Scoop: To (All) the Gossips that Rejected Me.

NARGILA GARDEN
By WW Culture Staff
  1. HOOK US UP: Finally, the Portland trend that makes the most sense of any Portland trend, ever, is spreading: On April 4 at 5 pm, Green Castle Food Court (1930 NE Everett St.) gets its first hookah cart. Nargila Garden will have hookahs, which are water pipes with flavorful, fruity Middle Eastern tobacco blends, to be enjoyed along with food from five nearby carts. It will also skirt the city’s smoking ban and give kids under 21 legal access to some sort of mind-altering substance in a social situation. “Low, cushioned seating in a garden setting complemented by a wood stove and an epic fire pit provide the best ambience in town,” says cart boss Ian Griffonwyd. >> In unrelated news, the often-idle Artigiano cart at 3302 SE Division St. has applied for a license to sell beer and wine out of its “alfresco restaurant.” The City of Portland has been fighting a losing battle with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission over booze at carts—recently shutting down Captured by Porches beer buses for a few months.
  1. BORING NO MORE: Life in Boring, Ore., is about how you’d expect from the city’s name. Thankfully, VitaminWater—a company that knows something about taking a basic human need and giving it pizzazz—is here to help those poor, entertainment-deprived, um, Borinians. (Boregers? Boredoms?) On April 3, the Brilliance Uncapped Concert Series invades the sleepy burgh 40 minutes east of Stumptown, shaking up what we assume is the daily drudgery of bean-picking and horizon-staring with a concert featuring B.o.B, Santigold, Matt and Kim, and Yung Skeeter. That’s not all: While in town, VitaminWater is also planning on “livening up some rather ‘meh’ situations.” “Think a heavy-metal salute at a flag-raising,” reads the press release. The show is not open to the public, but will air live on Fuse at 6 pm.
  1. REALITY CHECK: Portland stopped being polite last week, as the first episode of MTV’s The Real World: Portland aired. It contained no surprises—the cast members got drunk, made out and cussed out each other—but that doesn’t mean it’s no small delight to glimpse token Rose City sites on the tube. (TriMet got more play in the first episode than all seven housemates combined, and Dante’s made a notable appearance.) Starting today, WW correspondent Jay Horton will be filing weekly Real World reports—look for them at wweek.com.
  1. ROMANCE LIVES: On April 1, Guitar Romantic, the only album by Portland pop-punk legends the Exploding Hearts, turned 10. Although the band’s career ended tragically less than four months after its release, the record’s influence endures. To commemorate this anniversary, WW partnered with video-production company Generator and Pabst Blue Ribbon, and filmed six Portland bands covering all 10 songs on the album. Watch the videos at wweek.com.

WWeek 2015

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