Feature by Rhett Butler Inside this boutique, a thick scent of incense hangs in the air.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Features | Send mail to The Voice Hawthorne Boulevard hops with urban culture The Red Light, one of the many clothing stores on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, sells both modern and vintage clothing.-Tess Chierici, photo For those with a hankering for adventure, just 10 minutes away from campus sits the avant-garde Hawthorne Boulevard community. It attracts a crowd representing all the colors of the rainbow in hair color alone, and everything from hippie to punk fashion and attitude. All you have to do is find a place to park along this artsy strip between 35th and 39th avenues and get prepared to take it all in. Starting at the northwest corner of 38th and Hawthorne, one block west of a towering Fred Meyer, you'll find Powell's Books for Cooks & Gardens. Inside this boutique, a thick scent of incense hangs in the air. Rows of shelves display cookbooks, cooking supplies and assorted knickknacks as well as books on gardening. The store has an eastern feel to it; many of the books refer to Feng Shui and other eastern concepts. Past the ceramic pottery and Chinese lanterns, a doorway leads directly into Caffe Gallo, a small market full of organic produce and pasta. Continuing west on Hawthorne, the next logical stop is Powell's Books. Outside, painted messages on the sidewalk proclaim, "No Bush War." Inside, the smell of old books dominates the air of this cramped store. Just next door sits a colorfully painted boutique called Greg's. Inside, old-style advertisements and knickknacks hark back to the 1940s. Greg's sells everything from coffee table books to greeting cards and windup toy cars. Just down the street, Ben & Jerry's ice cream restaurant bursts with colorful cartoons and doodles and boasts ice cream flavors such as Cherry Garcia and Urban Jumble. At the northwest corner of the store sits a large stand-up logo with Ben and Jerry pictured, heads cut out, so that you may indulge in the fantasy of being pictured with your face on one of the two founders' bodies. On the north side of Hawthorne is a visually pleasing deli called Noah's Bagels. Outside, padded benches give way to a store full of tile mosaics that comprise the floor and table tops. Noah's Bagels offers 20 different kinds of bagels ranging from rye and asiago cheese to chocolate chip and pumpkin, which is seasonal. Bagels list for 75 cents each, and you can add one of their 15 flavors of cream cheese to your bagel for $1.89. Across Hawthorne, east of 35th Avenue, stand a host of gift shops, small cafes, and stores dedicated solely to the sale of beads. One place of note is a curiously named vintage clothing store called The Red Light. The Red Light is filled with glitzy decor, vintage sunglasses, wigs and jewelry, and racks full of vintage clothes for both men and women from every fashion era of the last seven decades. Posters of ads from bygone eras cover every wall and give the store a classic edge. Just across from the Red Light sits a popular cafe called Bread and Ink. Impressionist paintings adorn the walls of this classic, upscale eatery lauded by restaurant reviewers from various publications. The breakfast menu offers delectable entrees such as eggs Benedict for $8.50, Smoked Trout Scramble for $7.95, and various omelets, all priced at $7.95. For lunch, Bread and Ink specializes in enchilada verde, served with chicken breast, Atlantic salmon cakes topped with Southwest red pepper rouille, and autumn chicken salad with hot grilled chicken over rice, all of which will set you back $8.25. The dinner menu includes Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto for $13.50, Moroccan chicken with coconut crust served on a bed of cous-cous for $16.50, and Lambshanks brazed in wine for $18. At the corner of 37th and Hawthorne, in all its Gothic architectural glory, stands the proud and garishly lit Bagdad Theatre. Now owned by McMenamins, the Bagdad houses one large theater screen, a lower level and a large balcony. Castle-like architecture and art deco features meld to give the Bagdad Theatre a dark, secretive air. Outside the theater, at the concessions area, patrons can order food to eat inside the theater. Just east of the Bagdad Theater, the Naked City Clothing Store stands out, sporting a green interior in a shade grating enough to make one hostile. Farther down, past In Other Words Women's Bookstore and Fabulous Jackpot Records is Bishop's Barbershop. An open floor plan and huge windows greet the patrons at Bishop's. A sign prominently displayed at the back of the store announces buzz cuts $10, short $17, long $21, bang trim $8, shampoo $3, beard $5 and color $45+, Walk-ins only. The last point of note before Hawthorne meets 39th Avenue is the Tabor Hill Cafe. This cafe seems out of place because its old-fashioned brick facade lends a small-town flavor to the tiny establishment. It pub-like look breaks up the artsy, urban appearance on the rest of the street and lends an air of simplicity. Hawthorne Boulevard is a street full of hidden treasures easily missed at a cursory glance. However, beyond the tattooed and pierced crowd that visits there lies a smorgasbord of fun and interesting things to do, purchase or read. All you need to enjoy this unique neighborhood is a little extra time, some money, and a friend or loved one with whom to share the experience. 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