The Portland Book Of Dates
Do you have your copy of The Portland Book of Dates? If not, run over to Powells, or Tender Loving Empire to score your copy of Eden Dawn & Ashod Simonian debut guide book of dates in Portland. Eden & Ashod are generous Leo’s and have revealed the endless wonder that exists not only in the city of Portland, but in so much of Oregon.
They organized the guide into regions, climates, weather, cost, and even included a cheat sheet for all of the contexts one could find themselves in for a date! A few of my faves are dates for a special occasion, for when your parents are in town, and solo dates. While I mostly focus on romantic relationships in my work, I appreciate Eden & Ashod are thinking broadly about all kinds of important relationships and included suggestions for all.
The writing reads like Eden is speaking to you with her hands waving, lioness locks swaying, and her sharp wit snapping. She clearly has a command on what the great State of OR has to offer and delivers it in bite size bits that keeps you giggling and moving right on to the next adventure on the NEXT PAGE!.
I can’t help but look for Ashod & Eden in the illustrations that magically capture Portland and Oregon, but I bet you may imagine yourself or someone you vaguely recognize riding the mechanical bull, or paddling in the Multnomah Channel. We get to see what Ashod sees in his illustrations when he is inspired by this corner of the PNW, we are better for it.
Yes, there are adventures, escapes, and secret spots to discover (as the title suggests), but this is not a “how to date” in Portland guide. You have to figure that out yourself (or with your handy dandy relationship & sex therapist, aka, moi). Once you land the date, @portlandbookofdates has you covered, and if you use the guide, your chances for another date increase exponentially (though I have no hard data to support that).
I do have hard data to support dating as a vehicle for play, exploration, novelty, and intentionality, all of which are key ingredients to growing a new relationship or nurturing one that has been with you for years.
I am so excited to have this guide book stashed in my tool belt to woo prospective daters. In the meantime, I am googling destinations to see what has survived the ravages of this pandemic, making plans with my buddies, and blocking out time to get reacquainted with myself.
