New Year’s Eve Masquerade

New Year’s Eve was such a fantastic night that, 12 days later, I still want to share some photos. The evening started with an early dinner at Jake’s Grill followed by a 7pm performance by Pink Martini at the Arlene Schnitzer concert hall in downtown Portland. A NYE tradition, it was my second time attending the show, a wonderful mix of favorite songs and Christmas songs.

After the show, my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, Marcus and I headed over to the Benson Hotel for music and a masquerade. Dancing in masks was actually a bit tricky, but we rang in the New Year with style. Shortly after midnight, I petitioned that we head outside for a Berlin-style, on-the-street celebration. Maybe even fireworks? It wasn’t how we imagined and we reached the hotel sooner than expected. Which was when we grabbed our champagne and headed out to enjoy the fire on the terrace. How did you celebrate?

Weekend Links #11

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things that I have enjoyed, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed during a very Portland week:
1. Eating a sumptuously creative dinner at Castagna, the Portland restaurant of 2010 (pictured above, a baked apple with black walnut, smoked milk, and cinnamon sticks)
2. A lazy afternoon of relaxing at Löyly Sauna
3. Ringing in the New Year with some of my favorite people, kicking off the eve with a performance by Pink Martini at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
4. Book shopping at Powell’s Books
5. Mourning the closure of Berbati’s Pan, an old haunt where I used to interview bands then get kicked out for being underage
6. Enjoying a taste of Lovejoy Vodka, a creation of a local Portland distillery, at the Night Light Lounge (pictured below)