Portland

In honor of my current stay in my hometown I'd like to share a few things about the fabled Rose City. Despite the crazy attention over the past few years it's always been a damn good place to reside or spend extended time. Here's why:

Forest Park
McMenimins, local micros in general & oregon wines
Portland Saturday Market
The music scene
Voodoo Doughnut - donuts 24/7!
The Oregonian (2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for breaking news).
A huge athletic/outdoor based industry - Nau, Vanilla Bicycles, Keen, Merrell Addidas, Columbia Sportswear, Nike ...

Not to be forgotten are the outstanding agencies, designers and creatives behind these giants such as Weiden + Kennedy who started out and are based here. In case you're unaware they've put together a few diddies from humble little Portland for clients everyone, everywhere knows. (And once rejected from the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) they still won't join the orgnaization. In a recent Advertising Age Dan Weiden's spokeswoman said that they'll never be part of the organization, primarily due to an initial spurning back in 1982.) They do, however, offer an amazing ad 'school'. The application alone, which is uniquely WK, amounts to anything you can fit into a 9 x 12 envelope.

Their blog is an inside offering into the quirkiness and brainwork that makes them tick. And not to be outdone, the London office has one as well called 'welcome to optimism' that offers a look into the ad world.