Oregon Travel, Oregon, Astoria, Travel

Portway Tavern, built in 1923, is the oldest watering hole in Astoria. I entered the tavern, grabbed a stool at the bar and ordered food and beer. I noticed a friendly atmosphere and good rock music on the radio. My burger and fries arrived with a second beer, and an Astoria resident started talking about John Fogerty, as one of the artist's songs played on the radio. He told me that he knew John Fogerty and used to jam with him in Eastern Oregon. According to this gentleman, John escaped the city by moving to Troy, Oregon, a small town on the Idaho border. The man lived over the border in Idaho and played in a bar band. He met John at a bar and they soon became friends. He recounted many weekends where John would have keg parties at his house and they would play in the backyard. The man was not boasting or trying to impress anyone with his story. He simply imparted his experience to the patrons of the bar, and I drank it in.

On my third beer, a boisterous and big-boned man entered Portway and asked for a Budweiser bottle. The bar allowed for microbrew lovers and blue-collar types to coexist. The establishment was a mix of old versus new Astoria, and I felt quite comfortable. A female at the bar asked the new visitor if he was from Astoria, and he said that he had just transferred there and worked for a cable TV company. The woman responded, “That makes sense, as not many people would willingly choose to come to Astoria.”

He said, “This place is not bad. It beats Tillamook, where I was working before.” They both proceeded to bash Tillamook for its pungent dairy air.

The woman told the cable guy that in Astoria, “What you see is what you get and it ain’t going to change.” She added, “A lot of people have come here with big ideas and left a year later with their tails between their legs and dreams shattered.”

These Astoria locals painted me a thumbnail sketch of their town and I deferred to them. I left Portway with an early afternoon glow and an education to boot.

Astoria, while captivating and full of potential promise, is also a bit guarded and resilient like its weather-worn residents. The city welcomes new faces and ideas but it will not sacrifice its core for the sake of "progress." Its erstwhile legacy of a pioneering port city acts as a built-in layer of protection, fighting off would-be intruders, and retaining its unique quality and allure. That was the message I received loud and clear from those astute Portway patrons. And that's the Astoria I love.