To a devoted set of Portland coffee and bike lovers, Saturday mornings are set aside for riding to a local park to brew (and drink) coffee outside. This weekly event, aptly titled PDX Coffee Outside, has been a weekly local tradition for several years and it’s still going strong. And this Saturday October 1st is extra-special because it’s International Coffee Outside day with over 20 cities taking part around the globe.
Though organizers recognize the event may be associated with a certain type of Portlander – folks really into coffee and bike gear – they say all are welcome. The joy of Coffee Outside comes from community and meeting new people, not from winning at bike or espresso trivia.
“It’s bike nerds hanging out and drinking coffee outside,” Michael Mann, a hallmark Coffee Outside attendee, said. “But it’s a really diverse crowd as far as types of riding and what people are into.”
Coffee Outside organizer Brett Callahan agreed.
“We want all kinds of bikes and all types of people,” he said.
Corey Johns, another Coffee Outside regular, told me they love Coffee Outside because it’s “able to bring people together through the shared appreciation of a simple pleasure like enjoying a beverage outdoors.”
“I’m so glad to share the morning with many faces both familiar and new each Saturday,” Johns said. “Community and friendship can spring from surprising places!”
Though Coffee Outside get-togethers are very much bike-centric, they usually don’t involve a planned ride. But this week will be different. Mann worked with Portland-based bike navigation app maker Ride With GPS to develop a route for a group ride. They’ll start at Laurelhurst Park at 8 am and end at east Portland’s Luuwit View Park an hour later – the designated spot to break out their coffee equipment and get down to the important business of drinking coffee.
Mann said he chose Luuwit View, which is located in northeast Portland’s Argay neighborhood, because he wanted to encourage people to branch out from the typical Coffee Outside park rotation. A lot of the usual participants live closer to the city center and might be missing out on a wealth of park experiences to be had further out.
Ride With GPS will be giving away coffee-related prizes at the end spot, so you won’t want to miss it. (You can also skip the ride and just meet at Luuwit View at 9.) If you don’t have a portable coffee machine, don’t worry. Just bring a cup and some treats to share – someone will get you covered on the coffee. Find out more on the BikePortland Calendar and via PDX Coffee Outside on Instagram.
