my own private portland

back in 1991 or 1992, i was living in a little town called albuquerque, new mexico. one of my favorite things to do back then was to go to this tiny theater on central avenue called the guild. the guild was and still is the best theater in albuquerque because it's the only place you can see indy or art house films. this was where i first saw movies like the crying game, drugstore cowboy and another movie that paved the way to my future--my own private idaho.

i had been to portland before when i was younger (my parents decided to pick up one day and moved us to gold hill, in southern oregon) and we would frequently drive to portland for visits. i had always had a fondness for portland but there was something about it in that movie that made me vow right there at the guild that i would one day move to portland. i loved everything about the city in the movie--the beauty and the grittiness that gus van sant had captured as well as the eccentric characters in the movie which he had developed around real people living in portland at the time (many of whom still live here).

in 1993, i brought two of my friends on a road trip to portland where we visited several of the sights from my own private idaho as well as other great places like the movie house on sw taylor and moody's on sw 4th (sadly, both no longer here). it was after this road trip, i returned to albuquerque and began serioulsy planning my move to portland which finally happened in 1998.

and this is when my little love affair with portland became a commitment.

my favorite movie theater in portland is cinema 21 at 616 nw 21st ave 503.223.4515