Click each photo to enlarge.
We finally got to visit one of the McMenamins establishments. I'd heard of them several years ago, but never had the opportunity to visit one. This weekend, we rented a house with friends near the Bend Oregon McMenamins Old St Francis School. The place is hidden right in downtown bend, an old Catholic School complex that has been turned into a labyrinthine hidden in plane sight, wonderful experience. The concept is that it is the collection of the old school buildings turned into hotel, rental cabins/homes, a brewery, pub, a few bars, a theater, and a wonderful soaking pool. Unfortunately, the place was booked, but we stayed about a block away and had some free passes to either the theater or pool. The pub, bars and complex are open to the public. Trust me, they let us ramble through the place gawking at the whimsical nostalgic comfort of the place that had not one bit of feel of cheesy kitch that T.G.I Fridays unfortunately emanates.
The lower version is how it seemed to me at night (minus the close intimate booths of people with candles flickering). We never stayed in this spot, just moved through several times. It felt like we had happened upon a groundbreaking meeting between two musicians had happened in a corner booth that might have been written about in an old Rolling Stone article.
