Outside weather already?

Well it would seem that spring is going to come early this year in Portland. I believe that the time has come to determine ones location of alcohol consumption according to the all important criteria of patio quality.

There are several factors that come into play here. Should a patio be deemed worthy of happy hour use only if that precious sunlight is drenching the whole area until the last possible moment? Obviously this means a patio that is open to the west. The 5th quadrant and Amnesia come to mind immediately.

Should a patio be lush with vegetation and landscaping? Kennedy school and 21st Ave. Bar and Grill pop into my head immediately.

Should a patio be in fact like a backyard? Maybe some horseshoes? The Nest and Vendetta are good examples. There's a great backyard at some joint in Selwood, but I can't recall the name.

Since a patio is outside, should it have a nice view? There is Mcmenamins on the Columbia or the rooftop patio at Jax downtown. One of my personal favorite views is from the cockpit of my docked boat where the drinks are affordable and I get to pick the tunes. If I get too drunk, there's a bed down below.

Should a patio be dog friendly so your best buddy gets to hang? There's the obvious Lucky Lab or the kick ass Moon and Sixpence among many others.

Point is- It's almost patio weather, and though we in Portland are confined to the interior for several months out of the year, we are not driven back inside by unbearable heat in the summer. We get to imbibe al fresco until the fall breezes begin blowing in late October. I intend to do plenty of that this year.

Unfortunately we have to earn money in order to go out and spend it at bars, so I have to do some work now. For some reason, this just happened to be on my mind this morning.