Late Summer Road Trip 2019: McMenamin's Kennedy School Hotel

During our year of living in Portland, we discovered a chain of very quirky hotels and restaurants called McMenamins. Founded in 1983, the family-owned business has become famous in the Pacific Northwest. Although they are a chain, no two locations are alike.

Our friends from California visited us during the spring of our year in Portland, and they raved about McMenamin’s Kennedy School Hotel, which they visited for cocktails. The location of the hotel was a former elementary school that was built in 1915, it had been abandoned until McMenamin’s renovated it, turning it into a unique hotel with a movie theater, multiple bars and restaurants.

Here is a picture of the Kennedy School in the 1940’s.

And how it looks today…

The entire property takes on an Alice in Wonderland air, as visitors explore the different rooms, passages and multiple levels. The art work that adorns the walls are clearly not original to the school house, as they take on a nightmarish quality. I kept sensing that this would be a fantastic building for a halloween event. It also must be a very trippy experience for visitors who worked at or attended the original Kennedy School.

In keeping with the “school theme” the hotel has a detention bar. The principal’s office has also been turned into a bar, which two of our friends who are retired teachers, really loved.

We parked ourselves in The Boiler Room for the signature cocktail, Ginger Pear Sidecars. The Boiler Room is an overwhelming experience for the eyes: exposed pipes, ornate lighting fixtures, and beautiful stained glass.

Whether you visit the Kennedy School Hotel or one of their other properties in the Pacific Northwest, you are sure to have a memorable experience at a McMenamins! Make sure to bring your appetite for adventure and stomach for a strong, well-made cocktail! Also, if you plan to visit more than one McMenamins Property, make sure to ask for a passport. Each location will stamp your passport, challenging you to drink your way through all of the McMenamins.

Book Review: Jenny Lawson's Broken (in the best possible way)

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for providing me with a copy of Jenny Lawson’s essay collection, Broken ( in the best possible way), in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Jenny Lawson. She's hilarious. I often find myself in the awkward position of “snorting with laughter” while reading Lawson’s writing, which usually happens in public, but not this year, Thank you, pandemic! Broken ( in the best possible way) was no exception, however, many essays in this collection took a serious look at mental and physical health issues.

Lawson is candid about her health struggles, including a look at a relatively new therapy option to combat severe depression, which involved Lawson wearing a special head device that doled out repeated mini-punches to areas of her brain in efforts to stimulate them. The results of the therapy were not perfect, but they did pull Lawson out of a long-lasting depression, and gave her the ability to enjoy aspects of her life again, including a family vacation to Europe.

I’ve never struggled with depression, but I know many people who have, including both of my parents (my father died from suicide and my mom struggled in the aftermath.) After reading Broken ( in the best possible way) I finally have a small idea of how depression impacted their lives. It not only gave me a better sense of understanding, but also more compassion. Lawson’s revelations have allowed me the opportunity to rethink and reframe certain aspects of my childhood. I did not pick up Broken ( in the best possible away) expecting such an impactful reading experience, but I appreciate it.

I’m also happy to report that Lawson’s unique outlook and brand of humor is still present throughout this collection. I got the biggest kick out of all of the animal names.

The next time I cook chicken, I will surely be reminded of Lawson’s rural Texas high school making the kids process chickens if they want to attend prom. As a city kid, I found this horrifying. I stopped reading to share this tidbit with my step kids who are visiting us from Sweden. They were equally shocked. I also have realized that I am the type of functioning introvert that Lawson finds the most troubling! Make sure to check out Lawson’s social media at “thebloggess” for more of her quirkiness and humor.

Local Honey | Midwest: Miracle Whip

I’m delighted to announce that my essay “Miracle Whip” has just been published in Local Honey | Midwest. Last summer, I responded to a submission call from Local Honey | Midwest requesting pandemic inspired essays. Local Honey | Midwest is an online literary magazine for midwest writers. I’m not from the midwest, but my mom was born in Rochester, Minnesota, and my essay is partially about my grieving her death, so I guess I snuck in by association!

Just to add legitimacy, here is a picture of my grandfather and mom in Rochester back in the late 1930’s.

My essay details the difficulty I had with the sense of taste after my mom’s death, specifically how I could not manage to recreate the way she cooked. I write about how the shuttering of the buffet-style restaurant, Souplantation, triggered similar feelings of grief.

I talk a bit about the controversial condiment “Miracle Whip,” which was a staple in mom’s cooking. I realize that Miracle Whip is on par with the “Does pineapple belong on pizza debate” (for the record, a resounding yes- it’s delicious.) Yet, I hope that wherever your opinions on Miracle Whip or pineapple on pizza fall, you’ll give my essay a read. Thank you!