W XYZ: Carry On

W XYZ
By MATTHEW SINGER

No self-respecting Portlander should step foot inside W XYZ (9920 NE Cascades Parkway, 200-5678, wxyzportland.com). Located adjacent to the airport in the lobby of the tacky Aloft Hotel, it's a bar designed exclusively for people trying to get the hell out of here. Even tourists would balk: Any visitor who'd come all the way to Portland to lodge in the big-box dystopia of Cascade Station clearly doesn't know how to vacation properly. With its antiseptic neon glow, charmlessly chic decor and smattering of Portlandia memorabilia, it's more like a detention center for dudes who missed the connecting flight to their buddy's bachelor party in Vegas and need a place to suck back oversweetened mojitos. I suppose it's also convenient if you're looking to get liquored up before wandering around IKEA, but isn't that what Red Robin is for?

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.