Searching for Keys, and a Visit to Marz Brewery

Liz and I were running some errands today, and were out and about in the world a bit more than we usually are. It’s striking to me how normal being inside has become, and how a week of barely leaving the house doesn’t even register as a thing anymore.

Our first stop (and primary errand) was Salvage One – and a hope that we could find a skeleton key that fit some of the old locks that we have (in particular, for the vintage kitchen door that Liz is restoring).

While I know most salvage shops have a display area like this, my mind immediately conjures up images of Old Portland Hardware and Architectural.

There was music playing out of these speakers (not Alice in Chains, though). I was remembering the last time I was here, several years ago.

One of three locks we were trying to find keys for.

A lot of keys to go through.

We ultimately found a few that sorta worked. Two that were potentials. And we also got one key stuck in one of our locks. So we ended up buying three keys. Wah wah.

Going to pieces.

One of these days, I’m going to own a set of old cart catalog drawers like this. One of these days.

Year of the Tiger.

Pews on display.

A lovely seating area, near some columns.

A very serious internal pipe system is at work here.

A lot of objects just naturally frame themselves.

There are always incredibly long bar counters here that make me fantasize about emptying out absolutely everything in my basement, just so I can have room for one of these monsters.

A back room that Liz and I both remembered, on the third floor… chock full of doors and windows.

A row of doors.

Windows piled up next to the windows.

An old bowling game that I recall from last time.

Scattered letters. Surprisingly, I saw several “PAIRS” – three or four of them, in fact. Not sure if they came from some kind of store or chain.

This thing looked awesome (and cooly lit by a giant R).

A Mitsubishi Projection TV which DOES NOT TURN ON. I wonder what type of repair is needed, to get this guy working again.

A robotic attendant, located near the entrance.

Fast forward a bit, and we ended our day out with a visit to Marz Brewing.

I’d visited here back in 2019, for some drinks with Ben, Chris, and Mike. 2019 feels like more than a lifetime ago.

That was my first visit back then, and I always wanted to come back to share the place with Liz and Julie and Bob. Today was a nice excuse to stop by for a quick beer.

I forgot what Liz ordered (a stout I’m sure), but I got the Fruit Punch Smoothie.

It was fairly quiet when we arrived, but the place was getting crowded as we were leaving. Really should make it a point to come back here more.

On the way home, we stopped off at Antique Taco to grab some guac and chips. Visiting Antique Taco now feels like a pairing that needs to happen with every visit.

Related:
A Night at Marz Brewing and Antique Taco
Visiting Urban Remains and Salvage One
The Last Defender: A Live Action, Team-Based Puzzle Hunt to Try to Save the World from Nuclear Annihilation