Via - May/June 2014 - California - (Page 49)

he city's upper left corner is perhaps most famous for tony Northwest 23rd Avenue, where you can taste gourmet truffles at Moonstruck Chocolate Café or buy tiny tulle dresses at Duck Duck Goose. But the backdrop of the northwest quadrant is uninhabited wilderness: Most of 5,172-acre Forest Park lies within the district, as does its 30-mile-long Wildwood Trail. Access it from the Lower Macleay Trail, which wends through a fern-lined canyon and alongside frothing Balch Creek. The trail descends onto Northwest Thurman Street, a thoroughfare celebrated by Portland science-fiction and fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin. In her 1993 coffeetable book, Blue Moon over Thurman Street, Le Guin writes, "A street that ends in a forest-there is a magic there." Her words ring true as you stroll through the hobbitish neighborhood. At Dragonfly Coffee House, espresso machines hiss and steam in a small room a-jumble with comfy couches. Nearby, at Betsy & Iya, you can hear the in-house artisans hammering at their creations as you peruse an array of stylish accessories: art deco earrings, Ethiopian scarves, necklaces inscribed with Morse code, bracelets that mimic the city's famous bridges. The Peculiarium is, in contrast, a gallery and store specializing in eerie oddity. Gangster Al Capone's "real safe" is on display here, alongside an ancient bottle of Invigorating Brain Cream. There are zombiehead Shriner masks for sale, as well as old View-Master slides and a ceramic bust of a bunny-suited man. At Wild Wasabe, sushi chef David Song slices fresh albacore, salmon, and squid with lightning speed. Up the block, cookie shop Bluebird Bakers occupies a minuscule, wood-floored storefront. Try the chocolate chunk cookie, made with Belgian dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. Like the shop itself, it's so sweet that it seems conjured by fairies. TOP TO BOTTOM, Forest Park's Lower Macleay Trail wanders along the creekside; bangles at Betsy & Iya echo the lines of the city's bridges; displays at the Peculiarium include a bizarre bust. I AAA VIA 49

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Via - May/June 2014 - California