Farewell 2022, Hello 2023!

As I write this, it’s almost the end of 2022. And while I say it every year, I’ll say it again—I can hardly believe the year is over! It seemed to rush by, but at the same time January 2022 seems ages away. Personally, I’m looking forward to 2023, not because 2022 was so terrible, but more or less because I’m ready for a new year and that feeling of a “new start” it seems to bring.

As I think about the blog this year, I’m proud to say that this is the first time since I started this small outpost in the Portland food media world a handful of years ago, that I’ve written it for the entirety of a calendar year. There was something published every month. I’m really proud of that. The years that proceeded were full of interruptions: starting the blog halfway through 2017; breast cancer in 2018; recovering in 2019 from my mother’s death and finishing up her estate, plus a big move across town; overall weirdness in 2020 with COVID and its perpetual mutations; anemia and side effects associated with my cancer drugs in 2021, plus more COVID.

I got noticeably better, health-wise, in 2022, plus an increase in my work as an editor. It really was a better year.

I have plans to continue writing here in 2023, and look forward to it. Hoping to bring back Salad Week! And I have a few other ideas. I’ll do a roundup of 2022’s top posts and such at the start of the new year.

Many, many thanks to all of you for visiting and reading Bridgetown Bites. I’m grateful to each and every one of you! Happy New Year!

The Ongoing Issue of Loud Restaurants

For decades now, I’ve heard one topic discussed when it comes to restaurants, bars, cafes, and other eateries, regardless of the condition of the physical space, menu quality, and cost spectrum—and that’s how loud a place is. I’ve heard older folks talk about it as well as those younger, and everyone in between. A lot of people wish restaurants were quieter (though not as quiet as a “mausoleum,” as per WaPo restaurant critic Tom Sietsema). So why does it persist?

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Bison Coffee House Vandalized

Bison Coffee House in the Cully neighborhood. Photo credit: Bison Coffee House

Earlier today, in the wee hours of the morning, Bison Coffee House in the Cully neighborhood was vandalized—windows broken, “property damaged, and white debris from a discharged fire extinguisher throughout the interior,” according to the PPB. The good news is that they were able to successfully clean things up (some of the responding officers helped with the cleanup) and were back in business fairly quickly. But why did this happen?

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Assembling the End of the Story for Beeswing

dutch-baby-beeswing-portand-oregon

I miss Beeswing’s Cully porch and their delicious dutch baby, among other things. Sadly, I never made it to their Sellwood location (thanks, COVID).

One story I found popping into my brain from time to time this past year was about Beeswing, the formerly boss brunch spot in Cully that closed down and moved to Sellwood in 2019 (opening February 1, 2020). I’ve been wondering what happened to them, so I did a bunch of internet research and came up with what seems like a sotto voce ending to the story.

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Thoughts on the 20th Anniversary of September 11

This is a little different from what I usually post here. Thanks for indulging me.

Tribute in Light

Tribute in Light (2006)

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. For me, much of 9/11 is about what happened in NYC, as I was on Long Island that day starting graduate school. The day was terrifying, sad and surreal, and the attacks defined some aspects my 15 years on the east coast. To this day I can’t see images of the twin towers without being at least a little bit startled (I’m looking at you, Friends reruns.) Continue reading “Thoughts on the 20th Anniversary of September 11”