What do you think?
Rate this book
Perusing Portland
Come along on a two-month trip to Portland, Oregon where you'll get a taste of the touristy side before you go beyond to discover what this strange little city in the wet northwest has to offer!
This travel journal adds a touch of humor as it informs the reader on Portland's food truck and bike culture, its natural wonders, its quirky inhabitants, and the many reasons it's important to "Keep Portland Weird"!
This travel journal adds a touch of humor as it informs the reader on Portland's food truck and bike culture, its natural wonders, its quirky inhabitants, and the many reasons it's important to "Keep Portland Weird"!
- GenresNonfictionTravel
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2015
About the author
Jason R. Koivu
7 books1,420 followersJason R. Koivu was born and raised in New England, where bedtime stories gave him a love of books. He went on to study journalism and literature at Fitchburg State College, wrote screenplays in Los Angeles, and eventually found his niche in the fantasy genre, returning to the stories of his youth.
Koivu's writing partner
("This is Sir Ian Sir Ian. He's helping me write my latest. Thus far, he hasn't done a hell of a lot of writing and I haven't had a single turn on that pillow.")
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/hw8zp9w
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_r_koivu/
Sign up for the newsletter and receive an email when a new book in the Barlow fantasy series is released: http://eepurl.com/ckwodA
Koivu's writing partner
("This is Sir Ian Sir Ian. He's helping me write my latest. Thus far, he hasn't done a hell of a lot of writing and I haven't had a single turn on that pillow.")
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/hw8zp9w
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_r_koivu/
Sign up for the newsletter and receive an email when a new book in the Barlow fantasy series is released: http://eepurl.com/ckwodA
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 18, 2016
Having read and reviewed Jason's book, "Go Home, Oaxaca. You're Drunk", yesterday,
what I didn't mention about Jason and his wife is that they really have a dream to live abroad, but since that's really quite a difficult undertaking considering their jobs, money and family obligations, they came up with an alternative plan.
Every year they spend a couple of months in a different place. Two months gives the feeling of it not being a normal vacation...and its long enough to get a taste of being in one location.
In 2015, they drove to Portland from Southern California (never having been in Portland before). The year before when they were in Oaxaca, Mexico, they flew and didn't have a car--which wasn't really a problem as it was a walking city, so for this trip, they were happy to have the comfort of their car.
The drove through SF - stopped and visited good friends who had just had a baby - then through Napa Valley.....( a home-away-from-home- retreat almost every Dec. for Paul and I)....then through Eureka and Arcata.
For 99. cents - Jason will share with you about the adventures of their car trip... I really must save the best parts for 'our author'.
I did learn a little tidbit. Paul, ( my husband - but most of you know his name by now after many reviews here on Goodreads), knew this information. I didn't.
Did you know that there are only two states in the country where are you are not allowed to pump your own gas? That's right. Oregon is one of them. If you want to know what the other state is, read Jason's book. ( sure you can look it up for free - but it won't be as much fun).
So, Oregon is funky -an artist's Dream city- with the popular food trucks with delicious foods to boot. Norwegian Meatballs in carmelized goat cheese gravy with sweet and sour cabbage, wrapped in Norwegian potato lefse mushroom and hazelnut patties with blue cheese, parsley sauce and mixed lettuces, anyone?
Jason and Cherry love the show "Portlandia". Who doesn't??? If you haven't seen it -it's a kick!!! Jason and Cherry visited the hippie commune- "Aliki Farms", which it hears in the very first episode.
When I learned they stayed in an Airbnb guest house -- of course I'm thinking Cherry and Jason don't know what their missing - and ought to visit 'our' airbnb.
They stayed in a non-posh nice guest house behind the main house - with a nice owner and dog....
but....
when they come to our place, they will have their own guest house with a warm water private garden pool, a cold plunge pool, water fountain - lights that change co,ors at night - an outdoor wonderful warm shower, and a sauna and bathroom in their room. It comes with snacks... ( yogurts - fruit- nuts - drinks - power bars - small refrigerator - hot water and teas private wifi - and their own private entrance )
Airbnb -- Walters - San Jose - Willow Glen Cabana retreat for photos and info!
Just sayin....lol Jason!
Portland is a big commuter 'bicycle-to-work' city. It's punk- it rains often - people are friendly - Powel's bookstore in Portland is BIG with incredible selections-- lots of hiking trails- pubs breweries - clubs - renovation of old buildings- with socially and politically active community folks.
Aw.....and the coffee good!
So --- I end this little review --sharing that I'm about to go to dinner with our guests.....
Airbnb couple here from Canada. Heather Tucker, author of "The Clay Girl", and her husband Brian are staying here. Heather is 'on tour' speaking in bookstores in the Bay Area!!! ( another great book worth reading)
Off for Thai food!
You rock Jason! You too Cherry!
what I didn't mention about Jason and his wife is that they really have a dream to live abroad, but since that's really quite a difficult undertaking considering their jobs, money and family obligations, they came up with an alternative plan.
Every year they spend a couple of months in a different place. Two months gives the feeling of it not being a normal vacation...and its long enough to get a taste of being in one location.
In 2015, they drove to Portland from Southern California (never having been in Portland before). The year before when they were in Oaxaca, Mexico, they flew and didn't have a car--which wasn't really a problem as it was a walking city, so for this trip, they were happy to have the comfort of their car.
The drove through SF - stopped and visited good friends who had just had a baby - then through Napa Valley.....( a home-away-from-home- retreat almost every Dec. for Paul and I)....then through Eureka and Arcata.
For 99. cents - Jason will share with you about the adventures of their car trip... I really must save the best parts for 'our author'.
I did learn a little tidbit. Paul, ( my husband - but most of you know his name by now after many reviews here on Goodreads), knew this information. I didn't.
Did you know that there are only two states in the country where are you are not allowed to pump your own gas? That's right. Oregon is one of them. If you want to know what the other state is, read Jason's book. ( sure you can look it up for free - but it won't be as much fun).
So, Oregon is funky -an artist's Dream city- with the popular food trucks with delicious foods to boot. Norwegian Meatballs in carmelized goat cheese gravy with sweet and sour cabbage, wrapped in Norwegian potato lefse mushroom and hazelnut patties with blue cheese, parsley sauce and mixed lettuces, anyone?
Jason and Cherry love the show "Portlandia". Who doesn't??? If you haven't seen it -it's a kick!!! Jason and Cherry visited the hippie commune- "Aliki Farms", which it hears in the very first episode.
When I learned they stayed in an Airbnb guest house -- of course I'm thinking Cherry and Jason don't know what their missing - and ought to visit 'our' airbnb.
They stayed in a non-posh nice guest house behind the main house - with a nice owner and dog....
but....
when they come to our place, they will have their own guest house with a warm water private garden pool, a cold plunge pool, water fountain - lights that change co,ors at night - an outdoor wonderful warm shower, and a sauna and bathroom in their room. It comes with snacks... ( yogurts - fruit- nuts - drinks - power bars - small refrigerator - hot water and teas private wifi - and their own private entrance )
Airbnb -- Walters - San Jose - Willow Glen Cabana retreat for photos and info!
Just sayin....lol Jason!
Portland is a big commuter 'bicycle-to-work' city. It's punk- it rains often - people are friendly - Powel's bookstore in Portland is BIG with incredible selections-- lots of hiking trails- pubs breweries - clubs - renovation of old buildings- with socially and politically active community folks.
Aw.....and the coffee good!
So --- I end this little review --sharing that I'm about to go to dinner with our guests.....
Airbnb couple here from Canada. Heather Tucker, author of "The Clay Girl", and her husband Brian are staying here. Heather is 'on tour' speaking in bookstores in the Bay Area!!! ( another great book worth reading)
Off for Thai food!
You rock Jason! You too Cherry!
August 15, 2015
...the sun was all over us like a bear on fire trying to give us a hug.
This book is a travelogue about Jason and Cherry's adventures in Portland. It is very casual; it is like hearing your funny, cute friend tell you about what he did on vacation over some drinks at the bar.
Jason Koivu is funny. He's my GR friend (DISCLAIMER) and he makes me laugh quite frequently. Which is why I was excited to hear that he was publishing another book.
The humor is hit or miss although I would have to admit that it was mostly "hit" for me. :)
The first stop was near San Francisco at our friends Liz and Matt's to meet their new son, Theodore. I love that name. It's very Presidential and meshes with my theory that 70-80% of babies look like ol' timey statesmen. Think Winston Churchill or William Howard Taft (sans the 'stache) next time you see one. Boy or girl, I think you'll agree, no one would bat a lash if he or she tried to pass a bill in the House.
I have had the same thought many a time!
I liked the continuing thread with Jerry, the dog of the owner of the casita Jason was staying at. Geriatric and poorly behaved, the dog provided a cute little thread that tied this book together.
Initially I believed that there would only be a small audience of people who could enjoy this:
a.) People want to visit Portland - either for real, or as an armchair traveler.
b.) People who know and like Jason Koivu and just want another dose of his humor.
I would fall into the second category, BTW.
But notice I said "initially." That's because today I was in The City with my friend. We were going to go lunch together. And Jason Koivu's book came up twice in conversation. TWICE. And not in a "fake way."
How could a book come up in a "fake way," Carmen?"
Example: Q:"What have you been reading lately?"
A: "Well, Jason Koivu wrote a new book called Perusing Portland, and..."
No, I'm talking about naturally. My friend said "What kind of drinks do they serve at this restaurant?"
CARMEN: "Well, they serve honey wine."
AMIGA: "What is honey wine?"
CARMEN: "It's kind of like mead. Hey, I was reading this book the other day, and the author was talking about mead. He was in Portland..." etc. etc. etc.
The second time it came up was when there was a billboard for doughnuts and it made me bring up the section of the book in which Jason Koivu travels to Voodoo Doughnut.
So. I mean, at first I was thinking that this book was ONLY good for people who were traveling to Portland via real life or fantasy, and/or people who just generally like Jason Koivu, but I was proven wrong today. Apparently some content of this book stuck with me.
I was feeling horribly guilty that I didn't review this book right when I finished it (which was about 2AM 13th of August). I have an intense desire and drive to review books right away and I usually review them the minute I turn the last page. But life got in the way this time and I'm actually glad it did, because it improved my opinion of the book.
Tl;dr - Even though it seems you might only enjoy this book if you want to visit Portland in real life or in your dreams, or perhaps if you think Jason Koivu is a funny/cute person, you could be surprised to find that's not the case - there are some little gems in here that might come up later. Short, funny, and WITH PICTURES, this is a funny outsider's take on Portland.
P.S. I PAID FULL PRICE FOR THIS BOOK, NO FREE COPY WAS EXCHANGED FOR A REVIEW
This book is a travelogue about Jason and Cherry's adventures in Portland. It is very casual; it is like hearing your funny, cute friend tell you about what he did on vacation over some drinks at the bar.
Jason Koivu is funny. He's my GR friend (DISCLAIMER) and he makes me laugh quite frequently. Which is why I was excited to hear that he was publishing another book.
The humor is hit or miss although I would have to admit that it was mostly "hit" for me. :)
The first stop was near San Francisco at our friends Liz and Matt's to meet their new son, Theodore. I love that name. It's very Presidential and meshes with my theory that 70-80% of babies look like ol' timey statesmen. Think Winston Churchill or William Howard Taft (sans the 'stache) next time you see one. Boy or girl, I think you'll agree, no one would bat a lash if he or she tried to pass a bill in the House.
I have had the same thought many a time!
I liked the continuing thread with Jerry, the dog of the owner of the casita Jason was staying at. Geriatric and poorly behaved, the dog provided a cute little thread that tied this book together.
Initially I believed that there would only be a small audience of people who could enjoy this:
a.) People want to visit Portland - either for real, or as an armchair traveler.
b.) People who know and like Jason Koivu and just want another dose of his humor.
I would fall into the second category, BTW.
But notice I said "initially." That's because today I was in The City with my friend. We were going to go lunch together. And Jason Koivu's book came up twice in conversation. TWICE. And not in a "fake way."
How could a book come up in a "fake way," Carmen?"
Example: Q:"What have you been reading lately?"
A: "Well, Jason Koivu wrote a new book called Perusing Portland, and..."
No, I'm talking about naturally. My friend said "What kind of drinks do they serve at this restaurant?"
CARMEN: "Well, they serve honey wine."
AMIGA: "What is honey wine?"
CARMEN: "It's kind of like mead. Hey, I was reading this book the other day, and the author was talking about mead. He was in Portland..." etc. etc. etc.
The second time it came up was when there was a billboard for doughnuts and it made me bring up the section of the book in which Jason Koivu travels to Voodoo Doughnut.
So. I mean, at first I was thinking that this book was ONLY good for people who were traveling to Portland via real life or fantasy, and/or people who just generally like Jason Koivu, but I was proven wrong today. Apparently some content of this book stuck with me.
I was feeling horribly guilty that I didn't review this book right when I finished it (which was about 2AM 13th of August). I have an intense desire and drive to review books right away and I usually review them the minute I turn the last page. But life got in the way this time and I'm actually glad it did, because it improved my opinion of the book.
Tl;dr - Even though it seems you might only enjoy this book if you want to visit Portland in real life or in your dreams, or perhaps if you think Jason Koivu is a funny/cute person, you could be surprised to find that's not the case - there are some little gems in here that might come up later. Short, funny, and WITH PICTURES, this is a funny outsider's take on Portland.
P.S. I PAID FULL PRICE FOR THIS BOOK, NO FREE COPY WAS EXCHANGED FOR A REVIEW
August 19, 2015
In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit to knowing Jason on the internet. He is my friend on Goodreads, and I paid one penny short of one U.S. dollar to purchase and read his book.
So. I've never been to Portland, but I've wanted to go for a long time. I'm one of those strange kinds of people who actually enjoy climates that alternate between rain and heavy rain. (I lived in Florida for most of my childhood and teens, and I miss the hell out of some thunderstorms. But I digress.) One day, I will go to there, and I will love the rain more than Jason did.
I am kind of envious that he and his wife can just go places for long periods of time like that. I could probably do it, since I work from home (mostly - we are getting an office space soon, but I have no idea how often we'll be required to actually show up there... or how my boss, who is in Texas, would even know if I did or not), but the feline obligations make that difficult, and I don't relish the idea of traveling with cats. They are generally whiny and pukey and hissy, and that's just when I'm late making with the cat food.
ANYWAY, so, in the spirit of one day wanting to go to Portland myself, and supporting Jason, I read this. And it was informative about a bunch of venues and gives an overall idea of what the town is like, but I found myself wanting a bit more, as well as maybe a better layout.
This is written as little vignettes, and they're all kind of random. It's like stream of consciousness, but less of a stream than chunks. Chunks of consciousness. Each paragraph is a new thought or comment, and are unrelated to those that came immediately before or after. Though, several times, a theme would be revisited, such as zines or Jerry the dog. Jerry seemed cool, and I didn't really mind the running commentary about his comings and goings, but I think the background of the dog should have been one intro chunk, and then when we later get a story about his chasing a mouse, we can be like "Oh, Jerry!" and just enjoy it, without the need for additional info to be given first. The zines bits I think should have just been all together.
I would have also liked a segment break marker or something in between chunks, so then they'd really feel like little vignettes. It was a little off-putting at first when I started reading this and expected a single narrative line and instead got a lot of tiny stories. I don't have a problem with that method, but I'm always a fan of making those kinds of things clear. It makes me a happier reader! :D
But, on the whole, this was amusing and full of cultural Portlandities that I'm semi-familiar with. (I think my town wants desperately to have a Little Portland district, complete with hula hoopers and annoying drum circles. We have King's College, and my neighborhood is called The Heights, so we're almost there. Need more rain though.) Also, I'm glad to know that the Voodoo Donut place (or Devil Donuts food truck if you're a Simpson's fan) is overrated. I love me some donuts... but probably shouldn't. Definitely shouldn't. *sigh* Thanks for taking one for the team, Jason!
So. I've never been to Portland, but I've wanted to go for a long time. I'm one of those strange kinds of people who actually enjoy climates that alternate between rain and heavy rain. (I lived in Florida for most of my childhood and teens, and I miss the hell out of some thunderstorms. But I digress.) One day, I will go to there, and I will love the rain more than Jason did.
I am kind of envious that he and his wife can just go places for long periods of time like that. I could probably do it, since I work from home (mostly - we are getting an office space soon, but I have no idea how often we'll be required to actually show up there... or how my boss, who is in Texas, would even know if I did or not), but the feline obligations make that difficult, and I don't relish the idea of traveling with cats. They are generally whiny and pukey and hissy, and that's just when I'm late making with the cat food.
ANYWAY, so, in the spirit of one day wanting to go to Portland myself, and supporting Jason, I read this. And it was informative about a bunch of venues and gives an overall idea of what the town is like, but I found myself wanting a bit more, as well as maybe a better layout.
This is written as little vignettes, and they're all kind of random. It's like stream of consciousness, but less of a stream than chunks. Chunks of consciousness. Each paragraph is a new thought or comment, and are unrelated to those that came immediately before or after. Though, several times, a theme would be revisited, such as zines or Jerry the dog. Jerry seemed cool, and I didn't really mind the running commentary about his comings and goings, but I think the background of the dog should have been one intro chunk, and then when we later get a story about his chasing a mouse, we can be like "Oh, Jerry!" and just enjoy it, without the need for additional info to be given first. The zines bits I think should have just been all together.
I would have also liked a segment break marker or something in between chunks, so then they'd really feel like little vignettes. It was a little off-putting at first when I started reading this and expected a single narrative line and instead got a lot of tiny stories. I don't have a problem with that method, but I'm always a fan of making those kinds of things clear. It makes me a happier reader! :D
But, on the whole, this was amusing and full of cultural Portlandities that I'm semi-familiar with. (I think my town wants desperately to have a Little Portland district, complete with hula hoopers and annoying drum circles. We have King's College, and my neighborhood is called The Heights, so we're almost there. Need more rain though.) Also, I'm glad to know that the Voodoo Donut place (or Devil Donuts food truck if you're a Simpson's fan) is overrated. I love me some donuts... but probably shouldn't. Definitely shouldn't. *sigh* Thanks for taking one for the team, Jason!
Read
August 10, 2015I know it's only 99 cents and it's for a good cause, but still, would you give me 99 pennies? I'm not sure I would. That's almost a hundred of them! And for what, just to know what Portland, Oregon is like? Smells bullshitty to me and I should know, I wrote it.
Perusing Portland is a travel book filled with helpful info for visitors and unhelpful personal observations that will make you chuckle and/or shake your head. Order your copy today!
http://www.amazon.com/Perusing-Portla...
Perusing Portland is a travel book filled with helpful info for visitors and unhelpful personal observations that will make you chuckle and/or shake your head. Order your copy today!
http://www.amazon.com/Perusing-Portla...
October 10, 2024
Disclaimer: Jason Koivu is a friend that I met on Goodreads several years back, so there might be some slight positive bias here.
That said, I really enjoyed this short overview of the Portland area. I was fortunate enough to go to Portland last week for a work conference, and I happened to find out I was going right about the time Jason released this. So heck yeah, $1.00 or two later (I can't remember), I snatched this baby right up. I did set it aside so I could read it closer to the time of my trip.
Well, it sure came in handy. I didn't get to it until I was actually on the trip, so there is a mix of suggestions that I used from the book with some things I'd already seen by the time I saw them mentioned. But all told, this made for a fun read while I was there. Jason's sense of humor made me laugh out loud a few times too.
It's not the most thorough or complete guide to Portland, but it's a funny, quick way to get some ideas when you don't have a lot of reading time (because you're out enjoying a great city).
That said, I really enjoyed this short overview of the Portland area. I was fortunate enough to go to Portland last week for a work conference, and I happened to find out I was going right about the time Jason released this. So heck yeah, $1.00 or two later (I can't remember), I snatched this baby right up. I did set it aside so I could read it closer to the time of my trip.
Well, it sure came in handy. I didn't get to it until I was actually on the trip, so there is a mix of suggestions that I used from the book with some things I'd already seen by the time I saw them mentioned. But all told, this made for a fun read while I was there. Jason's sense of humor made me laugh out loud a few times too.
It's not the most thorough or complete guide to Portland, but it's a funny, quick way to get some ideas when you don't have a lot of reading time (because you're out enjoying a great city).
May 12, 2022
I sat in the waiting room of a doctor's office reading this book. Time flew by and I was almost finished with it by the time I was admitted into his office. What a fun read. Jason has written another good book on travel. The first time he stayed in Oaxaca, MX for a month, and now Portland, OR. What city will he visit and write a book about next? Should we give him some ideas?
Again, if you are going to take a vacation to Portland this is a good book to read. Make sure you have an umbrella and a raincoat as he states in his book, and I think you should bring some good books to read if you have to stay in your hotel room due to the rain or better yet, go to Powell's Book Store and spend the day.
My brother lived in Portland in a historic loft, and he believed that Portland was the best city in America. Get there before they over build it. I am sure it is beautiful there, but I don't recall much other than Powell's Book store and a seafood restaurant that had oyster shells scattered around the outside of its building. Too long ago.
Again, if you are going to take a vacation to Portland this is a good book to read. Make sure you have an umbrella and a raincoat as he states in his book, and I think you should bring some good books to read if you have to stay in your hotel room due to the rain or better yet, go to Powell's Book Store and spend the day.
My brother lived in Portland in a historic loft, and he believed that Portland was the best city in America. Get there before they over build it. I am sure it is beautiful there, but I don't recall much other than Powell's Book store and a seafood restaurant that had oyster shells scattered around the outside of its building. Too long ago.
October 15, 2015
It's partially travel guide with helpful information--don't bother with Portland's Chinatown--and partially travel journal with non sequitur asides about Oregon Trail or chickens who keep sensible hours It really is a perusal of the city, touching topics here and there with no real organization, and telling you as much about Mr. Koivu as it does about Portland. (For instance, is he the sort of man to chase a group of LARPers just to see what they're up to? )
October 25, 2015
I'm not a "city person", nor could I be claimed to be hipster, yet this book made me want to move to Portland and open a book shop. Seriously... I started to research the economics and community after starting in on reading this. While I don't think I will be moving to Portland at any point, Perusing Portland brought it to life for me and made me want to miss it as well.
Want to Read
August 20, 2015Good times!
October 17, 2020
I am GR friends with the author, but paid my own $0.99 for the pleasure of reading.
After reading this, it seems to me that Portland would be a wonderful place to visit, if only my cat didn't throw a fit when I've been away from him for more than a few hours. I used to live in a Victorian house, and had some of my best memories there, so places like the Victorian-converted Pied Cow Coffeehouse sounds very inviting to me (but for tea, not coffee!).
After reading this, it seems to me that Portland would be a wonderful place to visit, if only my cat didn't throw a fit when I've been away from him for more than a few hours. I used to live in a Victorian house, and had some of my best memories there, so places like the Victorian-converted Pied Cow Coffeehouse sounds very inviting to me (but for tea, not coffee!).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews