McMenamins Kennedy School in Portland

I’m back in Portland pet sitting my two special little Italian Greyhounds Luna and Reilly.

Luna and Reilly – aren’t they adorable?

Before their Mom and Dad left they suggested I go to The Kennedy School to watch a movie.  Since I always try to find something new and different to do wherever I go, I decided to check it out.  WOW, what a treat!!!

The Kennedy School has quite a history.  It was an elementary school from 1915 until 1975 when it closed its doors because of its declining condition and was decided it was too old and crumbling to repair.

Mike and Brian McMenamin presented a proposal to renovate the property and on October 22, 1997, the original principal’s bell was rung on the front steps at 7 a.m. sharp to herald the old school’s new beginning as McMenamins Kennedy School.

McMenamins Kennedy School

Today, the school is a hub of activity.  It seems that there is always an event scheduled and while I was there (on a Tuesday night) it was bustling with people in every nook and cranny of the building.

The Kennedy School has 57 guest rooms, some fashioned after former classrooms complete with original chalkboards and cloakrooms, how cool is that?

Guest room at Kennedy School

A restaurant,

Courtyard Restaurant

a brewery,

several bars,

Boiler Room Bar

Detention Bar

a soaking pool,

Soaking pool. It was lit up the evening I was there and full of people. Looked wonderful!

I could go on and on.  Just walking along the halls is an experience in itself.  Original artwork and historical photographs cover the walls, ceilings, doorways and hallways.

Hallways of Kennedy School

Beautiful artwork in the halls of Kennedy School

After watching the movie ‘Lincoln’, (price of ticket $3) in the theater, which by the way was a fantastic movie if you haven’t seen it, I wandered through the halls poking my head into the restaurant and a few of the bars.  I saw enough to know that I will definitely be back!

Ticket counter for theater. The pizza looked to die for!

Comfy couches and stuffed chairs in the Theater

I used all photos from the Kennedy School website since it was pretty dark while I was there and my pictures didn’t show how beautiful the place truly is.  You can check out more pictures and learn more about Lincoln School and all the activities on the website below.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/427-kennedy-school-home

 

 

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Outings in Milwaukee

Luna and Reilly enjoying a bit of sun

I’ve been pet sitting two adorable Italian Greyhounds in Portland for the last couple of weeks.

Bob’s Red Mill

Since I’m so close to Milwaukee…Oregon that is, I decided to go to Bob’s Red Mill and check it out.  Wow, what a cool place!  I can’t believe the selection of dried goods they have.  You can buy bulk or packaged, organic or conventional, everything from grains to soup mixes to dog treats.

Huge selection at Bob’s Red Mill

They also have a sandwich counter so after picking up a few items, I decided to stay and have lunch.  I had their special and it was delish!

Dave’s Killer Bread outlet

I was so excited to see that across the street from Bob’s Red Mill was Dave’s Killer Bread outlet store.  I fell in love with the bread even before I heard the story of Dave.  It’s wonderful, organic bread.  It’s the only kind of bread my daughter and her son eat.  It’s a little spendy (although well worth the price) so whenever I want to treat myself, that’ the bread I get.  The loaves were about half price at the outlet store so I stocked up!  Yum yum!!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  This is my fourth year in Portland spending the holiday with Luna and Reilly, my two special Italian Greyhounds.

Reilly & Luna

It’s always such a joy staying with these two adorable little ones!  Their mom and dad got them an interactive game called dog it Mind Games.  What a great idea!  I didn’t even know there were games like this for pups.  They had such fun playing it!

Reilly & Luna looking for the treat under the cups

Luna was the champion! She found every treat!

This year I decided to take a few hours and go out for a while on New Years Eve.  I planned to go out to dinner and then go to a “Who’s Line is it anyway” type of show at Comedy Sportz.  I had planned on going to 21st Street Bar & Grill.  I had googled places close to Comedy Sportz and this place looked really good.  BUT, I walked in and didn’t like it immediately.  For one thing it was practically empty except for a few people around the bar having drinks.  No waitress in sight.  I just didn’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling.  So I turned around and walked up the street a bit.  I’m soooo glad I did!  I looked across the street and saw a nice looking place with lots of people inside.  It just looked inviting.  I didn’t even know how good the food was going to be.

Dicks Kitchen

I was so pleased to find Dick’s Kitchen to have such a friendly staff, casual and comfortable atmosphere, and such a great selection of organic, grass-fed beef burgers as well as organic turkey, buffalo and veggie burgers on the menu.  They also had burgers on salads that looked to die for!  The gluten-free desserts looked wonderful too.  They have a great selection of sides like “non fries” –  baked fries just like I make at home, cooked greens, mashed sweet potatoes, etc.   I had a burger and their yam “non fries”..  Delicious and no deep-frying!

Dicks Kitchen

Dicks also has a full bar with lots of specialty drinks.  I had to have a bloody mary…my favorite drink to celebrate the coming of a new year.

Then I walked down to Kearney Street to Comedy Sportz.

When I first arrived, I honestly thought it was going to be a bust.  The place is pretty sparse.  You walk in from the outside directly into the room where the show is held.  To the left is a counter where a lady was selling drinks as well as checking tickets, and telling another lady what my name was so she could take me to my seat.  It was a bit of a hub-bub with people coming in, not quite sure what to do or where to go.  The audio and video people were also behind and in front of the counter a little further down.  To the right was the seating.  All stacking chairs.

Seating at Comedy Sportz

Since I went to an early show, there were lots of kids there.  I actually chose this venue because it was kid friendly.  There are two teams with a referee.  The referee as well as the audio guy along with the audience get to vote on which team does the best job.  It’s very interactive with the audience.  The referee calls out  what subject they should use and the teams start with their improv.  You can buy red and blue fly swatters.  Then when you’re asked which team did the best job, you raise either the blue or red depending on the team you liked the best.

Comedy Sportz players

There will be no profanity or off-color insinuations of any kind!  If there is, whether you are one of the cast or one of the audience, you will wear a sack over your head 🙂

Oh oh! You can’t say that!

To my surprise I had a really fun time and ended up smiling and laughing almost the entire time I was there.  It ended up being just the perfect thing for me to do to end 2012.  After a year with so many ups and downs in our country, the best thing I could have done to say good-bye to 2012 and hello to 2013 is by having a good laugh!  Thanks Comedy Sportz for giving me that!

 

Left a little too long alone

Don’t let this happen!  Be sure to hire The Road Runner Pet Nanny to keep your pet happy and occupied while you’re away!  I’ll give him lots of love and attention…and keep a clean and neat house too!

City of Roses

I’m in the City of Roses for a couple of weeks pet sitting two little Italian Greyhounds.  My first couple of days were pretty scary.  Luna, my special little girl who wears prosthetics, got very ill.  She apparently ate some sharp gravel the night before I arrived so on my first two days she was in such terrible pain and finally just collapsed from pure exhaustion.  I’m so glad to say that she’s a real trooper and pulled through just fine and is now just as much of a spitfire as ever!

Luna

Reilly is the other Iggy.  He just recently had some teeth pulled so is on a soft diet.  He usually waits every day for the mailman to come and drop the mail into the slot along with a couple of milkbones.  Mom & dad stopped the mail while they’re gone to make it easier on Reilly and left me with some soft treats.  He’s a very old guy and was a rescue with teeth issues as most Italian Greyhound rescues are.  So now he only has a couple of teeth left so when he sleeps his tongue hangs out.  I think it’s so adorable!  Just look at his face, is he the cutest little old man you’ve ever seen?  I love them both so much!

Reilly

While I’m here I always go to Lloyd Center.  When I was a kid my dad worked on the Great Northern Railroad and we got free passes so my sisters and I frequently rode the train down to Portland from Wenatchee to visit our Aunt and cousins.  One of the special things we did was going to Lloyd Center.  Of course back then there weren’t many big malls like this one.  And it had an ice skating rink!  How cool is that!  I still like going there.  I guess sometimes we never grow out of enjoying some things.  I don’t go ice skating any more though, but I do enjoy watching the others skate.

New Years Eve 2011

I spent New Year’s Eve with Luna and Reilly again this year.  It’s becoming a tradition.  This is my third year that I’ve come down to Portland to ring in the New Year with these sweet little Iggy’s.  It’s a tradition that I like a lot.  I guess I’m past needing to ring in the New Year out partying and celebrating.  I’ve had lots of those years.  These days I enjoy reflecting on the years past and looking forward to what’s ahead.  There are many New Years Eve’s that I will never forget, here are just a few.

When I was a young adult, several friends and family would gather up the kids and head to a place we called “the flats”.  It was a big field close to our house that had the perfect sledding hill.  Someone would build a huge bonfire and we would all go sledding, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, drinking hot chocolate and giving rides on the four-wheelers until wee hours of the night.  What fun!

I will never forget the last time my dad “rang the bell” as the clock struck 12.  Dad had gone back to Minnesota years before and got the bell from his old school house.  He put it on the roof of his shop and every year we would all go out so he could literally ring in the New Year.  Dad had Alzheimer’s at the end so that last year was really special.  My son Ben now has the bell.  I know he remembers his Grandpa ringing that bell and hopefully he will give it a ring every now and then.

And how can I forget the year my daughter Heather and I went to New York City to welcome the New Year in Times Square.  Wow, was that an experience I’ll never forget!  We were corralled in the fenced in areas for hours with thousands of other people from all over the world waiting for the ball to drop.  It was an experience of a lifetime!

It’s nice to look back on all the years that I’ve had with friends and family.  And I’m looking forward to another wonderful year of adventure.  Who knows what is in store for me in 2012.  Bring it on!!!