Sylvia Beach Hotel

Picture this: a writer sits in a comfy leather chair by a window over looking the sea, in a room of well-worn sofas, reading lamps, and side tables. Pictures of other writers, legendary ones, grace the walls. Outside, a small tempest rages. Rain smacks the windows and the wind shakes the building, felt strongly in this third floor salon. The sea is the color of slate and the waves pound the deserted beach. The writer is blissfully alone, warmed by the heat that issues forth from a vent by her feet. A cup of chamomile tea perches on a small table nearby. She tries not to be distracted by the perfection of the moment which almost seems staged to suit a writer of her ilk. She taps on her computer keyboard, and her novel unfolds beneath her fingers. If only the moment could last forever. 

This was my moment, the hour I was able to dedicate to my writing during our brief visit to the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon. It's a hotel for readers and writers, dedicated to authors and books. Each room is named for an author and its decor reflects that writers aesthetic. Jon and I stayed in the Melville room, conveniently on that same third floor of the salon where I found myself miraculously alone during my writing hour. Why didn't I have more than an hour? Because there were other things to accomplish on this overnight getaway we allowed ourselves  in mid-March, 2021, a year into the Covid pandemic. 

This is what we did during the 24 hours of our trip:

Left Portland around 10:15 am. Drove to Lincoln City, on the coast. Arrived at 12:30.

Got to-go salads for lunch from McMenamin's and ate in the car overlooking the beach. 

Went for a long walk on said beach. 

Drove the half an hour further south to Newport. 

Arrived at Sylvia Beach Hotel at 2:30, at which time they let us check in, a half an hour early. 

Took a walk on Nye Beach and explored the little village around the hotel. 

Ensconced ourselves for an hour of writing time - Jon did his in the room. 

Relaxed in the library on the fourth floor and explored the books there. 

Drove into Newport to get a couple of things we needed and then picked up fish and chips from a restaurant in the Nye Beach village. 

Ate in our room. 

Ventured back into the salon where Jon made a fire in the fireplace. 

With the place still to ourselves, we lounged in front of the fire, laughing our heads off, drinking the hot mulled wine the hotel provides. 

Retired to our room.

Morning: Woke up, showered, and ate breakfast. 

Took another walk on the beach.

Checked out at 10:15.

Arrived home, 12:30. 

I don't know if you can tell simply by reading the itinerary, or by the description of my writing hour in the salon, but the trip was completely and absolutely perfect. The Sylvia Beach Hotel is a must-visit for anyone who loves books. If you check the website below, you can view out the different rooms but, just to give you an idea, author-themed rooms include Melville, as mentioned, Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Alice Walker, Jules Verne, Ken Kesey, and many more. We chose the Melville room not only because we're big Moby Dick fans, but also because it is the only room in the hotel with a king sized bed, plus lots of sea-inspired antiques, and a cute dining/reading nook. 

There is no elevator in the four-story hotel, so you have to be able to climb stairs, or you can stay in the rooms on the first floor. There are also no TVs, phones, or Wifi in the rooms, but there's cell service in abundance. There is a restaurant on the premises where you can reserve a table for dinner. We opted not to because of the pandemic but they assured us there was plenty of social distancing, and, of course, masks were required in all public spaces in the hotel. We also could have had breakfast in the dining room but we were being extra cautious, so they delivered it to our room, boxed up neatly: a delicious quiche, turkey sausage, and potatoes. Coffee and tea is available for free in the snack room any time you want it - serve yourself. 

Every single thing about our stay was ideal and we can't wait to go back. As a result, I rate the Sylvia Beach Hotel: Extraordinarily sincere!

sylviabeachhotel.com

Driftwood - Coffee Anyone?

Kara is a small woman with a lot of energy. She’s the owner of Driftwood Coffee, offering a genuine smile and greeting to everyone who walks in the door. The sign outside tells us that this particular establishment is, “More Than Expected,” and it most certainly is. 

Several people have written to me about Driftwood Coffee as a place deserving of a visit for this column, and I finally got the chance to drop in. I’m really glad I did. The experience was that of stepping into an old friend’s place; warm and inviting. 


The Portland-casual environment is what struck me the most; three or four burlap coffee bags adorn the wall across from the coffee bar. Everything in the room is carefully and tastefully placed around a space which is not large, nor is it small. Let’s just call it comfortable. This is not a manufactured comfort, stamped out to strike a niche-specific-chord-of-familiarity with wild-eyed hordes of desperately salivating caffeine seekers, but rather a simple, thoughtful placement of tables and chairs, and a corner near the front door invitingly decked with a couple of couches, facing one another across a simple coffee table. A few magazines and books are stored on a lower shelf for those who’re looking for a little light reading material. There are a few locally made items such as hats, clothing, and jewelry offered for sale along with a good selection of coffees, teas, Italian sodas, and let’s not forget the Breakfast Sandwich selections. I had a mocha coffee and a “Dave and an Egg” which turned out to be a slice of Dave’s Killer Bread with my choice (over easy) of egg. 

The coffee/chocolate mixture was smooth and delicious. I heroically declined the whipped cream. The breakfast sandwich was killer indeed. A little hot sauce on top made it perfection. 


While I enjoyed my breakfast, seated where I could watch all the action on one of the couches, I watched a steady stream of folks come in and order. A couple of older guys reading newspapers sat at a table across the room next to a young couple who had eyes only for one another. At the next table over, four women discussed the world with plenty of laughs all around. A young writer peered at his laptop screen while sipping something delicious-looking from a large mug. A family of four wide-eyed travelers stepped down out of their home-on-wheels and traipsed in the door. The two kids promptly began oohing-and-aweing over the selection of goodies, while mom and dad went directly to the counter to order coffee and a dragonfly chai. I don’t know what the kids eventually ordered in the way of drinks, but I know for sure that one little girl got herself a beautifully woven bracelet and her brother scored himself a very cool hat, with what looked to be a painting of a killer whale above the brim.  


Pastries of all kinds are offered at Driftwood Coffee, including some gluten free and vegan options. I only managed to avoid their come-hither tastiness because of my iron will; enough said? 


There is some small concern that the paving project on Vermont will hurt business somewhat from now through November, but there’s also hope that folks will continue to seek out this little gem of a coffee place that will never, and I mean never, entertain the idea of robot coffee baristas. 


This where to go to hang out with friends, to talk, to read, or to just relax and gaze out the window as cars roll by on Vermont Street at 46th. After all, what’s the hurry? More than expected? Absolutely!

4604 SW Vermont St, Portland, OR 97219
Order: doordash.com
Phone: (503) 246-4706

Evaluation: Extraordinarily Sincere

Briar Patch Herbs - A welcome addition to the neighborhood

There's a little cluster of shops in a long, low building where Garden Home Road meets 45th Avenue that has always seemed to me to need some sprucing up.

For a long time, there was just a Mr. Suds Laundromat, Revive Organic Hair Salon and Abel Irrigation there. I've always felt that the building wasn't being used to its full potential in the way that Multnomah Village or Hillsdale Center are.

Not that the residents of the area want that much bustle. And besides, it's not big enough to rival those two areas. But I always thought it would be nice if another useful shop or two would go in there, and that the whole thing might be tidied up a bit.

Well, it seems my fantasy is coming true. Briar Patch Herbs has set up shop next to Revive Hair Salon, and what a welcome addition to the neighborhood it is!

I stopped by to see what they have going on there and to meet the owners, Sheri Copans and Brad Valgardson, who are as friendly and helpful as can be.

The shop is gorgeous inside and out, all the built-in shelves and cabinetry hand-fashioned by Brad himself. On one end of the space is an antique velvet sofa and a couple of chairs set up to create a nook where customers can sit and relax as they breathe in the wonderful, earthy aroma of the place. On the other end there are three tall tree trunks that flank the back counter, giving you the feeling of being outside while inside.

As Sheri says, "I wanted it to feel like you were walking into a forest." Well, you do feel like that, if a forest felt as warm and cozy as the shop does.

The Briar Patch sells organic culinary and medicinal herbs and seeds, as well as organic teas, tinctures, local hand-crafted soaps, candles, organic essential oils and all kinds of delightful, natural products. But please be clear: It is NOT a cannabis store.

The Briar Patch is a family friendly, community herb shop, Sheri says. Kids are welcome, dogs are welcome — you get the idea. Sheri also let me know that the people who own Abel Irrigation at the opposite end of the building, Scott and Jenny Calvin, purchased the property a couple of years ago, and it is absolutely their intent to bring in another desirable business or two and to continue to make the building more attractive so that it will be a nice little destination, just a five-minute walk from Multnomah Village proper.

Though Briar Patch Herbs' summer hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., they are hoping to expand to seven days a week come fall. They also plan to begin serving brewed tea once their kitchen is set up, and host special events that welcome the community. Sheri even mentioned the potential for a dog wash day out front!

So stop by and take a look at this beautiful space at 4480 S.W. Garden Home Road. You're sure to walk away with something healing, soothing or beautiful. And if you don't know what you want, they offer consultations as well. Don't you feel better already?

Evaluation: Extraordinarily sincere!

DIGG

If you know of a business that you think might meet our criteria, send the information to me at jon@searching4sincerity.com. I'll not promise to write about them though, as that in itself would be, well, you know — insincere.

Strand Bookstore

They like to say that they  have 18 miles of books. Frankly it's quite possible that the number of miles is underestimated. Yes, this store is enormously larger than Bookman's in Tucson and one would be doing a disservice to say that this enormous New York institution could be anywhere close to the same level of sincerity as that fairly good sized gem in Arizona, but as it happens the Strand comes pretty close. The two stores operate in much the same way. They are both local chains, and they tend to hire friendly people who actually give a damn.

My recent experience: having accidentally purchased two copies of the same book (don't ask me why) I needed to return one. It was just no problem at all. They asked if I wanted to exchange it or if I would like my money back. I ended up using a combination of the two. No manager needed to be called. there was no overt inspection of the book to see if had been read by George Costanza in a public restroom.

Let me make this comparison: I once purchased a bag of chocolate chips from a health food store that I've been going to for years (and choose not to evaluate in this blog). Those chips were so old that they'd turned gray! Naturally, I took them back for a simple exchange. After several levels of buck passing and inspection of the product the manager hesitantly agreed to the exchange. I  accepted my fresh bag and was  left to slink off into the night like the thief that I so obviously was. Why do I go back? So far they have the best selection and they are a local store. But I continue to look for true sincerity in a health food store, and when I find that perfect combination of selection and sincerity - this one will be history.

So the Strand isn't perfect (it's just too gigantic for that) but it is superior, and they make a real attempt at hometown authenticity in our huge metropolis. They manage to walk a fine line and must be admired for that.

Evaluation: Pretty sincere

 

http://www.strandbooks.com/
828 Broadway
New York, New York
(Corner of 12th Street and Broadway)

Bookman's Used Bookstore - Tucson, AZ

Okay, this is a local Tucson chain and we've made it an absolute must destination whenever we hit this Arizona town. But why? - you might ask, since living in  New York offers such places as the Strand which is of course a really great source of used books. The reason can be summed up this way: A couple of Christmas' ago we were spending a couple of weeks in the desert, and went into Bookman's to pick up a bit of reading material. It was my first time in the store and I was wowed by the extensive Science Fiction section with such great prices. Anyway, we gathered up our choices and got in line for the checkout. Our total purchases came to somewhere around $30.00 and Georgina handed over our debit card. Well, something strange was happening with our bank and for some unknown reason the card was declined! Suddenly we were in Tucson and had no access to our money! You know that sinking feeling? Yeah, that's the one... All our cash and credit cards were back at the house. There was panic in the air. But get this: without hesitation the clerk made a simple decision on the spot... he said "don't worry about it." He placed all our things in a bag and said, " Merry Christmas." There was no charge! He absolutely would not hear of our returning with the money. Unbelievable! Now when we go to Tucson we always make it a point to visit  this great store that breathes and even defines - sincerity.

Evaluation: Extraordinarily sincere!

  

6230 E. Speedway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85712
 http://www.bookmans.com/our-stores/tucson-speedway