Between wrapping up at my former job, packing, visiting family/friends, packing, enjoying Dallas for the last time, packing… and moving across country, this blog has suffered terribly without my attention. Shame! But have no fear, for you can now follow the adventures of J&T over at our new blog, Doodles & Blooms. We will be writing about life in the Pacific Northwest as I begin graduate school in Portland. And there will be two of us contributing so it will be that much more likely to succeed!

Easily, one of my favorite magazines has to be Monocle. It was begun in 2007 by Tyler Brûlé after he left the helm over at Wallpaper magazine that he started in 1996. I discovered it via this iso50 post a while back and decided to order single copies of a few design magazines. Monocle was one of them and I have since subscribed. Monocle, as it states on each cover, is “a briefing on global affairs, business, culture & design.” So there you go. It’s a refreshingly well-curated and beautifully designed collection of what’s happening around the world.

The page layouts are super simple, giving way for the content and supporting images. The creative director, Richard Spencer Powell has done a fantastic job with the design, and only uses two typefaces: Plantin and Helvetica. He also pulls from a pool of stellar illustrators who add a bit of whimsy and color throughout. I especially like the paper stock – instead of the typical glossy and ultra-thin paper that makes up TIME magazine or Dwell, the majority of Monocle (and it’s very relevant adverts) is filled with matte, book-style heavy-weight paper that is substantial to hold and to read.

With each issue come several supplements. They have begun including a city survey which showcase the best of a particular world hub: shopping, dining, site-seeing, accommodation. Also inside is a multi-page insert of current Monocle Shop merchandise.

As for the cost, it is a pretty penny. It ships from London and is about $12 an issue. One of my coworkers always taunts, “Is that your fancy magazine?”  ”Yes,” I reply boldly, “but how much have you spent on Starbucks this week?” And that usually ends the conversation. It is pricey but I have yet to be disappointed with the magazine’s content, style, and concern for quality. And while the it may target the fairly-wealthy-male-international-designer/businessman/diplomat market sector, I, as a soon-to-be meager graduate student have something to look forward to, while feeding my global interests and aspirations.

With your yearly subscription comes a sturdy canvas tote. Last year’s was a military green and this year, navy blue. Also, you have broad access to their online article archives. If anything, you should check out their website. They have a daily Monocolumn and the Monocle Weekly – a Sunday podcast featuring 2-3 in-depth interviews. Their Winter and Summer series feature upcoming musical artists.

Alright. I promise I have not been paid for this plug. I just truly think highly of it. Look for a Monocle near you next time you are abroad or if you see it state-side at a design shop or bookstore.

After my photo shoot at the Ace, I took to the city by foot and headed towards Pioneer Courthouse Square. I couldn’t have asked for better November weather in a city that averages sun only 1 day a week from October to March. Eeesh. I reckon Portlanders just appreciate the sun that much more.

Right, so a beautiful day. As soon as I saw and smelled these little buggies in a parking lot, I knew I had to grab lunch. Portland is known for its food carts – mostly independent mobile food sellers. Here there were 20-30 of them set up. The vermicelli from Pho Sam was terrific.

Portland has a proliferation of Food Carts and they seem to be growing in numbers and locations. Some might call them lunch wagons, taco trucks or even snack shacks, but whatever you call them, they are truly a phenomenon in Portland. Set up in parking lots, sidewalks, and even parks (sometimes in large groups and sometimes solo), one might nosh on a fresh tortilla Baja fish taco one day, a rib-sticking bowl of traditional goulash the next, have a coffee and pastry for an afternoon snack, and then take home a giant Indian combo box for dinner.

This fun directional sign at the Square, or the city’s “living room” gave mileage to the Zoo, Times Square, Mt. Hood, etc. And these little bronze guys welcomed passerby’s and watched as a giant evergreen was being prepped for a tree-lighting ceremony.

I continued southwest to recently completed Director Park, a new paved plaza over underground parking. Then further to the very pretty Multnomah County Central Library.While not quite the Seattle Public Library, this 1913 restored gem features 17 miles of linear bookshelf space.

Next, I hit up a few design shops. Canoe is a warm showroom of modern, designer home and office accessories. It’s a great place for gifts and they even carry Monocle magazine!

I especially liked these wool felt coasters by Parkhaus.

Just around the corner is Alder & Co., another design shop with women’s clothing.

North of here is the new Indigo commercial/residential high-rise. At the base is Cacao. I tried a simple cup of drinking chocolate. And it was heavenly. As you can see below, I unflatteringly spilled it all over the table. Tasty nonetheless.

The city is really something special. It has the street-level density of a New York, but without the height. You can see people everywhere: walking, talking, dining, shopping. It’s a vibrant and successful case for the American city. And it’s on the up.

I didn’t wait in line (which was at least three times as what is pictured above) for Voodoo Doughnut this time, but this place is a Portland legend. I saw one happy customer walk away with a FruitLoop topped donut for starters.

Portland is also huge on supporting local, independent businesses. Everyday Music featured a very large collection of CDs and vinyl records while Powell’s City of Books covers an entire city block, and then some. It’s a tourist destination and very comprehensive. The rooms are color coordinated, and by the sign below, you can infer that there are lots of rooms full of books. Twists and turns, stairwells and tunnels – this is truly a unique experience. And it seems to be working. The downtown Border’s is going out of business.

On the third floor was a pop-up graphic prints show. I wanted to buy one but the Christmas rush was on and the line was quite long.

Tree-lined streets, food vendor, bicycles, street performers…

I headed east towards the river to scout out the UO campus. It’s on Couch St. Though I was informed by locals that it is not pronounced like the potato…

One of two park corridors through the city, this one between the Pearl and Chinatown/Old Town districts featured a giant elephant statue.

In October 2002, a 12-foot bronze sculpture was installed between Burnside and Couch streets. A replica of a wine pitcher from the late Shang Dynasty (circa 1200-1100 BC), this sculpture is about sixteen times larger than the original. The young elephant standing peacefully on his father’s back symbolizes safe and prosperous offspring. The elaborate surface decoration features cloud-shaped curves and birds and animals from ancient Chinese mythology. The piece is titled Da Tung & Xi’an Bao Bao. Da Tung may be translated as “universal peace” or “large bronze.” Xi’an Bao Bao means “baby elephant.”
The sculpture was a gift to the city from Chinese businessman Huo Baozhu, whose foundry in Xi’an, China, is licensed by the national government to reproduce Chinese antiquities. Huo, who visited Portland a number of times, said he was motivated by a love of Chinese history and admiration for Portland.

The historic Union Station tower can been seen on Broadway.

The White Stag Block houses the University of Oregon, Portland campus. It has been recently renovated and houses several satellite departments including Journalism, Law, and the Architecture & Allied Arts.

My last stop for the evening with the Portland Saturday Market, just southeast of the UO campus on the Willamette River. A great pavilion protects the oldest vendors in this weekend sellers market. Everything from toys, honey and jewelry can be found here between the months of March and December.

Stay tuned for part 3!

PDX: code name for terrific. Also short for Portland, Oregon – a place we will be calling home for the next couple of years.

After doing research on graduate school programs, the University of Oregon became my top pick after discovering their satellite architecture school in Portland. Ultimately, these nearly two years in Dallas have given me time to decide to pursue a Masters Degree in Architecture with an emphasis on Urban Design. Something in between architecture and urban planning – design in the city. I believe in the city. It is only in the city that you can find high population densities, potential for mass-transit networks and a diverse quantity of business opportunities, large and small. Opportunities to create social interaction between people and within the built environment are endless. I believe that we are at the beginning of the movement of migration from the suburbs back into the urban core of the city and I want to be among those to encourage and make possible this growth and re-urbanization of the American city. Thus, I was seeking to attend a graduate program located in a livable city. Francis DuBose writes, “I choose the city… Not simply to live in it, to see it, to hear it; but to touch it; yes to embrace it, to hold it…” Portland to me is this city, the city upon a hill. In addition to the research I have done on the city, my short visit quickly made me aware of Portland’s progressive and dynamic personality: independent and homegrown-spirited businesses, city-wide recycling and eco-minded initiatives, accommodation for cyclist and commuter alike, commitment to the urban growth boundary, and a flourishing downtown, surrounded by vibrant historic neighborhoods. Portland is where I want to be. Studying at the UO campus in the heart of downtown would give me unmatched opportunity to witness the design principles and processes I would be learning firsthand.

Applying to grad school and working was no easy task. It meant coming home, after working 9+ hours on a computer, and picking up on portfolio updates, application coordination and essay writing. There was not much blogging to be had for sure. I was able to submit to several schools in December and January and began the three long months of waiting. But I can say now that the work has paid off in full. We were blessed to receive good news from a few backup schools last week and before. And finally, this past Friday, March 18 – we finally got the notice we were waiting for. To wrap up a very long story and emotional roller-coaster ride, I was accepted to the University of Oregon, Masters of Architecture Program in Portland starting Fall term 2011. Hooray! This was such exciting news for us and we look forward to beginning this next chapter of our lives living on the west coast.

We have a lot of logistical planning and preparation to begin thinking about these next few months. Like how to transport the belongings of our home 31 hours away from here, safely and affordably. Suggestions are welcome!

In the meantime, I thought I would share a few photos of my trip to Portland. Over Thanksgiving weekend 2010, I took a 3-day holiday to travel the city (all by foot or public transit!) and see what I could see. This post has been long-in-coming.

These were a few shots from the tram as I rode from the airport into town over the Willamette River. If you squint at the above photo, to the left you can see the famous “Portland, Oregon” sign, previously the “Made in Oregon” sign. Just below it is the UO campus in the White Stag Block.on the Willamette River.

I stayed at the fantastical Ace Hotel, per recommendation from Design*Sponge’s city guide. I have never experienced anything like it and I will stay no where else when I visit the cities of Portland, Seattle, New York or Palm Springs. I would classify this location’s personality as mid-century bohemian. Clean lines, simplistic, honest. And the room was very comfortable for its size. It was probably not more than 3-350 square feet and featured a closet, lavatory, toilet room, shower and plenty of floor space.

Each bed is tucked in with a custom Pendleton wool blanket, made locally of course.

The radio was set to local jazz station, KHMD, and has been my musical companion ever since

Every detail was covered: Eames shell chairs, local snacks, vintage postcard, brand graphics on everything…

Even custom wall art. Apparently each room features work from a local Portlander. I can’t wait to see more.

This was pretty neat. The window shade (not pictured) is mounted at the bottom of the frame and this pulley draws the shade upward. Maybe this is how everyone works their shades in the Northwest but a different take nonetheless.

Okay forgive me for taking a picture in the shower (which was just a glass enclosure in the corner of the room) but these Malin+Goetz products were great. Especially that peppermint shampoo. An incredible scent with great packaging. I might have bought some from the front desk upon leaving…

Views out my second floor window:

It is late but there is much more to come. Stay tuned for Portland, Part 02.

The weather here in Dallas has been anything but consistent. Icy – sunny – warm – cold – humid/sweating – perfect – chilly. Alas, the joys of living in North Texas. The cold weather and recent travelling reminds me of a trip I made in November to the Pacific Northwest. Here are a few shots from 30,000 ft.

Touchdown in Salt Lake City.

On leg two of said flight I didn’t have window seat. “Excuse me sir, I just have to shoot this,” I said while reaching over the gentleman next to me, hoping to capture this terrific view of both Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Adams.

Thanks for standing by… I think a lot about the direction of this blog but have yet to decide where I want to take it. Sometimes I feel like most days are not “blog-worthy”, not that they all should be, but living and working in Dallas does not always make for such an exciting read. It was easy to post daily when I lived in Germany. There was always something exciting for show-and-tell. Perhaps I will have more content in the coming months… For now, thanks for dealing with my sporadic posting.

Today I’d like to showcase the indoor gardening T and I experimented with. That’s right – we made terrariums! I have always known about them – simulated dry habitats for various plants or objects, but it wasn’t until a recent trip to Portland that I was inspired to create some of our own. After a little milling around, I came across this post by The Brick House and we basically used this guide word-for-word.

First we scouted out and found the perfect vessels for the job. Then we made a trip to Home Depot, grabbed several happy succulents and the proper soil/lava rock mixes and got started.

We began with dropping a few lava rocks at the base of the vessels – just a single layer for water drainage. Then a layer of the cactus soil, making spots for the plants. We extracted the plants from the pots and remove most of the included soil, breaking up the roots so they could spread out. Then we arranged the plants and packed-in more cactus soil. Finally, we placed more lava rocks around and under the plants, covering the soil as necessary.

They have made for a great coffee table centerpiece, right? I am happy with how they turned out. As for upkeep, they are pretty foolproof so far. I have been watering them once a week and I think they are liking it. We’ll find out in a few weeks one way or another… I think misting with water also helps. Have a great week.