America's stealth hot spot, Portland, Ore., has been transformed from a sleepy industrial city into a hub for musicians, artists and foodies seeking refuge from the stress of the East Coast and the high prices of California. Modest Mouse, the Dandy Warhols, the Decemberists and Pink Martini all call Portland home, as do filmmakers Todd Haynes and Gus Van Sant.

Though the town is laid-back, the food scene is world-class and music venues like the Doug Fir Lounge and the Crystal Ballroom pack them in nightly. It's a town of readers, writers, Green anarchists, bike fanatics, queers and devout organic enthusiasts.

Gentrification made a mini SoHo of Pearl District, and rising rents pushed the gay bar stalwarts like Eagle and Silverado from Stark Street into funky Old Town, but the bars are still vital. Nature is omnipresent in Oregon. The city is bursting with trees; 30 minutes in any direction and you're in the woods.

STREET GUIDE

THE DRINK
The Silverado
318 S.W. Third Ave.; (503) 224-4493
Silveradopdx.com
The move to Third Avenue did the place good; the go-go boys came along for the ride and the patrons are appreciative. Wee-hours good times and a friendly, drunken crowd lead to a bustling sidewalk sale as the after-parties get sorted out.

Red Cap Garage, Boxxes and the Brig
1035 S.W. Stark St.; (503) 226-4171
Boxxes.com
Interconnected bars offer one-stop shopping: twink go-go boys in Boxxes, dirty smokers in Red Cap, and late-night clubbing at the Brig. Good-natured, sauced-up fun reigns in this trampy labyrinth, especially during Tuesday night drink specials.

THE GROOVE
Crush
1400 S.E. Morrison St.; (503) 235-8150
CrushBar.com
The Thursday Queer Bait party at this bar-restaurant-club brings the lesbians and alterna-gays together. Wild performances from drag queens, kings and rappers and plenty of frisky fellas in the crowd make this one fun night.

Eagle Pdx Underground
27 N.W. 6th Ave.; (503) 241-0105
PortlandEagle.com
The monthly Blow Pony party adds a giddy shot in the arm of gender-blurrers, glamazons and club folk to the ass-grabbing lumberjack Eagle crowd. Sleazy and friendly, this twink-free zone is where the daddies are.

THE BED
Ace Hotel
1022 S.W. Stark St.; (503) 228-2277
AceHotel.com/Portland
The Ace's 1912 building had fallen into decay before an inspired restoration. The wooden hallways are pure 1920s, but the rooms and stairways are decorated with murals or with collages of handbills from local rock shows. Many rooms come with turntables (and records!) and you can buy guitar strings at the front desk.

Jupiter Hotel
800 E. Burnside St.; (877) 800-0004
JupiterHotel.com
A dirty rock-and-roll '60s motel converted into a clean rock-and-roll hotel, the Jupiter is the nerve center of the late-night hard-rocking music scene. Bands, music lovers, and male groupies stream through the on-site restaurant, bar and music venue at all hours.

Part One | Part Two

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