You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #13:

Eclectic Eats

No, the Eastside might not have the fanciest restaurants in town, but there's certainly no lack of interesting food (and experiences) to be found. Here are some prime examples:

• Texas Doughnuts
  These monsters are found, as far as I know, only at Erickson's Thriftway on Greenwood. As you may or may not be able to tell from my grainy cellphone pic there, they're about 4 times the size of a regular doughnut, yet are priced only slightly more. Where else can you find such giant doughy deep-fried goodness in one package?
   
• Taste of Thailand
  AKA Thai on the Fly, Trailer Thai... whatever you call it, it's the only Asian restaurant... heck, the only restaurant restaurant (aside from the ubiquitous coffee stands)... that's housed in a trailer. As in, drive-through. Exclusively drive-through. And it's good, from all accounts; check out the Bend Restaurants review for more.
   
• And speaking of coffee stands...
  ...the one on the corner of Greenwood and 8th sells biscuits and gravy.
   
• Demetri's Greek Cusina
  The only Greek place in town, snuggled in on the Eastside Windy Knolls area.
   
• Elvis Cinnamon Roll
  Remember this? Jake's Diner has 'em. Giant cinnamon roll. Peanut butter and banana. You pretty much can't go wrong.

And that's not even speaking to the Rico's Taco truck, or Pilot Butte's 18-ounce monster hamburger, or the insanely cheap meals (and free samples) at Costco, or the bakery thrift store, or... well, you get the idea.

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #12:

Clotheslines (& no Brooks Resources)!

Yes, this is a largely snarky post that spun off from the Awbrey Butte/Brooks Resources clothesline controversy; I blogged about it on my other blog (where I was much harsher); Jake blogged about it; there's a KTVZ story about it; and now The Source has given Brooks Resources "The Boot" over it.

Brooks Resources deserves that Boot, while at the same time, giving yet another reason why the Eastside rules: No Brooks Resources developments anywhere East! String your clothesline up all you want, we don't mind!

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #11:

East Bend Liquor

Yeah, I said it. (I also received an email suggestion for this.) East Bend Liquor is the best liquor store in town—biggest, cleanest, newest, friendliest. It's easily accessible in their (newish) location right off Highway 20 also—more so than the others in town.

But you don't have to take my word for it... here's the review from the (first) Bend restaurants blog (I've quoted it before):

The Eastside Liquor Store is the finest liquor store in Bend, with the largest selection, and the best deals to be had. Mark, the owner, takes pride in keeping his store in stock of the finest brands, and also those bottles that are hard to find. The best holiday gifts are found here, too, with your favorite brands packaged with matching glasses or shakers. Not only that, but there's all kinds of trinkets, glassware, and mixers to shop. It's not just the bare basics like most Liquor outlets in this state.

Not much more to say, is there? It rocks.

(Image courtesy of Bendistillery.)

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #10:

Hollinshead Park & Barn

The historic Hollinshead Park is located in northeast Bend on 16.5 acres of former working ranch, dating back to 1939 when the Hollinshead family began working it as a homestead. In 1983 owners Dean and Lily Hollinshead donated it to the Park District to be preserved as a community park.

The renovated Barn is the main feature of the site, which has become a popular place for weddings and other private events. It's a nice place; we've been there for several kids functions and I was impressed—it's a nice big space that can accommodate up to 125 guests.

The Share Croppers House museum is also there in the park, as is the community garden. Yes, community garden; individual plots are provided to all members of the community during the growing season, and it's supported via volunteer efforts, too.

Though completely kid-friendly, this isn't a playground park: much of the space is open field and orchard. Perfect for running and games, just don't expect monkeybars and swings—bring balls and frisbees instead.

(Image courtesy of Bend Parks & Rec.)

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #9:

The Masonic Lodge

That's "Masons" as in "Freemasons"—one of the original secret societies ("fraternal organization") that conspiracy theorists love, and yes, we have a Masonic Lodge here in Bend. It's located at the corner of Greenwood and 9th, behind 7-Eleven. It was chartered on June 17, 1909, and moved to its current location in 1956.

I always wonder how many people know it's there; it's a pretty unassuming building and I admit, I overlooked it for many years myself (and I grew up here!).

I can't even tell you anything about it beyond "it's behind 7-Eleven," other than it's an actual Freemason Lodge; I just think that rocks in and of itself.

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #8:

Zydeco

I've sung the praises of Zydeco (formally known as Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails) time and again, with good reason: I think they are all-around the best restaurant in Bend. And their Third Street location (near the Reed Market Road intersection)—despite my reservations about it in the past—puts them on the Eastside by my reckoning.

My recommendation: either the ribs or the redfish for dinner, followed by almond wet cake for dessert.

Other Zydeco links:

• Bend Bulletin
• The Source
• Bend Oregon Restaurants

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #7:

The Medical District

Let's face it, when you need serious medical care, you head east. The whole section of town surrounding and anchored by St. Charles Medical Center on Neff Road, is the "Medical District": the hospital, surgical centers, Bend Memorial Clinic, Central Oregon Radiology, and much more encompass that area. That's even reflected in two of the street names: Doctors Drive and Medical Center Drive.

It's close to major Eastside roads, easy to access, and you can get all your healthcare needs met without having to leave the area. That's hard to beat.

(Image courtesy of ernstl: Flickr, CC)

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #6:

Vince Genna Stadium (& Bend Elks baseball)

The Stadium, celebrating its 60th anniversary last year, is home to the Bend Elks baseball club. Named for the legendary Parks & Rec director and longtime Bend resident Vince Genna, it has a fair bit of history behind it:

The stadium was home to various American Legion and High school teams through the 40's-60's. Then the stadium housed pro ball through 1998. Affiliated teams from the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels have all had minor league teams domiciled here in Bend.

For eight years now it has been home to the Bend Elks baseball club, which has the distinction of being the longest standing organized club to call Vince Genna Stadium its home.

Located in Southeast Bend at SE 5th and Roosevelt (just off of Wilson behind Rite Aid and the Grocery Outlet), it seats up to 3,500. During the summer baseball season, a general admission ticket will cost you $5 (Tuesdays are only $2!), and food and beer are available, of course. Cascade Lakes Brewing even brews a special Golden Glove Ale just for the Stadium.

History and entertainment—what more could you ask for?

(Image courtesy of Bend Elks.)

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #5:

Diners

This might come as a shock to some, but the fact is that Bend still has cheap places to eat that are unpretentious, casual, and colorful slices of classic Americana. These are the places that offer homestyle, down-to-earth comfort food more in tune with giving you a good hearty meal for your money than worrying about how it's presented and what $12 glass of wine best accompanies it.

Places like Black Bear Diner, Jake's Diner, Sargent's Café, Palmer's Café, The Breakfast Club, and even Shari's and Denny's. These are the places you go when you want those biscuits and gravy with a side of greasy sausage for breakfast, or a giant chicken-fried steak and coleslaw for dinner. And the best places for this—maybe the only places left in Bend—all live on the Eastside.

(Okay, I'll grant you that the Shari's locations should probably be classified as north side and south side rather than east... but I figure if you're going to point to Denny's then you have to point to Shari's and I'll make the exception.)

(Image courtesy of raindog808: Flickr, CC)

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #4:

Costco

There's nothing like bulk goods at warehouse prices... from appliances to office supplies to clothing to food, food, food... anyone who's serious about saving money has a Costco membership.

There's really no comparison to anywhere else. Need a gallon of yellow mustard? 8 pounds of frozen burritos? 3,000 multivitamins? Costco's the answer.

Seriously, though, Costco is great, especially if you have a family and you're buying in bulk already. But it's not just about food—don't forget they also have a pharmacy (which is usually cheaper than the others in town), a vision and optical center (with an optician on staff), a tire service center, and a food court with some amazingly cheap meals ($1.50 on average). It is totally worth an annual membership fee.

A drawback? You often can't get out of there for under $100.

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #3:

The Best Burgers in Town

Any way you slice it, most everybody considers the Pilot Butte Drive-In to have the best hamburger in town, hands down. And for those (few) that disagree, they usually point to Dandy's Drive-In instead—which is also on the Eastside. Check out the Bend Oregon Restaurants review for a good read on Dandy's.

Quite simply—if you want the best burger in town, you're going to have to come East.

You can read the general introduction to this series here.

Why the Eastside Rocks #2:

Juniper Park & Pool

The 22-acre Juniper Park surrounds the Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, bounded by 5th and 8th streets and nestled in between Irving and Franklin Avenues. The park itself offers a baseball field, a kids' playground, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, a mile of walking trail, picnic facilities, and plenty of space.

The Pool is recently expanded and offers state-of-the-art facilities at their fitness center besides swimming; I posted a review from Shannon here last December. In addition to the two indoor pools (one regular, one kiddie pool), they also have an outdoor Olympic-sized pool, and a new outdoor activity pool—waterslide and all.

It's also one of the oldest parks in Bend and is well-established and popular. Now, there's no arguing that the Westside has some great parks, particularly along the river, but for casual family fun, and for lots of space, Juniper Park is right at the top of my list.

Plus, the public pools! Where else in Bend are you going to go for your swimming fix?

(Image courtesy of Bend Parks & Rec.)

A couple of weeks ago the Bulletin ran a Sunday "Perspective" article on the Westside versus the Eastside, covering the disparities between the two and really digging into some interesting demographics and specifics. I thought it was a pretty good article, actually (behind their paywall, though, so you can't read it online), and it inspired this "series" of posts.

Seems like everyone has a ready answer as to why the Westside is cool/better/the place to be, but no one has really stepped up to answer for the Eastside. I happen to live on the Eastside, so why not me? (Plus, you know, the blog thing.)

So... Why the Eastside Rocks, reason #1:

Pilot Butte

You can forget your Awbrey Butte, Pilot Butte is way cooler: not only do you not have houses cluttering it up, but it's an extinct volcano—which makes Bend only one of a very few cities in the entire United States to have a volcano within its city limits. (Portland is another.)

Let's not forget that it's a State Park (technically, a State Scenic Viewpoint) with some amazing views of the Bend area and the Cascade Mountains—all for no charge. You can drive to the summit or hike it along one of the several trails that wind their way around the Butte. And hiking the Butte is quite the popular activity!

Plus, each Fourth of July, the official fireworks show is conducted from the top of the Butte... and watching the resulting fire is just as much an event as the fireworks themselves.

Finally, in my opinion it is the defining geographical feature of Bend. It's visible from miles away and has an unmistakably distinct shape. It's an imposing presence from pretty much anywhere on the Eastside, and, well, it just wouldn't be Bend without it.

(Image courtesy of USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory.)