As recently as a decade ago, most parents wouldn’t dream of taking their child to Portland Bars. The billows of cigarette smoke alone would deter even the most free-spirited of chaperones, not to mention the guaranteed contingent of storied, hard-drinking, decidedly non-family-friendly regulars who could then still afford to live west of 82nd Avenue. Things were different then.
As the years wore on, the smoking ban passed, the cultural line between “adult” and “kid” activities blurred (adult kickball, anyone?), and somehow the presence of families in drinking establishments has become not just accepted but expected. Most brewpubs nowadays offer kids’ menus and crayons along with beer taster trays, and some of even the diviest dives allow minors during lunch and early dinner hours. While this may not be to everyone’s taste, the fact remains that being a parent presents more occasions for needing a drink or two than at any other time in a person’s life… read more >
