What’s the best way to explore a new city? We got locked in a metro station in Paris. Not in a dramatic, movie way. We just couldn’t get out. The gates wouldn’t let us through, and we stood there trying every combination of ticket, direction, and mild panic we could think of. It took usContinue reading “Locked in a Paris Metro Station (And Why It Was the Best Part of the Trip)”
Author Archives: Alex Pendell
The Bravest Thing I Ever Did When No One Was Watching
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching? The bravest thing I’ve ever done is something almost no one knows about. The person I did it for certainly doesn’t. And strangely, I think that’s part of what made it brave. There was a man in my life once who had hurtContinue reading “The Bravest Thing I Ever Did When No One Was Watching”
My Five Favorite Apps On My Phone (Or: Why I Don’t Actually Have Any)
What are your favorite 5 apps on your phone? I sat down to write you a cute little listicle. Five favorite apps, quick and shareable, back to real work in twenty minutes. Here’s what I had: 1. My banking app. Checking whether a transfer actually cleared has basically become a hobby. 2. A points tracker.Continue reading “My Five Favorite Apps On My Phone (Or: Why I Don’t Actually Have Any)”
The Book I Never Finished (And Can’t Stop Thinking About)
What’s a book you never finished but still think about? I never finished Anna Karenina. Got maybe two-thirds through, put it down during a busy stretch, and somehow never picked it back up. That was a while ago now. And it’s still one of the books I think about the most. That’s the weird thingContinue reading “The Book I Never Finished (And Can’t Stop Thinking About)”
The Day They Signed Away Everything
If you could go back and witness any historical event, which one would you pick? If you handed me one ticket — any moment in history, front row, no consequences — I wouldn’t pick a battle or a coronation or the moon landing. I’d pick a hot, stuffy room in Philadelphia in the summer ofContinue reading “The Day They Signed Away Everything”
Nostrana
Which is the best restaurant in your city? Every city has a restaurant people argue about. Portland’s isn’t much of an argument. If you ask around long enough, you’ll hear the same name more than any other: Nostrana. It sits on a corner in Buckman, on Southeast Morrison, in a building that used to beContinue reading “Nostrana”
No One Is Coming
What’s a moment when you realized you were officially an adult? There’s a moment everyone remembers differently but recognizes instantly. Mine happened staring at a bank balance that didn’t have enough zeros in it to cover what was about to come out. I did the math three times. Not because I didn’t trust the firstContinue reading “No One Is Coming”
The One Message I’d Send My Past Self
If you had a time machine and could send just one message to your past self, what would it say? Someone asked me a question recently that I couldn’t shake: if you had a time machine and could send one message to your past self, what would it say? I expected to reach for somethingContinue reading “The One Message I’d Send My Past Self”
One Text From My Future Self
If your future self could send you one sentence, what do you hope it would say? If your future self could send you exactly one text — no context, no explanation, just one line — what would stop you mid-scroll? I’ve been sitting with that question for a few weeks now. And I keep landingContinue reading “One Text From My Future Self”
Molly Doesn’t Need to Prove Anything
Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them. My dog Molly is a golden retriever/Maremma mix, and she might be the most mellow creature I’ve ever met. Not lazy — mellow. There’s a difference. She’s got energy when it counts. But her default setting is calm, andContinue reading “Molly Doesn’t Need to Prove Anything”
