Zeno's Bar & Grill

Yesterday was the last day of my vacation in Portland, and I decided to take the kids over to my alma mater, Reed College, which is about three blocks from my parents’ house. The campus looked spectacular in fall colors. After unsuccessfully searching the bookstore for those cool griffin temporary tattoos they had at the last reunion, I took the kids to the Paradox Café for some loud eighties music, Cheez-Its and Zines. Could there be a better way to get ‘em in a college state of mind while they’re young? I shudder to think of the cost when they are ready for school, though, considering it’s $41,000 per year in today’s dollars. On the other hand, if they end up going to the UC system, it would be like winning the lottery by comparison.

--Melanie