#FeastForLifeFlyPDX Get in on the Feast Portland Social Media Contest and Get Life Passes

 Bon Appétit Presents Feast Portland, the Pacific Northwest's flagship food and drink festival taking place Thursday, September 13 – Sunday, September 16, 2018, is partnering with the Port of Portland at Portland International Airport (PDX) for a “Feast For Life FlyPDX” campaign and social media giveaway of two Feast Portland “The Package” passes for life.

Starting Friday, August 3^rd, the month-long Feast For Life FlyPDX campaign will showcase collaborative Feast-inspired items available from top food and beverage vendors located inside Portland International Airport. Participating tenants include The Country Cat, Kenny and Zukes, Deschutes Brewery, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters. 

Each week in August, the following exclusive Feast-inspired items will be available for purchase at the participants’ PDX retail space:

·      Friday, 8/3 – Thursday, 8/9: The Country Cat will feature a special BLT sandwich with their newly packaged house-made bacon and local tomatoes.

·      Friday, 8/10 – Thursday, 8/16: Kenny and Zukes deli has created a Bahn Mi sandwich featuring their pastrami, country pork pate, Asian pickled cucumbers and spicy wasabi mayo on a hoagie roll.

·      Friday, 8/17 – Thursday, 8/23: Deschutes Brewery will serve a Backyard BBQ Burger featuring a two quarter-pound Painted Hills beef patty topped with a piece of pork belly confit, Havarti cheese, a house made BBQ sauce and crispy onion straws, all atop braised collard greens. They’ll be pairing the burger with their Black Butte Porter beer.

·      Friday, 8/24 – Thursday, 8/31: Stumptown Coffee Roasters will debut their new Stumptown Coffee Roasters x Feast Portland Mora Mora Ethiopia Heirloom canned cold brew.

On the first day of each product launch, the chef or artisan ambassador will host a tasting of their product at the Portland International Airport’s pre-security Clocktower Plaza from 11:30am – 1:30pm, offering travelers and locals alike a chance to experience their delicious Feast For Life FlyPDX item. Attendees of these special Clocktown Plaza events will have the opportunity for additional entries in the Feast For Life FlyPDX social media contest.  

  

The #FeastForLifeFlyPDX social media contest for will take place on Feast Portland’s Instagram (@feastportland) during the month of August. Contestants will enter for the chance to win two Feast Portland “The Package” passes for life, valid for entry into the main events of Feast Portland every year from 2018 and beyond. The winner will be announced on August 31^st. 

For all contest entry details for the #FeastForLifeFlyPDX social media giveaway, please visit https://www.feastportland.com/feast-for-life-flypdx/.

The Reputation of the PDX Carpet Lives On

How many people actually notice the flooring or carpeting in the airports they traverse? I can remember only one… the Portland Oregon airport carpet. And apparently, as the life of the carpet came to an end, thousands of others felt nostalgic.

The carpet’s reputation lives on. I was traveling on MAX light rail the other day when a young man told his friend that he couldn’t wait to see the “airport carpet… it’s famous.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the carpet had been changed out.

Last year, my friend and I made it to the airport before they ripped it out. There seemed to be a visitation going on for months prior to that. We were not the only ones who wanted one last photo with the iconic carpet.

The famous teal, purple and red carpet with the stylized runway design was installed in 1987 with very little fanfare. Over 320 million people passed over the carpet over the years and I was one of them. I, as many others do, have a story about the Portland airport carpet.

It was the early 90’s and I was arriving in Portland for a very important job interview. I had been contacted by a recruiter who made a job at a major Portland hospital sound like heaven on earth. I took the bait and agreed to fly up and interview for the job. I even went to Macy’s and purchased a new suit for the event.

That’s where the story starts. I decided that a wool Pendleton jacket with coordinating pleated wool skirt would fit the bill. Turquoise is my favorite color so I was drawn to the teal. I flew wearing the teal jacket and, you guessed it… plaid skirt with teal and purple highlights. Little did I know that this was also a favorite color combination in Portland, Oregon.

I departed the plane and entered the terminal and looked down. I was totally surprised. My suit matched the carpeting! I thought it was a good omen and it was. I fit in well with the Pacific Northwest lifestyle and enjoyed years working in the area.

I flew in and out of that airport frequently and always took notice of the carpet.

Apparently thousands of others did too. The old carpet had a cult following. At one point the carpet had two Facebook pages dedicated to it, with more than 12,000 fans. The carpet was followed by thousands on Twitter and many more tagged selfies of their feet with the carpet using the hashtag #pdxcarpet.

And that is not enough! There is a special craft beer with the carpet design on its label. There are socks and t-shirts with the iconic carpet design. Portland has had a long-standing love affair with its airport carpet that, sadly, reached the end of its life.

On the 23^rd of January, 2015 amid much fanfare and national news coverage, the carpet removal began. The crew was careful to maintain the carpet, rolling it up neatly. Entrepreneurs and souvenir hunters will most likely find a use for it.

New Carpet

Inspiration for the New Carpet

The new carpet is forest green, with lines of yellow, red and blue. The inspiration for the lines comes from the glass canopy that keeps the rain off travelers as they cross from the terminal to the parking area. It’s pretty enough. I suppose I’ll get used to it.

Photography: Elizabeth R. Rose Photograpy
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