From: markm@ogicse.cse.ogi.edu (Mark Morrissey) Newsgroups: soc.motss Subject: 1992 CON: The Portland Proposal Keywords: ... and a wonderful CON was had by all ... Date: 18 Mar 92 02:50:55 GMT Organization: Oregon Graduate Institute (formerly OGC), Beaverton, OR A Formal Proposal Regarding the 1992 soc.motss.con A Bid for Portland, Oregon Wednesday July 22 - Monday 27 This is a formal proposal to hold the 1992 soc.motss.con in Portland, Oregon. It is our sincere wish to share the unique culture and environment of the Pacific Northwest with our friends on soc.motss. Please come, you won't regret the choice. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the members of the pdx-motss mailing list for their concerted effort in putting this proposal together. Certain members deserve special recognition: Bob (BBC) Donahue and Alan Batie for begining the effort; Chris McCabe for coordinating the "Bars / Clubs" section; and especially Fred Huntington for sharing his thorough knowledge of Portland as well as his editing prowess. Thank you one and all. ABOUT THE CITY Portland is a city of 430,000 with a metropolitan population of 1.5 million (including Vancouver, Washington) situated near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in northwestern Oregon. The city is a blend of old and new, urban and country in a setting which seems to be just right. Located at the northern end of the Willamette Valley, the city is flanked on the west by pleasant hills and split in half by the Willamette River. The downtown and northwest areas of town are wonderful places to shop, people watch, view the restored 19th century architecture of Old Town or the new architecture for which Portland is rapidly becoming celebrated. The specialty shops in northwest mingle with the restored brownstones to create a truly neighborhood feel. The core downtown area, unlike that of many cities, is a thriving and safe pedestrian and retail district. There are major upscale clothing stores (Nordstrom's, Saks 5th Avenue), bookstores, specialty stores, theaters, restaurants, and celebrated spaces (Pioneer Courthouse Square, Forecourt Fountain, Tom McCall Waterfront Park). Washington and Forest Parks in the West Hills offer commanding views of the city as well as a quiet escape from urban life. Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the continental US with recent additions allowing for the extensive park trail system to be extended to the Oregon coast by 1995. Mt. Hood (11,239'), Mt. St. Helens (8363'), Mt. Adams (12,276'), and Mt. Jefferson (10,497') are all visible from the parks. Portland's relations with the queer community are generally above average. The city administration is generally liberal and queer-supportive. There are a variety of gay and lesbian bars and clubs as well as several queer newspapers: "Just Out", "Lavender Network", and "Alternate Connection". Additionally, Oregon long ago legalized sodomy as well as all other noncommercial sex between consenting adults. The drinking age is 21, however, most establishments which serve food as well as alcohol (e.g. brewpubs) can have minors on the premises until 9:00pm. Microbreweries seem to flourish in the greater Portland area giving it a reputation for some of the best beers in North America. ITINERARY: SHORT LIST *********************************************************** Please note that we have several optional activities which may appeal to a limited subset of the CON participants. These activities are listed on the day of the activity with "optional" in parenthesis. A more detailed description of some events follows this abbreviated listing. *********************************************************** Wednesday: Early Arrival 5PM--2AM: Pre-CON event: Bagby Hot Springs. Relaxing hot springs about three hours from Portland with a 45 minute hike to the springs. Bring a flashlight since the hike out will be in the dark. Thursday: Welcoming, Introductions, and Orientation. 7PM--10PM: OFFICIAL OPENING. Name tags and information packets will be available. Evening: Exploring Portland. Friday: Picnic, Exploring Portland, BBQ at Alan's. 6AM--7PM: Day hike up Mt. Adams (12,276'). (optional) This climb is limited to 6-8 persons and is quite strenuous. 8AM--5PM : Day hike in the Mt. Hood area. (optional) Many possibilities including the magical Bald Peak to Ramona Falls loop which has spectacular views of the mountain. 11AM: Picnic at Washington Park Afternoon: Activities around Portland include: o Walking tours of Portland. Powell's book store distributes a map showing areas of interest in the downtown core area of the city. Includes most of the shopping area. Does not include NW Portland (21st and 23rd streets) which has many small specialty shops. o Shopping downtown or at one of the many local malls. o Museums. The American Advertising Museum (9 NW 2nd), Historic Preservation League of Portland (26 NW 2nd), OMSI (at the Portland Zoo off Hwy 26, 5 minutes west of downtown), Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park), Oregon Historical Society (1230 SW Park), Oregon Maritime Museum (113 SW Front), World Forestry Center (at the Portland Zoo). o Japanese Gardens. Carefully designed to highlight traditional Zen principles of simplicity and harmony. This area is quite spectacular as well as relaxing and refreshing. o Pioneer Courthouse Square. A great place to people watch. A small amphitheater with a coffee shop on the high side and Powell's travel book store on the low end. Flanked by Nordstrom's and Pioneer Courthouse. o Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Along the Willamette River at the base of the downtown core. Just 6 blocks from Pioneer Square. Frolic in the fountain, rollerblade, people watch, or just sit and enjoy lunch or the company of friends. o Powell's Book Store. One of the two largest book stores in the US. With well over 1,000,000 books in the main store at 10th and Burnside, Powell's is a great place to browse or just read a book at the in-store coffee shop. Two blocks east is Powell's new technical book store which is rapidly expanding its selections. o Winery Tours. A map of the local winery's will be included in your welcome packet. In addition to tasting several award winning wines, this tour will take you into the very pretty rolling hills surrounding Portland. o Paddleboat tour on the Willamette. This activity is spendy, however, it is the best way to see this Portland waterfront. 7PM: BBQ at Alan Batie's house. Saturday: Picnic, Expeditions, Special Interest Events 11AM: Picnic at Rooster Rock - Columbia Gorge Many optional hikes in the Columbia Gorge. Guidebooks and maps will be available to help sort out choices. Rooster Rock is a half hour east of Portland at the west end of the Columbia Gorge. There are areas for both clothed and non-clothed. Only the BBQ area near the parking lot is wheelchair accessible, the beach areas are not. Expeditions around Portland Evening: Special Interest Groups. o Lesbian Potluck Coordinator: Doretta Schrock (doretta@agora.rain.com) o Bears: Note that we intend to coordinate with this concurrent bear activity. Quoted from "NW Bear": Rooster Rock Run July 25-26 will be a special weekend for the NW's Bear Population! NW Bears (Seattle) and Cascade Bears (PDX) will be co-sponsoring a day at the famous Rooster Rock beach, an evening of fun in various Portland watering holes and a special combined Bear Hug at CB's own play house. The next morning there will be a brunch at the PDX Bear club's favorite restaurant. We'll let you know more about this event at a later date. o Dancing o Pub Crawl - learn the ins and outs of microbrewery beer. Can you say "hangover"? o Local theater o Jazz and Blues clubs Sunday: Traditional motss.con Dim Sum, Day trips, Dinner 1PM: Dim Sum lunch in Portland's Chinatown. All Day: Visits to the Oregon coast. (optional). Words cannot do justice to the Oregon coast. The many capes and inlets lend a unique charm to this area. There are relatively few areas where the beaches stretch into the distance, but rather there are areas where long stretches of beach are bounded by capes and coastal mountains. Bring your camera and lots of film. Keep a sharp watch for sea lions, seals, and otters. Fond farewells for those heading home (note: most flights to the east coast leave by 2pm). 7PM: Dinner at Old Wives Tales, a lesbian-owned, glb-friendly restaurant. Great place for vegetarian food. Monday: Mopping up 10AM: Unorganized brunch for those still around. Day: Fond farewells to the last of our friends, whom we will miss so much. ITINERARY: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Wed (22) Early Arrival Bonus: Bagby Hot Springs Situated in the Mt. Hood National Forest three hours southeast of metropolitan Portland, Bagby Hot Springs is a fitting place for a pre-1992 motss.con event. With GLB-supportive volunteer caretakers and a relaxed atmosphere, this is a beautiful place to renew acquaintances, make new friends, view the night sky, and generally relax with friends. Due to the length of the drive, a departure time of 5pm will be required. Therefore, a late dinner will follow a picnic format at the springs. Locals will be able to provide assistance for those people seeking specialty food or beverages. Plan to purchase your own food unless special arrangements can be made. There is a 30 to 45 minute hike into the springs, so plan accordingly. Please avoid glass and excessive packaging as this is a scenic area. Coolers can be provided, but you will have to provide your own porters. The drive is through the scenic Clackamas Valley along the Clackamas River. The return time will be about 2AM and the hike out will be in the dark. Please plan accordingly. Friday (July 24th) Mt. Adams Hike. Mark Morrissey (markm@cse.ogi.edu) will be coordinating this event. Not for the casual hiker. Knowledge of proper ice axe use is required. The only other requirements are hiking boots, an ice axe and good sunglasses (99% UV protection recommended). The pace will be fairly quick as this is considered by most Portlanders to be a two day hike. Water bottles and some day packs will be provided. Boots and ice axes may be rented locally. No snow until near the summit although the descent will be one of the longest continuous glissades on the west coast. Views of Mt. Rainier and the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area to the north, Mt. St. Helens to the west and the entire Oregon Cascade Range to the south are available from the summit. This is the largest peak between Mt. Rainier in Washington and Mt. Shasta in California. Mt. Hood Hiking. There are many beautiful and scenic hikes on Mt. Hood. Joe Bonasera has agreed to organize this trip. The actual destination will be decided by the participants. Picnic at Washington Park. This park is located on the upper west side just south of Burnside St. Nearby are the Hoyt Arboretum, the Japanese Gardens, the Portland Zoo, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) which will be featuring an exposition on Star Trek, the World Forestry Museum, and Forest Park. All this on the very edge of downtown Portland. General BBQ at Alan Batie's home. Everyone is invited to rendezvous at Alan's home for a relaxing BBQ. This is a good time to compare notes on things around Portland and to get ready for a fun and exciting weekend. Arrangements will be made to accommodate vegetarian diets. We intend to rent a hot tub or two for this event. Saturday (25th)--The Columbia River Gorge and Rooster Rock State Park Rooster Rock State Park is located near the west end of the Columbia River Gorge, a National Scenic Area. The nude and queer sections are located 10 minutes from the parking lot. The dividing line is the volleyball court. Wheelchair access is limited to the BBQ area near the parking lot. The beach areas are not wheelchair accessible. Women's Pot Luck. Doretta Schrock will be hosting this event at her home in Canby. Canby is a short way out of Portland. Please contact Doretta if you need help in arranging transportation. Sunday (July 26th) The Oregon Coast. Joe Bonasera will be coordinating day trips to the Oregon Coast. Lots of destinations for both day and overnight trips. There are many beautiful places to hike, walk the beaches, visit quaint coastal towns, etc. The Oregon Coast features the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where you can watch cheese being made (unfortunately, they've automated it a lot in the last few years, and it's not as interesting to watch any more). Also, there's Mo's, perhaps the best clam chowder anywhere. Oswald West State Park is a beautiful park, named after the Oregon governor who made the entire Oregon coast state property, keeping it open to the public. Near Astoria, one can walk up to the remains of the Peter Iredale, one of hundreds of shipwrecks that have occurred near the mouth of the Columbia over the years. By the time of the CON, the Oregon Coast Aquarium will be open; it will be a really great place to visit. SHOPPING INFORMATION In addition to shops such as Nordstrom's and Saks, there are many small specialty stores located in the downtown area. Additionally, there is an open air crafts market called "Saturday Market" which is open on Saturday and Sunday. A more complete list of downtown shopping areas and the outlying malls will be made available in the CON welcome packet. Things made/harvested in Oregon: Pendelton woolens, logger boots, Oregon wines, microbrewery beers, Tillamook cheeses, and a whole lot more. Shopping districts: o Downtown Portland -- If you can't stand the mall experience this may be for you. Downtown Portland is clean, safe and compact, with a delightful mix of old and new architecture. Everything from large department stores, to tiny specialty stores and art galleries. Many restaurants and bars. Free bus service within a limited area. o Lloyd's Center -- one of the early malls in the country, just remodeled, otherwise fairly standard (as malls are). Across the river in NE Portland; easy access from downtown. o NW 21st and 23rd Avenues -- Trendy small shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Like downtown, a pleasant pedestrian precinct. o SE Hawthorne -- a down-scale version of NW 21st and 23rd, funky charm. o Sellwood -- Antiques and a few good restaurants. Located near Reed College. Some unique experiences: o Nordstrom's -- a Seattle-based chain that is becoming national. Men's and women's clothing and shoes in a quality range from good to exceptional and phenomenal customer service (take things back for a refund a year later); prices to match. We recently have a Sak's, but it's not at all clear that they are ahead in quality. You may see bumper stickers that say "I'd rather be shopping at Nordstrom's". If you are hard-to-fit in shoes Nordstrom's is the best bet in Portland. (Downtown, and major malls) o Norm Thompson's -- An "outdoors store" (of the Harris Tweed and cashmere cardigan variety) that you may know through their catalog. Again a Seattle-based chain and again high quality and high prices. NW 21st and Thurman, about a mile from the NW 21st/NW 23rd shopping area. o Powell's books -- a local mini-empire of stores. The main store, NW 10th and Burnside ("My Own Private Idaho" country), is one of the country's great bookstores. A full city block, more than 1,000,000 books, new and old. Knowledgeable staff, well-organized, maps(!), onsite coffee-house (where you can take a book and read!). Cruisy. If you like bookstores this is not to be missed. Also, at other locations, an excellent technical and computer book store (a few blocks from the main store, on NW Park) and a travel book store (Pioneer Square). Portland is rich in bookstores, including gay & lesbian owned ones, but Powell's is the flagship (they have as good a gay & lesbian section as anyone in Portland). Open to 11pm all nights except Sunday, when they are open to 9pm. o Pioneer Place -- A fairly-standard mall, except for the three-story glassed-in atrium and being anchored by Sak's 5th Avenue, J. Crew, Nature Shop, Museum Shop, Sharper Image, Williams-Sonoma, etc. o Yamhill Market -- produce store, take-out foods, artsy-crafty shops, etc. BARS / CLUBS Note that a detailed map showing bars/club locations will be provided in your welcome packet. o The Complex--The following three are internally connected by a hallway (no cover charge). o Boxx's -- Stand and model men's bar. music videos, pool table, darts, $1 well drinks on Thursdays. o The Brigg -- Men's dancing. Popular/Disco Music, lights, etc. Afterhours dancing on Friday and Saturday until ~4am. o Fish Grotto -- Restaurant. Unknown quality. o CC Slaughters -- Country/Western Dancing, but not a heavy duty Country/ Western crowd. Across the street from the Complex. No cover charge. o Scandals -- A quiet bar, mostly men, across the street from the Complex. Microbrewery beers, pool tables and darts. No cover charge. o Silverado/Flossies -- Male strippers until ~2am and a small dance floor. Open 24 hrs. $2 cover charge. o Dirty Duck -- Small leather bar. Might be beer and wine only. (no cover charge). o Eagle -- Leather Bar. Pool and darts. What more can I say? o Embers, $2 cover charge; two different experiences: o Backroom -- Disco bar with many lights, large dance floor w/catwalk. Equal mix of men and wymyn with some straight people as well. Afterhours dancing on Friday and Saturday until ~4am. $1 well drinks on Thursday. o Frontroom -- Drag Shows o Ray's Ordinary Bar and Grill - Small, quiet neighborhood bar. Older crowd. This is a nice little bar just down the street from the Embers (no cover charge). o JOQ's -- Quiet neighborhood tavern out of town. We believe they have beer and wine only (no cover charge). o Starky's -- Quiet neighborhood bar and restaurant on the Eastside. Decent Food. Older crowd. No cover charge. o Choice's -- Wymyn's bar next to Starky's. Sort of a rough place. Pool tables, darts. No cover charge. o TAC's -- Small, nice Restaurant/Bar downtown with piano, sort of mix between Starky's and Hobo's, but much smaller than either one. No cover charge. o The Eastside -- Two bars and a restaurant. The food is very good at a good price. The back bar is Country/Western with a dance floor. The front bar is not Country/Western and is quieter with a Jukebox for background music. Mixed crowd. Pool table, darts. No cover charge. Drink specials Monday-Thursday. o Hobo's -- A very nice restaurant in oldtown. Live piano player (they play better that way). The food is good but over-priced (expensive). No cover charge. o City Nightclub -- All ages queer dance club. Great music, funky queer atmosphere. Most of the people there tend to look under 23. $5 cover charge. o Darcelle's -- Straight bar with Drag/Male Stripper shows nightly. Cover charge. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOREST PARK: Forest Park is 7.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide with extensions which will eventually extend the trail system to the Oregon coast. The park contains dozens of trails of varying lengths up to 25.5 miles as well as scores of native species of birds and mammals which freely traverse the more wild areas into the city forest. Forest Park contains one of the last remaining stands of old growth timber in northwest Oregon (purchased by private citizens to prevent it being logged in 1991). The nearby areas of Germantown and Cedar Mill frequently are visited by deer and occasionally a bobcat or mountain lion comes to visit. This is a great place to bird watch, take a stroll, hike, or trail run. Mountain bikes are allowed on certain fireroads and one road through the park which is closed to motor vehicles. A WORD ABOUT PORTLAND: Taken from a recent Willamette Week article on transsexuals in Portland: "Although the size of this group may seem small, what little information [that] exists suggests that the numbers are above the norm for the US population as a whole. The reasons given for Portland's abundance of transsexuals are many - a steady influx of new faces to the city seeking new beginnings, a sizable lesbian and gay community and, Christian fundamentalists and skinheads notwithstanding, a populace which generally embraces diversity." THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE: The Columbia River Gorge has many beautiful trails with spectacular waterfalls and lush vegetation. The scenery is spectacular with trails varying greatly in length and degree of difficulty. Hiking in the Columbia River Gorge The following descriptions were shamelessly stolen from "35 Hiking Trails of the Columbia River Gorge", "Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas", "50 Hiking Trails in Portland and Northwest Oregon", and "62 Hiking Trails in the Northern Oregon Cascades". "Several worlds collide in the Columbia River Gorge. In the west, moss-covered rain forests cling to misty green cliffs. A few miles east, only scrub oaks dot a semiarid scabland. And in between, a colonnade of more than 20 major waterfalls separates the alpine meadows of the Cascade Range from the mudflats of the Columbia River, nearly at sea level. In the midst of these colliding ecosystems is the remarkable Columbia Wilderness. Although it lies a mere half-hour freeway drive from Portland and overlooks a busy transportation corridor along the Columbia, it remains delightfully wild, protected by a ribbon of breathtaking 3000-foot cliffs." A few representative hikes: 1. Beacon Rock Nature Trail. Beacon Rock is a sheer faced hulk of columnar basalt rising 850 feet above the Washington side of the Columbia River a short distance west of Bonneville Dam and one of the most impressive and easily identified landmarks in the Gorge. Although the climbing routes (rock climbing - mostly aiding) tax even the most skilled, the corkscrew trail to Beacon Rock's summit is moderately graded and made safe with catwalks and guard rails. 2. Eagle Creek. This moderate trail actually goes for 13 miles, but the majority of the scenery in within the first 7 miles. A steep drop off the main trail leads to the twin pools of Punch Bowl Falls at the 2 mile mark. Loowit Falls is visible across the narrow gorge at the 3 mile mark. Tunnel Falls (there is an actual tunnel behind the falls) is at the 6 mile mark. Just above are a beautiful set of cascades and a dramatic unnamed waterfall. As there are no further falls, most people turn around at this point. Note that the entire trail is 26 miles roundtrip and Tunnel Falls is 14 miles roundtrip. 3. Multnomah Falls. The tallest and most visible of the Gorge waterfalls, Multnomah Falls is a jumping off point for many short hikes featuring spectacular views of several waterfalls in the area. Multnomah Falls parking lot is between the east and west bound lanes of I-84 with the falls being visible to eastbound travelers. EXTENDED EXPLORATIONS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: If you should wish to further explore the Pacific Northwest (PNW) in conjunction with the CON, the organizers are willing to track down whatever information they can for you. Recommended side trips are (in no order): 1. The Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival will be in full swing. This town in southern Oregon is on I-5 and conveniently located in the way of people driving from California. Cook's Tavern is a local "mixed" establishment. 2. The B&B's of the Olympic Peninsula. Mark (markm@cse.ogi.edu) has the book "Bed & Breakfast Guide to the Pacific Northwest" and should be able to provide some guidance (the guide does not mention B&B's which are GLB friendly). 3. Beach camping on the Northwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula. (well worth the one day hike into this pristine area) 4. Exploring Seattle. Make sure you take a night ferry ride towards Seattle across Puget Sound. 5. Mountain retreat: The Inn at Paradise on Mt. Rainier. This inn is located at the 5000' level on the southern side of the mountain. This is the jumping off place for most of the climbers. Many nature walks and several active glaciers within a short walk. Across the valley is the dramatic Tatoosh Range. An alternate inn is at Longmire which is 20 minutes down the valley. 6. Exploring the Oregon and south Washington coasts. (beautiful places for short day trips. Lots of hotels and nice restaurants if you wish longer stays) Should your extended travel plans include exploring the mountains of the PNW (including beautiful British Columbia), Mark Morrissey (markm@cse.ogi.edu) is willing to share his library of guidebooks and maps of this region. -- Alan Batie \ Some people believe they have batie@agora.rain.com \ never met a gay person. +1 503 452-0960 / \ That's what we get for hiding. 45 28 59 N / 122 43 20 W / 440' MSL / \