City Cast Portland
🥒 Why Portland fell in love with Pickles baseball
August 4, 2025 · — Rachel Monahan
Good morning! ⭐ City Cast’s night at the Portland Pickles is the event I’m looking forward to this week.
The Portland Pickles and their wild mascot, Dillon T. Pickle, have turned ballgames into something more like a party 🥳 City Cast’s Thursday game is also Keep Portland Weird night: Tickets are available here! 🎟️
So to get ready, team general manager Courtney Schmidt talks to the City Cast Portland podcast about how Pickles games became one Portland’s favorite pastimes.
What's CITY Talking About?
Downtown Nordstrom Rumors Swirl
According to Mayor Keith Wilson, the CEO of Nordstrom has said he’s not sure how long the department store can stay open downtown. But Nordstrom officials say there are no plans to close the Portland store. [Oregonian 🔒]
High-Profile Revelation and Resignation
Multnomah County’s Preschool for All director Leslee Barnes resigned after revelations that the North Portland preschool she operates was flagged for chronic underenrollment, despite receiving state money to serve low-income families. Starting in 2021, Barnes led the rollout of the high-profile county effort to offer free preschool, starting with at-risk kids. [Willamette Week]
TikTok Star Visits Portland Restaurants
Keith Lee, the former MMA star who's now a TikTok food critic with 17 million followers, has come to Portland, visiting two spots. In Seattle, his viewers recently spotted what appeared to be a worm in sushi. So far there’s been no scandal here. [Oregonian 🔒]
- Indonesian restaurant Gado Gado got a rare 10/10 from him for their green curry. [TikTok]
- Soul food spot Kee’s Loaded Kitchen also won praise for their beef ribs and macaroni. [TikTok]
Food & Drink
A couple new bars recently attracted our attention. Plus, it’s hard to believe, but there’s a new can’t-miss coffee shop in a town already packed with good cafes:
🍸 Bone Sine | 3747 N Mississippi Ave.
Hours: Friday - Saturday, 6 p.m. - 1 a.m.; Thursday and Sunday, 6 p.m. - midnight
A sister bar to go along with one of the city’s best restaurants, Rangoon Bistro, Bone Sine is another instant Portland classic.
Go for: Burmese-accented cocktails like the snap-pea/lime-leaf gimlet.
Stay for: DJs on Fridays/Saturdays.
Return for: the full Rangoon Bistro menu, plus bar snacks too.
🍹 Madame Bar Bar | 3945 N Mississippi Ave.
Hours: TBD, it’s in the soft opening phase.
It’s a chill cocktail bar vibe to go with the more rowdy beer-and-burgers vibe of Bar Bar, which is downstairs.
Go for: the unique twists on classic cocktails.
Stay for: the outdoor seating, overlooking Bar Bar's back patio.
Return for: the vibe — a little like you’ve discovered your own secret nook in town.
☕ Golden Hour Coffee | 3538 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily
Golden Hour is the creation of a husband-and-wife team who have brought together the Oaxacan, Laotian, and Vietnamese coffee cultures. A bustling spot, it’s already found a place in Portland’s busy coffee scene.
Go for: a new take on coffee drinks like an iced mango matcha latte.
Stay for: the comfortable seating.
Return for: a good cup of coffee.
What To Do
Monday, Aug. 4
- 🏞️ Free Entrance to National Parks | Various locations
- 📝 Monday Writing Circle | BOLD Coffee & Books (Goose Hollow)
- 🤘🏽 Metal Monday | Star Bar (Buckman)
Tuesday, Aug. 5
- 🏖️ Audrey McCall Summer Beach Party | Central Eastside
- 🎵 Dennis McNally | Bagdad Theater (Southeast Hawthorne Blvd)
- 🍻 Mixed Messages (Black Affinity Group) | Holgate Library
- ☕ Taylor Swift Night | Coffee Beer (Creston-Kenilworth)
🫶 You’re the best, Will H. Thanks for becoming our newest City Cast Portland Neighbor.
Free · Daily