Thanks go to Willamette Week’s recent Coffee Issue for listing Ovation as one of its favorite new shops opening in 2014.  We liked it for a number of reasons: first is its public bicycle parking – which we didn’t expect given that it is one of the few commercial enterprises in an upscale Pearl District condominium; then there is its massive windows which provide great lighting and good views; and the brightly colored walls; and the unique opportunity to taste Moroccan coffee and tea; and the comfortable upright seats that had some give to them; and the several other subtle touches that lent a sense of humanity to what could have been a cold, character-less space in a modern building.

We were also primed to be in a good mood from the bike ride there as it had been a while that so many of us – (6 plus E’s 15 month-old Sidney) – had been out together.  Our wide-ranging discussion reflected a ping-pong type of conversation pattern.  Sitting across from a building site under construction, we talked about Pearl residents who complained about noise from pile-driving, and luckily bicyclist D, a member of the City’s Noise Review Board, was able to set us straight; we then talked about why anyone would want to be on that Review Board; A told us of his quirky experiences coaching his girls’s U-7 and U-9 teams; H explained the plumbing gnarliness of repairing his broken water main given the maze of other pipes that needed to be avoided; and we talked about upcoming election issues.  All the while Sidney entertained us with his great eye contact, smile, and learning to walk adventures.   941 NW Overton    http://www.ovationpdx.com