I'm certain employees must past a stringent beauty test to work at the latest see and be seen lounge in downtown Portland, known as Departure. Is it Portland? Yes and no. It's Portland, because of our recent penchant for modern and mid-century architecture. And it was designed by local Jeff Kovel of Skylab Architecture. The wow reviews he got for the design of the Doug Fir Lounge, which he also co-owns, was apparently just a warm up. Arriving by special elevator from The Nines lobby, one exits on the new 15th floor into a Battlestar Galactica walkway. When your eyes are just getting used to the dim lighting, you enter into the spectacularly bright bar area abuzz with said beautiful servers, and Portlanders dressed beyond our usual standard. If you've been saving a chic outfit for an occasion, it will be appreciated here. Though they call Departure a restaurant, I would confine myself to an appetizer or two and have dinner elsewhere- the offerings are tasty but precious and expensive- decidedly not Portland. Don't let that deter you. Get yourself up to that 15th floor, put yourself on the waiting list for the east deck with its sweeping views of the city and river and enjoy our beautiful city with beautiful people. We have one more reason to feel smug about living in Portland. See the "Galactica" entryway and more pics.