Tsilli Pines
Founder, Design Week Portland
As the creative director of Fine Design Group and host of the CreativeMornings breakfast lecture series, Tsilli Pines is privy to nearly every artistic endeavor in Portland. Through these outlets she has connected the community with creative leaders at Guerrilla Development, Nike, the Wieden+Kennedy agency and many more. As if that’s not enough, her legacy will undoubtedly be in Design Week Portland–a series of interactive lectures, workshops, dinners and parties taking place from April 15-23 that connect like-minded visionaries in architecture, art, fashion, film and more. Here, Pines takes us on a tour of the best eats and shops in downtown Portland–an area she says “has gotten a lot more interesting lately.”
9 a.m. Start the day at Behind the Museum Cafe at the Portland Art Museum–the matcha latte is amazing. Next door, step into home goods store Canoe, which features well-designed objects from around the world–like scissors from Japan, and a mortar and pestle from the United Kingdom. It’s a gorgeous collection.
10 a.m. Make your way into the Portland Art Museum. The recent “Corita Kent: Spiritual Pop” exhibit was wonderful, and there’s a great John Yeon exhibit planned for the spring.
12 p.m. You have your choice of food carts on Southwest Alder and Ninth streets. Nong’s Khao Man Gai is a go-to. Then, walk over to Director Park–a great spot to eat and watch people playing a giant game of chess.
1 p.m. Heading north on 10th Avenue, hit Woonwinkel, Radish Underground, Tender Loving Empire and Wildfang. If you happen to be in town when Wildfang is doing a free speech event, it’s not to be missed.
2 p.m. Pop into the Ace Hotel. I love to check out its black-and-white photo booth. Then, grab a pick-me-up at Stumptown Coffee Roasters and sit on the couch with a newspaper while you are waiting for the photos to develop. Crossing the street, walk through Union Way and grab some treats from Quin.
3 p.m. Next, visit Powell’s Books. Allow for plenty of time to browse the four floors. The Pearl Room houses the art and design books.
5 p.m. Across from Powell’s is MadeHere PDX, a gallery featuring well-made local goods. The team there is always introducing new pieces from up-and-coming talent in the area, so I see something new every time I visit.
6 p.m. You have your pick of wonderful places for dinner in this area. Opt for the Nostrana salad and a pizza at Oven and Shaker, head downtown to Little Bird for a perfect coq au vin, or head east to Ava Gene‘s for some gorgeous vegetables and pasta. There are so many options!
