC’s weekly Salvage Sale. Every Sunday, […]

Alberta Arts District / October 2, 2021

Akâdi brings the Ivory Coast to Portland

Spices from scratch, sauces from scratch, slow-cooked goat and whole-fried tilapia: Akâdi, which means “tasty” in Bambara (a Mali-originated language), is a restaurant in Portland’s Albina district that lives up to its name by serving homemade West African food from chef-owner Fatou Ouattara’s native Bouaké, Ivory Coast. Ouattara, who immigrated to the U.S. to attend […]

Community / August 5, 2021

Meet the Duo Behind a Podcast That’ll Move You — Or At Least Try

Can you imagine a Portland with more bikes and public transit on the road than cars? Because it might not be far away. As things stand now, roughly half of Portlanders commute to work alone by car, while 33 percent walk, bike, carpool, or ride public transit to work. (The remaining 17% work remotely, carpool, […]

Changemakers / May 13, 2021

Meet the Man Behind the @Portland Instagram

Marcus Harvey is a Portland-born, Nike-loving, Oregon Duck alum with his own apparel brand that celebrates Portland pride. “I loved the Blazers and Timbers, but the logos weren’t ‘Portland’ enough for me,” Marcus said, “so I just came up with Portland Gear.” He also created the @Portland Instagram handle, which now has over 375,000 followers. […]

People / April 20, 2021

From Peru to Portland: Authentic Peruvian Cuisine

Authentic Peruvian Cuisine in Portland Andina’s will re-open soon, but in response to Covid, they are still serving up great Peruvian fare in their new patio concept restaurant 👉 Chicha As a more playful spinoff from Andina, Chicha explores the traditional street foods of Lima and Callao (Peru’s historic port city). From classics such as basted […]

Dinner Spots / March 19, 2021

Join the circus—without leaving town

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The Pearl District THE PLACE: The Circus Project began as a training company to help youth experiencing homelessness, but it now offers classes to both beginners and future pros. Plus, it’s a proud partner of Cirque Du Soleil. Located inside a converted warehouse in the Pearl, the Circus Project spearheads “The Voice Project,“,a […]

Health + Fitness / March 13, 2021

PSU Students Convert Any Car to Carbon-Free

Portland State University students Blake Turner and Sean Krivonogoff have a plan to make driving emissions-free, and it doesn’t involve equipping the whole world with Teslas. “Instead, their big idea is to convert existing cars from gas guzzlers to green machines that run on hydrogen — a switch that would cost a fraction of buying […]

Environment / February 28, 2021

Swift and Union Pays Homage to ‘Cow Town’ Kenton

Portland is considered one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the U.S., but once upon a time, the area now known as Kenton was actually a company town built around meat. Today, the legacy of the Union Meat Company — which was purchased by Swift and Company in 1906 — lives on at a popular […]

Drink / February 1, 2021

Video: Meet the Bar Behind the Bookshelf at Circa 33

Sunnyside is home to a lot of books — from the Belmont Library to the Powell’s on Hawthorne — but not all the books in this neighborhood are quite what they seem. At Circa 33, what looks like a bookshelf is actually a secret entrance to the bar’s hidden speakeasy. Inside, you’ll find a cozy […]

Food / January 8, 2021

Video: How a Hawthorne Hot Dog Stand Became Zach’s Shack

Thirteen years ago, Zach Zelinger opened a late-night hot dog stand on Hawthorne and named the specialty brats after his favorite bands. Today, that hot dog stand is the brick-and-mortar restaurant Zach’s Shack, and with an outdoor patio, ping-pong, Pacman, and local brews on tap, it’s one of the most popular food options in Sunnyside.

Food / December 17, 2020

Meet the “Granddad of KingPins”

It’s been said that the collapse of community begins with people bowling alone. So we’re glad to report there are still people bowling together in Lents. The KingPins alley on SE 92nd hosts bowling leagues every day of the week, including for kids, adults, and seniors. And if you go often enough, you’re just about […]

Lents / January 3, 2020

Why Spending a Day with Dillon is a Big Dill

Lents is one of Portland’s oldest, largest, and most diverse neighborhoods — and no offense to Blaze, but it’s also the home of our city’s most beloved mascot, Dillon the Pickle. Since 2015, Dillon has been the face of the Portland Pickles, a collegiate wood-bat baseball team that’s gained quite a following for its home […]

Lents / January 3, 2020

Meet the Man Behind Earl’s Barbershop

Earl Clark is a Louisiana-born Army veteran and long-time Northeast Portlander, and for nearly three decades, he’s been cutting hair at Earl’s Barbershop, one of the last black-owned storefronts in the Alberta Arts District. The shop has survived decades of change in the neighborhood, and it’s given fresh cuts to local legends like Terry Porter […]

Alberta Arts District / September 19, 2019

How the Alberta Arts District is Trying to Keep its Artists

How do you keep an arts district from losing its artists? That’s an age-old question in gentrifying neighborhoods like the Alberta Arts District, but the nonprofit Alberta Art Works and its executive director Maquette Reeverts think they have an answer — pay artists to do their craft. “That’s how we keep the folks here,” Maquette […]

Alberta Arts District / September 18, 2019

Meet the “Minister of Loud Noises” at The Old Church Concert Hall

The Old Church Concert Hall in downtown Portland is known as “a sanctuary of sound” — and organist Michael Barnes is its “minister of loud noises.” Michael is the artistic director behind the Lunchtime Concert Series, which brings local musicians to The Old Church every Wednesday at noon to perform a free concert. The concert […]

Arts & Culture / August 30, 2019

How Waterfront Park Brought the Water to Portlanders

The pace of change in Portland can be maddening sometimes, but as we wait for the Albina Vision, the Green Loop, and the Duckworth Dock of our dreams to become a reality, it’s worth remembering that most local gems weren’t created overnight. Take Waterfront Park. The idea for a riverfront park in downtown dates back […]

Downtown / August 28, 2019

How to Visit Pine Street Market Like a Pro

Morgan Joffe is the Instagrammer behind the handle @foodie.passport, and her insights into the local food scene have landed her appearances everywhere from KATU to BuzzFeed. After moving to Portland in 2011, Morgan went on the hunt for the freshest, newest, most delectable dishes in town — and more than 10,000 Portlanders now follow her […]

Downtown / August 27, 2019