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Once a staging area and luggage transfer when Portland hosted the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition, Slabtown evolved into a light-industrial playground, set off by an enclave of meticulously kept art deco apartment blocks nestled in the neighborhood's residential southeast corner. Its latest transformation is something of a marvel, with more of the concrete ceding to brand-new residential complexes sprouting like mushrooms from the cracks of disused parking lots, extending the chichi reach of the Pearl to the west side of I-405. Goodbye Conway, hello New Seasons. Sami Gaston.
WW PICKS
Eat: Gastro Mania, 1986 NW Pettygrove St.
Drink: Yur's Bar & Grill, 717 NW 16th Ave.
Shop: Work/Shop, 1024 NW 19th Ave.
Go: Pro Photo Supply, 1112 NW 19th Ave.
Must:
BodyVox
1201 NW 17th Ave., 503-229-0627, bodyvox.com. Classes daily.
Founded in 1997 by husband-and-wife choreographers Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, BodyVox is a world-class dance company and studio, where adults, teens and children can participate in exploring the beauty and power of movement through extensive class and workshop offerings. If a seat in the front row is more your speed than a place at the barre, then score tickets to one of the performances this season and see up close the power of finesse and agility.
EAT
Commissary Cafe
915 NW 19th Ave., 503-593-5992, commissarycafe.com. Breakfast-late lunch daily.
Located in the historic Film Exchange Building, this bright and charming coffee shop and cafe is a girly nod to the building's past and old Hollywood glamour. It's a sweet spot to grab a latte, pastry or kombucha and catch up with a friend or co-worker. $.
Frogtown Tacos
1616 NW Northrup St., 503-232-2135, facebook.com/frogtowntacos. Lunch Monday-Friday.
Frogtown's tacos are heaped generously with lovely meat and garnish on fresh, handmade tortillas; two handily satisfy a light appetite, and three will stuff you. Order the Yucatecan-style cochinita pibil, its rich and smoky pulled pork brightened with beautifully acidic habanero-lime salsa and just-crisp pickled onion. $.
Gastro Mania
1986 NW Pettygrove St., 503-689-3794, gastromaniapdx.com. Lunch-early dinner
Monday-Friday, lunch Saturday.
One of our favorite carts of 2015 rapidly graduated to a sit-down spot. Each of Gastro Mania's gigantic gyros—whether lamb, chicken, salmon or tuna—is cooked fresh to order, not from spit or hot plate, and the herbs and spices that flavor them are equally fresh. And yet they still cost a mere $7 with a Greek side salad. $.
Olympia Provisions
1632 NW Thurman St., 503-894-8136, olympiaprovisions.com. Lunch and dinner Monday-Friday, brunch-dinner Saturday-Sunday.
Elias Cairo's long-celebrated salumeria and eatery has been producing some of the most sublime saucisson, mortadella and chorizo this side of the Atlantic since 2009. $$.
DRINK
Paymaster Lounge
1020 NW 17th Ave., 503-943-2780, paymasterlounge.com.
While Paymaster is not really a dive bar—beer is craft and $5, and pitchers are only a slight discount—it is a wonderful ode to a dive bar, from its backroom pinball and spirit-animal vending machine to the strangely illicit-seeming TV room.
Sniff Cafe
1828 NW Raleigh St., 503-208-2366, sniffdoghotel.com.
Enjoy a pint of local brew inside Sniff Dog Hotel during happy hour (5-7 pm) while fido romps in the play area free of charge. Yes, it's one of the few places in town that serves brewed beverages and encourages the strengthening of the social bond between human and canine.
Yur's Bar & Grill
717 NW 16th Ave., 503-224-0160.
A neighborhood institution, this sprawling poolroom is one of Slabtown's last (barely) standing dive bars—the foreboding "U" on the building's side a warning to firefighters to enter with caution. Tuck into a large booth to devour fried goodness, then catch the final quarter of the Blazers game while sitting on thick sofas in the lounge, which seems more den than bar.
SHOP
The Athletic
925 NW 19th Ave., theathleticcommunity.com.
The Athletic is a go-to store for awesome socks, water bottles and jerseys that you can pedal, hike, run or jump in. The apparel has graphic patterns that echo the details of West Coast international airports, including the original PDX carpet design.
Folly
1005 NW 16th Ave., 503-954-1334, follypdx.com.
Owner and designer Sarah Bibb's bright and feminine retail shop recently turned 8 years old. Check out Folly's selection of sun dresses, intimates and palazzo pants in playful prints—all from Bibb's in-house line.
Work/Shop
1024 NW 19th Ave., workshop-pdx.com. Closed Monday.
A relatively recent addition to the neighborhood, Work/Shop is not just a retail front comprising Instagram-worthy products from saltwater sprays to falsa blankets to flowers and greeting cards. It also offers classes so you can learn to make your own bath bombs and macramé plant hangers.
MindRite
1780 NW Marshall St., 503-477-4430, mindritepdx.com.
MindRite focuses on procuring the best flower that money can buy, working with craft growers like Deschutes Growery and Illumination Farms to bring you weed you can't find anywhere else. Its proximity to Nob Hill speaks to its yopro client base, with a variety of discreet products, including vape cartridges and edibles.
Vinopolis
1610 NW Glisan St., 503-223-6002, vinopoliswineshop.com.
Vinopolis is one of Portland's more esoteric wine shops, famous for its expert staff, sections of grand cru Burgundy and Bordeaux, as well as being one of the places to go for Champagne. Even if you can't afford high-end bottles, it's great for gawking.
GO
Pro Photo Supply
1112 NW 19th Ave., 503-241-1112, prophotosupply.com. Closed Sunday.
For over three decades, this shop has been supplying new and used cameras, lenses, portable flashes and film to professional photographers, students and dads. Complete with a photo lab for developing prints, a try-before-you-buy equipment rental program and classes to help improve your technique, Pro Photo Supply is a community resource for capturing life in still and moving pictures.
In multiple locations
Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby St.
Smith Teamaker, 1626 NW Thurman St.
Willamette Week