Keep Portland Weird

This was the last straw. 'Cancel it', Trump says after artists drop out of US Freedom 250 festival.

US President Donald Trump has said musical performances celebrating the country's 250th birthday should be called off after several artists dropped out, citing the event's affiliation with the White House.

"Cancel it," he said in a post on Truth Social, calling the slated performers "overpriced" and "boring".
As of Sunday, only a few musical acts were still scheduled to perform out of nine featured artists originally announced on Wednesday. Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC and Bret Michaels dropped out.

Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli are still on for 26 June, as is Flo Rida on 2 July. Trump said he is now considering replacing the event with a "Make America Great Again rally".

Freedom 250, the group behind the Great American State Fair concert series, was launched last year by the Trump administration and the president appointed its CEO - but it says the event is non-partisan.

The White House is partnering with Freedom 250 on the fair, part of a "series of once-in-a-generation events for America's momentous anniversary".

Is Clyde's Prime Rib Still Portland's King of Prime Rib?

Portland has never been a city that follows the rules.

This is a place where food carts become institutions, dive bars serve world-class burgers, and people will passionately debate coffee, bicycles, and rain jackets as if the fate of civilization hangs in the balance.

Yet amid all the culinary trends, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: Portland's love affair with prime rib.

And when the conversation turns to prime rib, one name inevitably rises to the top—Clyde's.

Perched along Sandy Boulevard in Northeast Portland, Clyde's Prime Rib Restaurant & Bar has been serving Portlanders since the mid-1950s, making it one of the city's oldest continuously operating restaurants. What began during the Eisenhower era has somehow survived disco, grunge, food-truck revolutions, artisanal everything, and enough restaurant trends to fill a warehouse in the Pearl District.

The secret?

Clyde's never tried to become something it wasn't.

Walk through the doors and you'll find a dining room that feels delightfully frozen in time. Chandeliers glow above deep red booths. The atmosphere leans unapologetically old-school. The lounge hums with live jazz, blues, funk, and R&B. It's part steakhouse, part supper club, part Portland time machine.

Then comes the main event.

Prime rib isn't merely another menu item here—it's the reason generations of Portlanders keep returning. Clyde's signature prime rib is dry-aged and slow-roasted, emerging from the kitchen with that coveted rosy center, a seasoned crust, and enough beefy richness to make vegetarians nervously glance at neighboring tables. Served with classic accompaniments and old-school steakhouse confidence, it reminds diners why prime rib became an American institution in the first place.

The best part may be that Clyde's feels uniquely Portland.

Not "Portland" in the modern sense of reclaimed wood, Edison bulbs, and a menu explaining the emotional journey of a carrot. This is Old Portland. The Portland of jazz clubs, neighborhood institutions, and restaurants where regulars have been sitting at the same tables for decades. One local Reddit user described it as a place where people from "all backgrounds can come and chill with good food and live music," while others praise the throwback atmosphere and nightly entertainment.

Of course, Portland's prime rib scene has other contenders.

For pure steakhouse prestige, many locals point toward RingSide Steakhouse, a Portland institution dating back to 1944 that remains one of the city's most celebrated destinations for steak lovers.

Meanwhile, East Portland loyalists swear by Sayler's Old Country Kitchen, another classic steakhouse that has been feeding generations of Oregonians since 1946 with its famously hearty dinners and old-school hospitality.

But Clyde's occupies a category all its own.

Where else can you enjoy a perfectly carved slice of prime rib, sip a martini, listen to live jazz, and feel like you've stepped into a scene from a forgotten chapter of Portland history?

In a city constantly reinventing itself, Clyde's remains wonderfully stubborn.

And perhaps that's why it still matters.

The next time someone asks where to find Portland's best prime rib, the answer may depend on whether they're looking for luxury, nostalgia, atmosphere, or pure beef perfection.

But if you're asking where to find the most Portland prime rib experience?

Start with Clyde's.

Then tell us: What's your favorite prime rib in Portland? Clyde's? RingSide? Sayler's? Or is there another hidden legend still carving away somewhere in the Rose City? The debate, much like Portland itself, is never boring.

For decades, visiting Sauvie Island was relatively simple. You grabbed your sunscreen, forgot half your beach gear, sat in traffic on Highway 30, and made your way to one of Oregon's favorite summer escapes.

Well, welcome to 2026.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced that while a Wildlife Area Parking Permit has always been required at Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, a new Sauvie Island Beaches Parking Permit will now be required on weekends and holidays from June 15 through Labor Day for parking at Walton, Collins, and North Unit beaches. Daily permits are $10, seasonal permits are $30, and sales begin June 1, 2026. The change is intended to reduce congestion, improve safety, and protect wildlife habitat.

Naturally, Portland residents immediately assumed this was only the beginning.

At press time, rumors were circulating that additional permits may soon be required, including:

• The Recreational Flotation Device Access Permit ($12 daily)
Required for any inner tube, inflatable unicorn, flamingo, or object capable of supporting a human and a six-pack.

• Stand-Up Paddleboard Emotional Support Registration
A yearly certification verifying your paddleboard aligns with your personal values and carbon-neutral aspirations.

• Organic Sand Displacement Tax
Applied whenever a visitor unknowingly relocates more than three cubic inches of beach sand.

• Columbia River Splashing Fee
First splash is free. Subsequent splashes billed at progressive rates based on enthusiasm.

• Barefoot Sustainability Assessment
A trained volunteer evaluates whether your footprint demonstrates an appropriate commitment to environmental stewardship.

• Art Tax Tax
Not to be confused with Portland's existing Arts Tax. This tax is specifically for discussing the Arts Tax while waiting in traffic.

• Beach Blanket Occupancy Permit
Premium rates apply if your blanket exceeds the square footage of a downtown Portland micro-apartment.

• Sunset Viewing Surcharge
A small fee assessed for stopping every five minutes to photograph the exact same sunset.

• Influencer Content Creation License
Required for anyone posting, "Secret Portland beach nobody knows about," from one of Oregon's most heavily visited summer recreation areas.

• Hydration Verification Fee
Visitors carrying fewer than three reusable water bottles may be subject to educational intervention.

• Hammock Installation Environmental Impact Review
Expected processing time: 6-8 weeks.

• Craft IPA Transportation Endorsement
Allows legal movement of hazy IPAs from vehicle to beach without triggering a Multnomah County existential crisis.

• Dog Happiness Assessment Permit
Ensures your Labrador's level of joy remains within acceptable wildlife-management thresholds.

• Paddleboard Launch Readiness Inspection
Includes mandatory review of GoPro angles and drone flight plans.

• Reusable Tote Bag Certification
Failure to possess at least one tote bag displaying a local farm, co-op, or obscure indie band may result in corrective action.

• Excessive Fun Citation
Issued when state officials observe visitors appearing suspiciously carefree for more than four consecutive hours.

According to social media discussions, many visitors understand why the permit system is being implemented. Summer weekends have often resulted in overflowing parking lots, traffic backups, blocked roads, and challenges for emergency access. Some locals have joked that Sauvie Island's biggest wildlife problem isn't migratory birds—it's migratory Subarus.

In reality, the new permit program is designed to limit vehicle congestion rather than restrict visitors. The goal is to keep roads open, improve safety, and protect the wildlife area that makes Sauvie Island special in the first place.

Still, this is Portland.

Give it another year and don't be surprised if someone proposes a Seasonal River Appreciation Permit, a Locally Sourced Sunshine Tax, and a Bicycle-On-The-Beach Equity Assessment Fee.

And honestly? Most of us will probably pay them, complain about them, write a strongly worded Reddit post, and then head to Sauvie Island anyway.

Got the munchies and need a “Moon Over My Hammy”

Strawberry 🍓 season !!! U-pick farms are starting to open, though it’s a bit early, but this list is small for now.

If missed one post it in our comments.

⭐️ Columbia Farms
📍 21024 NW GILLIHAN RD.
Located on picturesque Sauvie Island, Columbia Farms U-Pick is open for u-pick strawberries!

U-PICK STRAWBERRIES PRICE
pint: $3.25
half flat: $19.50
full flat: $39.00

Sweet Sunrise: plentiful and easy to pick
Hoods: we have two sections of Hoods.

🗓️ Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 9am - 5pm
Twilight Picking: Wednesdays, 5-8pm
🚫 No pets allowed
ℹ️ columbiafarmsu-pick.com/strawberries

⭐️ Topaz Farm
📍 17100 NW SAUVIE ISLAND RD, PORTLAND
OPEN 5/30 SAT 9am - noon
Strawberry U-Pick
$3.75 per pint or $42 per flat
Varieties: Sweet Sunrise and Shuksans are ripe !!!
ℹ️ topazfarm.com

⭐️ The Pumpkin Patch
📍 16511 NW Gillihan Rd. Portland
Open Daily 9am-6pm! Lowest strawberry prices around!

Daily on the farm:
-U-Pick Strawberries: $18 half flat
-Market
-The Giftshop
-The Animal Barn
-The Brahman Cows & Calf
-Antique Tractor Display

Friday-Monday on the farm:
-The Patio Cafe
-The Pumpkin Perk Coffee Cart

Strawberry Prices:
-U-Pick: $18 Flat
-Pre-Picked Strawberries: $42.99 Flat | $25.99 Half Flat
*Varities: Hoods, Mary's Peak, & Ruby June!

🗓️ Open Daily 9am-5pm
ℹ️ thepumpkinpatch.com

⭐️ Hoffman Farms Store
📍 22242 SW Scholls Ferry Rd Beaverton
Strawberry U-Pick officially opens at $2.50/lb! We also have fresh baked pies, local produce including asparagus, radishes and rhubarb, train rides running from 9AM–6PM, and the playground is open and ready for fun.
ℹ️ hoffmanfarmsstore.com

⭐️ Smith Berry Barn
📍 24500 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Hillsboro
Our 'No Spray' strawberries are now ready for picking! U-pick days vary for ripening... Please visit our website for daily u-pick information.

Also in our farm store: Farm fresh bouquets, hanging baskets, organic veggie starts, ice cream, berry milkshakes and so much more!

Open Wed - Sun | 10am-5pm
503-628-2172
ℹ️ smithberrybarn.com

⭐️ The Powerlines U-Pick
📍 Ne 18th street & 130th ave vancouver

open tomorrow Saturday May 30th for u-pick strawberries 8am-2pm or until we run out of ripe strawberries to pick

$3.25lb less than 20lb
$2.75lb 20lb or more

Cash only
No pets please
Pre-weigh containers before hand
Only pick in designated spots
Weather permitting
📞 Information 360-787-1220

I’ve lived through
6/6/66
7/7/77
8/8/88
9/9/99
1/1/00
10/10/10
11/11/11
12/12/12
2/2/22
12/31/23
I’ve seen some things

If North Portland had a culinary heartbeat, it would be thumping somewhere just off N Lombard, wrapped in foil, dripping salsa, and absolutely refusing to apologize for being perfect in its own unglamorous way. That pulse is King Burrito.

Tucked at 2924 N Lombard St, this is not a restaurant built for Instagram aesthetics or curated ambiance. It is built for survival—late shifts, construction crews, night owls, and anyone who understands that real food doesn’t need a PR team. According to long-time local coverage, King Burrito has been anchoring NoPo for decades, thriving on a philosophy as simple as it is rare in Portland dining: don’t change what already works .

And it shows. Nothing about King Burrito is “reinvented.” The menu hasn’t been twisted into modern fusion confusion. The grill stays hot. The pace stays fast. The prices stay—miraculously—still in the realm of “how is this even possible in 2026?” One burrito and suddenly you’re recalibrating your understanding of inflation and joy at the same time.

Step inside and it’s all business. No polished bistro whispering, no reclaimed wood pretending to care about your feelings. Just the sound of tortillas hitting the flat-top, orders being called, and the quiet confidence of a kitchen that has nothing left to prove. This is the kind of place where the salsa doesn’t ask permission—it just shows up loud, bright, and slightly dangerous.

The burritos themselves are absurd in the best way. Massive, overstuffed, structurally questionable in a way that suggests engineering was never part of the plan. One of the most talked-about moves is the chile relleno burrito—an idea so unreasonably indulgent it feels like someone dared the kitchen to do it and they said, “fine.” Steak, sauce, heat, heft. No unnecessary garnish, no apologies.

What makes King Burrito endure, though, isn’t just the food—it’s the refusal to become anything else. In a Portland that has cycled through trends like seasonal allergies, this place remains stubbornly itself. Locals describe it as a “hole-in-the-wall staple” serving fast, cheap, authentic Mexican food that hasn’t drifted from its roots in decades.

Even the vibe carries a kind of beautiful edge. It’s slightly worn, slightly chaotic, and exactly what you want it to be. The kind of spot where you eat standing up, sitting down, or halfway out the door because you already can’t wait to get back to your car and tear into it.

And yes—people miss it when they leave North Portland. A lot. There’s a reason former residents still talk about it like a lost chapter of their personal history, like a flavor memory they keep trying to recreate in other cities but never quite can.

King Burrito doesn’t need reinvention. It doesn’t need expansion. It doesn’t need a concept. It just needs to keep doing what it has always done: serving enormous, honest food to anyone hungry enough to respect it.

In a city obsessed with “the next big thing,” King Burrito is the reminder that sometimes the best thing is the thing that never left.

Long live the King.

Oregon’s Flag Is Weird — Which Is Exactly Why Oregon Loves It

Only Oregon would create a state flag so indecisive it needed two sides.

While the other 49 states settled for a single design, Oregon looked at the concept of a flag and apparently said, “Why stop there?” The result is one of the strangest — and somehow most perfectly Oregonian — pieces of state symbolism in America: the nation’s only official double-sided state flag.

Adopted in 1925, Oregon’s flag remains entirely unique in the United States. One side displays the official state seal, rich with frontier symbolism and enough historical imagery to resemble a government-issued treasure map. Flip it over, however, and the entire tone changes dramatically. Suddenly, staring back at you in gold-threaded glory, is a beaver.

Just… a beaver.

And honestly, that feels very Oregon.

The Front Side: Manifest Destiny Meets Pacific Northwest Drama

The front, or obverse side, features Oregon’s state seal centered against a deep navy-blue background. At first glance, it looks like the kind of emblem you’d expect hanging inside a courthouse or stamped onto very important documents no one actually reads.

But a closer look reveals Oregon’s entire personality crisis stitched into fabric.

There are mountains, forests, an elk, covered wagons, farmland, ships, and the Pacific Ocean — essentially a visual summary of Oregon’s historical evolution from rugged frontier territory to modern outdoor lifestyle brochure.

The shield itself tells a story. A covered wagon symbolizes westward migration along the Oregon Trail, while a departing British ship and arriving American vessel represent the transition from British influence to U.S. control in the Pacific Northwest. Above it all sits an American eagle, because no government seal in the 1800s was legally allowed to exist without one.

Encircling the seal are 33 stars, commemorating Oregon becoming the 33rd state admitted to the Union in 1859.

Which means yes, Oregon has technically been weird since before the Civil War.

The Back Side: Beaver Energy

Then there’s the reverse side.

No complex seal. No soaring patriotic imagery. No elaborate symbolism requiring a history lecture.

Just a gold beaver.

The North American beaver was chosen because Oregon’s early economy was heavily built around the fur trade during the 1800s, when trappers and trading companies flooded the Pacific Northwest chasing pelts worth fortunes in Europe. Long before Portland became associated with artisan donuts, indie bands, and people discussing mushroom foraging with alarming seriousness, Oregon’s economy largely revolved around aggressively industrious aquatic rodents.

Thus, “The Beaver State” was born.

And frankly, no animal could better represent Oregon.

Beavers are resourceful, stubborn, environmentally transformative, occasionally destructive, and absolutely committed to their projects regardless of public opinion. That is also a fairly accurate description of most Portland neighborhood associations.

Oregon’s Flag Quietly Became a Legend

Over the years, Oregon’s double-sided flag has developed something close to cult status among flag enthusiasts, historians, and people who spend suspicious amounts of time ranking state flags online.

Most state flags blend together into a blur of dark blue backgrounds and complicated seals nobody can identify from more than six feet away. Oregon ignored this convention entirely and accidentally created one of the most memorable flags in the country.

Of course, this has also created logistical problems.

Double-sided flags are more expensive to manufacture, harder to reproduce, and technically a nightmare for flag purists who believe simplicity matters. Yet Oregon has stubbornly refused to simplify it, which again feels deeply on-brand for a state that once made a tiny coastal town famous for hosting an annual slug festival.

A Flag That Accidentally Explains Oregon

In many ways, Oregon’s flag perfectly captures the split personality of the state itself.

One side is history, ambition, rugged exploration, and statehood mythology.

The other side is a beaver.

That duality sums up Oregon remarkably well. This is a state where people passionately debate environmental policy while standing in line for maple-bacon donuts. A place where rugged loggers, urban artists, fly fishermen, tech workers, mushroom hunters, and barefoot drum-circle enthusiasts somehow coexist beneath the same gray skies.

And through all of it, the flag quietly waves overhead like a strange blue reminder that Oregon was never interested in being normal in the first place.