Portland’s best new (and old) brunches 🥞

Mixed Return to Downtown

Hotel bookings are up since last year, but office vacancies are up too. The economic indicators of whether Downtown Portland is making a comeback are mixed. Parking fees at downtown garages and meters are still more than 35% below pre-pandemic levels — even as the city and Amazon require workers to report to the office. [Oregonian]

Democratic Compromise for Ending Walkout

Democrats appear ready for a compromise to end the record-long Republican walkout. For six weeks, Republican state senators haven’t shown up for work, denying the Democrat majority a quorum. Now, the Democrats are weighing whether to scale back bills on abortion, transgender health care, and gun safety. [OPB]

PacificCorp Found Liable for Santiam Fire

PacifiCorp, Oregon’s second-largest utility, must pay upwards of $70 million in economic and non-economic damages to property owners whose homes and businesses burned in the Labor Day 2020 wildfires. A Multnomah Court jury found the utility liable for the Santiam, Echo Mountain, 242, and South Obenchain fires and will allow even property owners who didn’t sue to collect damages. [Statesman Journal]

Portland’s Ferry Possibility

The nonprofit Friends of Frog Ferry wants to start a new form of public transit in Portland. But how much would this cost? Where is the money coming from? And does Portland really need a ferry? [City Cast Portland 🎧]

City Hall invited the public to name the downtown waterfront fountain that became known as Salmon Street Springs. The fountain was built in 1988 in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, at Southwest Salmon Street. It has three cycles — “misters, bollards, and wedding cake,” the shapes created by 185 jets; 4,924 gallons of water cycle through the fountain every minute.

A shout out to the first 10 readers who identified the spot: Arleen Reetz, Susan Cassidy, Jesse Rader, Alex Gold, Kathy Robinson, Colleen Bourassa, Rich Brusatori, Debra Rehn, Leslie Johnson, and Bettianne Goetz.

It’s as if someone tried to make Portland a vertical forest. Where is it?

🎸 Al Di Meola | Tuesday | 8 p.m.

The American-born guitarist has achieved acclaim for his jazz fusion and world music since the ’70s. [$45, Brooklyn]

☘️ Oregon Renaissance Faire: Celtic Celebration | Sunday | 10 a.m.

It’s the last weekend of the festival. Optional: Come in your favorite kilt or tartan. Required: tickets must be purchased in advance and are disappearing fast. [$25.95+, Canby]

🎨 Hopscotch Portland | Thursday - Sunday | 12 - 9 p.m.

An immersive art experience offers Portland a new way to interact with the work of local and also international artists. It sold out its first weekend, so you may need to plan ahead. [$24, Buckman]

Would a Public Ferry System Ease Portland's Traffic Woes?

Today, we’re looking into the possibility of a public passenger ferry operating on the Willamette. Susan Bladholm, founder and president of Friends of Frog Ferry, says most major river and coastal cities already have functioning ferry systems built into their public transportation. But how much is this going to cost? Where is the money coming from? And does Portland really need a ferry?