In this edition of Get to Know, we are pleased to introduce Chris Scott, a member of ASPE’s Portland Chapter. Chris joined ASPE in 2005 and is a former Society Board member.
ASPE: If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Chris: I would love to go over to London and spend a month seeing as many Premier League football (soccer) matches as I can. I played soccer growing up and all through high school, and the players in the Premier League are so amazing, I’d love to see some matches in person.
ASPE: What is your favorite type of music, band, and song?
Chris: I’m an alternative music fan through and through. 80’s new wave is a close second. Growing up in Portland and turning 21 at the start of the alternative music scene, I got to see all of the Seattle bands before they made it big because they would always come down to Portland to play since it was only a three-hour drive. I saw Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and so many others at small venues where I only had to pay a $5 cover charge to get in.
ASPE: What do you do to relax?
Chris: My family has a cabin in Troutdale, Oregon just about a ½ hour outside of Portland. My grandfather was a doctor and bought it as a place to relax, but not be too far away from town and the clinic. It’s on the bank of the Sandy River, and it just feels like you are away from everything and everyone. You’re back in the woods, and you can just sit on the deck and listen to the river go by. I could to that all day.
ASPE: What is your favorite childhood memory?
Chris: Also relating to the cabin in Troutdale, my brother and I and our cousins who were roughly the same age would spend the last two weeks of every summer out at the cabin with our grandparents. This gave our parents a break before school started, and it really deepened my relationship with my cousins and grandparents. We would hang out on the beach all day and swim in the river and read books. There was no TV and cell phones weren’t around yet so there weren’t any distractions.
ASPE: If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Why?
Chris: Call me crazy, but it would be right here in Portland. I love this town. I think it’s just the right size that if feels like a big city, but at the same time it doesn’t. There’s lots to do around the city, and you’ve got the Pacific Ocean 90 minutes to the west and Mt. Hood 90 minutes to the east. Don’t let recent events discourage you from visiting.
ASPE: What is your favorite meal? Is it prepared at home or found at a restaurant?
Chris: I’m a pizza junkie. I can make a mean one at home, but my favorite spot in Portland is a place called Ken’s Artisan Pizza. It’s a thin crust, brick oven pizza place, and it’s amazing. The owner, Ken, started out as a baker and had some bakeries around town. Then he took his love for bread and started making pizza dough, some of the best dough I’ve tasted. Also, since he started out with bakeries, the deserts are amazing as well.
ASPE: Are you a movie buff? What is your favorite movie?
Chris: I am a movie fan, but I won’t say buff. I love going to movies and have watched a fair amount of them at home during these COVID times. My all-time favorite, and the one I will always turn on if I see it playing on TV, is The Big Lebowski. I’m a big Cohen brothers fan, and this is their best…but that’s just like, my opinion, man. I find myself reciting quotes from the movie when I watch it. I still crack up at all the jokes even though I’ve seen it so many times. Someday I will make it to Lebowski Fest! The dude abides.
