Adam Reisfield's West Coast Experience

Summary

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The Kennedy School was a very unique place that was not only a restaraunt, but also a hotel and movie theatre with a pool, ballrooms, brewery, gift shop, and a bar.  The school had different themed rooms, and while exploring, myself and some other students accidentally stumbled into a meeting for the goth society of Portland.  Needless to say, we felt quite out of place.  

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The school was built in 1915, but it was abandoned by the 1990s.  When the McMenamins purchased the former school, they became innovators, transforming a school into a uniquely Portland experience.  It now has 57 guestrooms, and is a great place to stay to be immersed in the "weird" Portland culture.  

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Key Takeaways

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• You can make something really special and unique by transforming something normal into something totally new.  This can go for products, startups, and any other ideas that people may have.  It is always useful to utilize what is around you, and in this case, the McMenamin family was able to creatively transform this historic, pre-existing building to create a real experience as opposed to if they simply built a modern building that contained all that the Kennedy School contains.