Adriana Jergušova/The Mossy Log
Fall: the season of cozy sweaters, spooky vibes and the beautiful changing of the leaves. For the start of this wonderful time, here are some spots around Portland that are sure to get you into an autumnal mood.
For carless students, there are a few spots close to campus, but the coziness of the dorm should not be overlooked. Being able to wrap oneself in a blanket or duvet with a cup of tea and a book is hard to beat. However, if being outdoors is in the cards, our campus houses multiple gazebos — two of the more well known are located near the reflecting pool. If you would prefer to be closer to the woods and have a bit more privacy, another is hidden behind Miller, next to Olin. To be fully immersed in the change of seasons, try walking over to Tryon Creek State Natural Area behind the Law Campus and getting lost on its series of trails while finding moss and mushrooms of all sorts. Or try sitting on one of the many wooden bridges around the park while feeling the wind prickle your cheeks.
For something a bit farther from campus, the L&C Shuttle (formerly the Pio Express) is your friend, with Portal Tea Company being a mere five-minute walk from the Sellwood stop. Consider indulging in a warm cup or pot of tea and sitting next to their fireplace or up in the train car while listening to the rain chime on the roof while relaxing. It is also a wonderful location to study when a change in scenery is necessary, since the tea house has an all-around cozy sense of autumnal warmth.
To get to a gorgeous outdoor area further from campus, take the Trimet 35T bus toward Oregon City, get off at the Willamette Drive/Mapleton Drive stop, then walk a few minutes south to arrive at Mary S. Young Park. This park is 128 acres and is filled with many trails including views of beautiful moss-covered trees and rocky river banks. It also includes a dog park for fluffy companions and many fields where you could have a picnic and bird watch or just admire the beauty of falling autumn leaves.
For activities in the city that will help satiate a sweet tooth, Black Cat Frozen Custard is a short 20-minute walk from the PSU L&C Shuttle stop. Ice cream — or frozen custard in this case — is a delicious sweet little treat no matter the temperature outside. Their seasonal custard flavors and topping combinations make Black Cat the perfect stop for those who love customization. They also offer a variety of coffees, and even have their own coffee beans for sale. The cafe has a comforting and spooky atmosphere with bare brick walls covered in skulls and bones framed by dried vines, accented by stairs wrapped in decayed violet wallpaper which seemingly lead nowhere.
The cafe hides a secret as well. Behind a false wall masquerading as an antique dresser rests a speakeasy called the Conspirator’s Coffee Lounge. Unlocking the wall through a secret dagger provided by the staff reveals a sophisticated dark-academia-inspired cafe. The cafe is illuminated purely by red chandeliers and slivers of light that escape through ornate floral privacy films to hide the customers from outside onlookers. Handing the dagger back to the baristas unlocks the opportunity to purchase from a selection of coffees and assortment of teas, or to get into the holiday spirit with their seasonal specials. Their spiced apple cider mixed with orange juice, topped with cold foam and dusted with nutmeg warms the body and soul. Being a two-story cafe, there are many seating choices. The first floor is a spacious and brighter area surrounded by dark-green, forest-inspired wallpaper, wild cat taxidermy and a manner of books and trinkets that would be found in a wealthy estate. The second floor of the lounge is far darker, with only the red light to guide its guests — it feels more like a place for seance and magic than a place for study and light conversation. Once done with your stay at the lounge, walk through another false wall and find yourself on top of the aforementioned stairs leading to nowhere back into the main shop of Black Cat Frozen Custard.
A block North is the Portland Saturday Market in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which is open every Saturday until early December from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This market is filled with art vendors, the bustling chatter of visitors, music in the background and the smell of various cuisines wafting from food carts. This makes it a lovely spot to enjoy the crisp air and turning of seasons. It is an easy place to find something extraordinary for yourself or someone else as a gift for the coming holidays. I always enjoy looking for new decorations to make my dorm feel more like home and collect surreal and whimsical prints to cover my walls. The market has something for everyone, and its welcoming atmosphere is infectious, with every vendor always happy to talk about their craft.
There are many more fall feeling locations around our school these are just a few of my favorites to get the ball rolling. With all these places and hidden gems around Portland, I hope that you find somewhere to enjoy fall, be it on your own or with someone else. Get out and have some fun before it gets too cold and we want to just bundle up at home.
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