Portland, OR

I remember last year, being downtown and seeing those signs that hang from street lights, and noticing that the signs were touting something called GirlFest. I did not know what it was, nor did I really care so much at the time. Fast forward a year, I am teaching little girls and during class today, GirlFest came up.

The Girl Scouts put on GirlFest. I have an application to volunteer with the Girl Scouts, but as I am already volunteering at the YWCA’s LearnLinks and for the SMART program as well as working two part-time jobs in addition to writing for this blog and others…so yeah, lost where I was going, but you get the point. I didn’t have time for the Girl Scouts, as I had to cut out something because if not, when am I going to play video games. But someday I will try and work with the Girl Scouts, as I think it is a good organization and not too churchy, like a friend of mine feared.

Oops, wrong Portland festival…

So, back to GirlFest. It is this Saturday at the Portland Expo Center, on Marine Drive west of I-5, and the hours are 10am to 6pm. Admission for registered members of the Girl Scouts is $10, and if you are not registered, you will pay $20 but half of that will go toward a membership. Even if you never plan on doing anything with Girl Scouts ever again, you can think of it as a donation to a worthy cause.

GirlFest is meant to celebrate “everything cool about being a girl,” according to the website. I remember being a little girl, and frankly I didn’t think it was so cool, so I really hope either this marketing campaign is effective or things have gotten better for little girls in America. For the skimpy outfits and high heels I have seen on 8 or 9 year-olds, I don’t see how things could be better. Although, the little girls in my classes are awesome, so I do have hope for the future yet.

And to the little girls of today, take advantage of the newly-discovered attention to girls’ development and education. I was one of the lucky ones and got shipped off to a gifted program, but others were not so fortunate. Educational activities outside the school proper were looked down upon as unnecessary during the Reagan and Bush I’s reigns and we are starting to see what kind of mess this country is in due to that lack of foresight. It is so nice to see girls excited about science in my classes. We need you, girls, so keep up the good work!

For more info on GirlFest, check out this link.

Portland, Girlfest, Girl Scouts, Oregon, Washington, education, science, girls, YWCA, Learnlinks, SMART

Today’s post is a little bit of everything.

Firstly, I did in fact go to Doug Fir last night to see Tim Finn. Awesome show, and I am so happy I went. I was sitting at home writing an article on rising sea levels in Africa, and watching the Republican National Convention. All the sudden, it was 9pm, and the show was set to start at 9pm. I had a little debate with myself, and said, you know you have waited your whole life to see Tim so just go already. I hopped in the car. Upon arrival at Doug Fir (my first time), the door guy asked me if I was by myself, and being a loser with no friends, I said yes. He said it was my lucky day, as he had an extra ticket for me. It is like I was meant to be there…

The cutest, most adorable little thing, Jasmine Ash, opened. Just her and an acoustic guitar. She has a sweet, soft voice, which usually isn’t something I dig, but she was really quite good. I checked out her myspace page, and she is a local Portland act. I will definitely try to catch her again. I told her I was going to put her in my pocket and take her home. She didn’t seem adverse to the idea.

Here’s a video she has out on her myspace page.

Tim Finn came on, and wow, what an amazing show. The man has been performing since before I was born, and he is very comfortable in front of an audience. He was exceedingly charming, and I must say, Mr. Finn has only grown more handsome over the years. He opened with “Parihaka,” a song off the self-named album that he released in 1989. I still have that cassette, but alas, no cassette player, so I have not heard that song in forever. He played a really nice blend of old favorites and newer stuff, and a lot off of the Crowded House album, Woodface, on which Tim was a full-fledged member of that band. I was starting to think, wow, there is a lot off Woodface, when he explained “we are in Woodface kind of mood tonight.” That makes sense, and the 40 of so people in the audience seemed to respond best to those songs, so as long as everyone is happy. I would have liked a few more early, solo-career songs, but it is always difficult to please everyone. Tim Finn did a great job and ended the show with a promise to be back next year (promoting a new album). Also, props go out to his band members, maybe Greg on electric guitar and Simon on keys. I didn’t quite catch the names, but talented young men, and Greg did a nice job singing along on some of the harmony-based Crowded House and Split Enz songs.

Funny side note, actually two: Finn mentioned that he went to Powell’s, like everyone who visits Portland does, and he said it was just too much for him. I couldn’t agree more, that place is totally sensory overload. You have to be in the proper mood to battle the crowds, and have plenty, and I mean plenty, of time to wander. Also, Finn said that Doug Fir had a very “Twin Peaks” feel about it. Exactly what I thought when I got there. More red velvet and it would be uncanny.

Moving on to Music Fest Northwest, I know a bunch of bands are playing this weekend. I am going to try and catch as many as I can, but I say that now, and I tend to get very comfortable at home, so we’ll see what I get out of my house for. I wouldn’t mind seeing Built to Spill…

To end, I have to say that Portland has an incredible music scene for those of us that really love music. And when I say music, I don’t mean corporate-committee-overly-produced-whatever-sells-the -most-singles music for the masses. I spent my last two teenage years in Chicago during the early-to-mid nineties, which was a great time for music, and Chicago was a hub for that scene then. Lots of small venues, great relatively unknown bands, you could see a great show any night of the week. I had a radio show on WHPK (the pride of the South Side, University of Chicago’s station with a range of maybe nine miles), so I got a lot of free tickets and never got carded for some reason, despite my baby face. Portland reminds me a lot of that time. Not only are there some pretty awesome local acts, but it seems that Portland is always a stop on bands that matter tour schedule. Small venues make such a difference if you want to feel connected with your favorite bands.

If you cannot find something to do in Portland, it’s your own fault.

Tim Finn, Jasmine Ash, Portland, Doug Fir, Crowded House, Split Enz, Music Fest Northwest, MFNW, Built to Spill, Chicago, University of Chicago

Sunday my boyfriend gave me a challenge. Find something “outside-y” to do that day. The weekend before, we had checked out the Oregon Brewfest, so I had a clue as to what he was thinking. Other than a baseball game, I knew that anything that involved BBQ and beer would be a winner.

Power of County. The best thing about Bones and Brew during the hour I was there.

Rogue Brewery hosted a benefit BBQ for the Oregon Zoo this last Saturday and Sunday. Learning from the week before, Chris and I knew better than to show up the few hours before the event closes down (less chance for good beer). I don’t think that the Bones and Brew suffers that problem, and that is a good thing. However, having a lot of beer doesn’t necessarily make up for the food.

Let me start at the very beginning, and give a shout out to the extremely nice and pleasant women that ran the gate. One was wearing the cutest elephant earrings, and boy, was she sweet. There was a suggested donation of three dollars, that’s right, $3. While we were standing in line, two women came up behind us and inquired as to whether they had to pay just to come in and eat. It’s a benefit, ladies, of course you pay the suggested donation to enter the event, even if you are just coming in to eat, and sit at a table, and enjoy the entertainment. Jeez, where do these people come from? Not only that, but it is a SUGGESTED donation, so if you are really that cheap and lame, then yes, you can go in and eat.

Some people are so dumb. But I digress…

Upon entering, I saw that “Portland’s biggest backyard BBQ” — per the Rogue Brewery press release — which equates to three blocks, and half-blocks at that, was not quite what I expected. Not that I was expecting anything at all like the big Brewfest, but I did expect more food. There were I think three BBQ tents, with an ice cream stand and a shaved ice stand. The menus I checked out included the standard BBQ fare of chicken, pork, or beef sandwiches, ribs, cheddar fries, red beans and rice (the lone vegetarian option as far as I saw). I had read in the press release that there would be seafood, asian and vegetarian options. Other than the beans and rice, I didn’t see much for our non-carnivorous cousins, so I am glad that my friend, Danielle, was not able to join us. She is super picky about what meat she does eat, and even then she is pretty reluctant about it.

The press release also mentioned a farmer’s market. I saw a few booths for dog stuff, and then a wax candle stand (which featured some Rogue candles, how cute), and then oddly, an Indian food stand, but not anything to eat on premises, rather just jars of chutney and some roti in bags. No fresh veggies or stuff that I associate with a farmers’ market, but hey, it is a loosely defined term here, like most things in Portland.

So I had a pork sandwich from the My Brother’s stand. The reason we chose that stand over the others — the fifteen or so trophies that they had on display, oddly, in the middle of the street, about ten feet in front of the stand, but off to the side a bit. At first, when I walked in, I wasn’t sure why there was a table all by itself in the middle of the street with a bunch of trophies on it. Then we noticed the trophies had pigs and cows on them, and it dawned on us that the trophies were for fantastic BBQ. Which of course meant the bigger the disappointment when I tried the pork sandwich. It wasn’t bad, per se, just average. Chris got the ribs and they were better, but still nothing to write about. Oh, wait — I just did.

One impression that I left the Bones and Brew fest with was that of how these outdoor events are especially planned for dogs. I mean, I LOVE dogs, but having a gazillion of them in a two block radius, well, I am nervous around that many leashes.

Oh, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the best part of the Bones and Brew fest, other than the proceeds going to the Zoo (by the way, I am not a huge zoo fan, any zoo, not just the Oregon Zoo, but hey, if we have to have them, let’s keep them well-funded). There were some bands that were part of the festivities. I was only there for about an hour, actually, not even that long, and the band playing was Power of County. Funny thing is that I had spied a long-haired rocker type wearing a black leather vest the week before at the Brewfest. It had white letters on the back of the vest that said Power of County. Of course, the editor in me wondered if that were a typo, which would have been genius. And whoa, here was the same long-hair playing on the stage.

I didn’t want to like Power of County, but I have to say, they are pretty good. Kind of that seventies southern rock thing going on. I wanted to go up to them afterward and buy a CD, but I was feeling a little shy. Next time, gentleman.

All in all, I don’t see a reason to return next year. I did speak to a very nice guy sitting at the same table (oh, yeah, not enough tables, or maybe they should go with long tables rather than circles), and he said that in years past, the BBQ was more of a contest, so it was fun to try them all and vote for the winner. Also, he mentioned that the beer had been served as “tasters” before, but now, it’s all these lame maybe ten ounce paper cups for $4. I have to agree that the BBQ contest sounds like a fun idea, and a way to create a “theme” to the festival.

Oh, yeah, is it weird to anyone but me that a zoo benefit would focus on eating animal flesh? Is it to make us more like animals or does the Zoo discriminate against domesticated animals? Let them eat bones.

Portland, Rogue Brewery, Oregon zoo, BBQ, benefit, Oregon Brewfest, Power of County

Let me start by saying that I am not a huge fan of big crowds. I get a little anxious being surrounded by large chaotic swarms of people, and add alcohol and yeah, not a fan. So it was a surprise to me yesterday when I agreed to go down to the waterfront to the Brewfest.

Generic picture of the Brewfest Crowd

It was the 21st annual Oregon’s Brewers Festival, or so the poster said. I think originally there were lots and lots of breweries (maybe around seventy or so) that set up kegs in long semi-trailer refrigeration units, but by the time Sunday rolled around, well, it was the left-overs. The leftovers seemed to be the more local brews, by the way, so I am wondering if the locals knew better about how much beer to show up with, or they were closer to some stockpiles to re-supply themselves with.

Of course, Deschutes was there, and they are big time, as they had their own specially designed trailer from which they were serving.

And yes, there were more than just Oregon microbrews. Lots of California and Washington beer, but also I saw some Michigan beers, namely Bell’s and Michigan Brewing Company. It was a nice sight for a Michigan girl.

All in all, I am not sure if I would go back, and if I do return next year, I will be sure to go before Sunday at 4:30 pm. Like I said, a lot of beer was tapped out, but also the organization was a bit odd for me. Brewfest is asking a lot of drunks by asking them to line up for the appropriate beer, and the beers are lined up at tables pretty closely, so I can see how easy if would have been to think that you are standing in one line, only to find that the line sort of morphed into a grouping of people that got some beer and basically turned away from the table, but didn’t leave. The line is then a mad dash for getting around the drunks that have set up camp in the front of the line, rather than take your beer and get the heck out of the way. Whew, ok, that was my big rant.

Also, the “servers” are obviously volunteers that weren’t quite sure what they were pouring. When I got up to the table for my four ounce taster pour (for a $1 token), it seemed that the volunteer next to my line was pouring the same beer (Grand Teton’s Bitch Creek ESB) I was getting even though the sign in front of him said Woody’s IPA. No matter, I’m sure, as everyone seemed pretty drunk to me. So drunk that every few minutes a collective, “Whoooooooooeeeeeeeeewwwwwww” would erupt from the crowd. At first, I thought it was almost cute, but after ten minutes, I felt like I was at a frat party. Especially once the quartet of drunk girls started following me around…

So all in all, I would prefer the Brewfest to be more of a beer tasting event than a huge beer tent/party, but who am I to start saying what I would have done if I planned out the Brewfest? It wasn’t quite as rowdy as most beer tents I have been to, because Portlanders are a fairly polite bunch.

Also, I got my “mug” for free as the fest ran out of the 2008 mugs, so I got a left-over holiday mug.

Oregon Brewfest, Deschutes, Portland, Waterfront, California, Washington, Michigan, Bell’s, Michigan Brewing Company, Grand Teton

First, my apologies for the dearth of posts in the last three weeks. I have taken a new job, and it has been a wild and bumpy ride in that this new job is a restaurant, and the last four weeks have been training, and now that the training process is complete I feel that I finally have time to resume my normal (*relative term) life.

One quick observation: The restaurant industry in any city is a small, incestuous community. Be it a major city like Chicago, or a smaller city like Portland, everyone knows everyone, and has possibly slept with that same population. However, if you want to learn a city, get a job in a restaurant. Waiters know all the best spots.

That said, I have been introduced to a great bar, with a great outdoor patio. And who doesn’t love a great outdoor patio on which to drink, right?

Rontom’s on East Burnside at 6th Avenue. There is no sign, so you kind of have to know what you are looking for, a grey building with tallish windows along burnside, maybe two blocks before Le Pigeon. Or you can look for the crowd of ESH (East Side Hipsters — a crossbreed of 80’s throwbacks, if young, and Marxists in thrift store clothes, if a little older) clustered outside.

Now that I am working nights again, it seems that is a precursor to going out after said shift. Rontom’s has been my favourite watering hole thus far. And yes, the patio is the main reason for this newly found libation station.

Come on, you put a ping pong table outside, and how can I resist?

Grandma wasn’t there, but could have been. It’s a big place.

The drinks were strong and appropriately priced. As a bartender myself, I hate paying more than six bucks for a Stoli and tonic. I know how much Stoli costs a bar, so anything more than that and it is literal robbery. Rontom’s charged me $5.50 for a tall, and I can live with that. Not that I am cheap, quite the contrary, but I do not like overpaying for alcohol just to sit somewhere posh, especially when I am so much more comfortable at a pic-a-nic table outside.

Also, the female bartender was cute, and put my tall in a pint glass. A girl after my own heart…

Portland, Chicago, Stoli, Rontoms, Rontom’s, outdoor, patio, drinking

If you know who these men are, chances are you “antique.”

Ok, first, I am not one to “antique” as a verb, per se, but I am an avid viewer of PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, as well as Bargain Hunt on BBC, and I do have quite a collection of antiquated technology (cameras, a turn dial adding machine, a late 1920’s typewriter), but again, I am not one to antique.

No, really.

Fine, I antique. There I said it and admission is the first step to recovery, right?

Since I moved to Portland, I have heard it mentioned that the Sellwood neighborhood is kind of known for its antique shops. I resisted as long as I could, though I did happen to visit some antique shops out in Yamhill, and today, I decided to spend Earth Day finding treasures from the past. Recycling as it were.

I thought today would be a good day for it. Raining, for the most part, grey, and slightly chilly. And it may have been a good day to visit the plentiful antique shops in Sellwood, but I will never know personally. I didn’t arrive until a little after 5pm, and alas most, if not all, of the shops had closed up for the day. The world is not scheduled for slow-pokes like me.

So, my advice to anyone who decides to go “antiquing” in Sellwood: Show up before five. And there are not one but two areas for the antique shops. The first is along SE Milwaukie also known as 17th or 16th ave in that area, past and around the intersection at SE Bybee. There is a second more-densely-antique-shop-populated area along 13th around SE Tacoma. I didn’t know that, so maybe someone else out there can benefit from this information.

Sellwood, Portland, Antiques Roadshow, Bargain Hunt, antiquing, Yamhill, Earth Day

I cannot begin to express how happy I am living in Portland and being a golfer. I grew up in Michigan, and golf courses were abundant. You could play a really nice course, or you could always find cheap greens fees at decent courses. Portland is a lot like that.

12th hole at Eastmoreland Golf Course via its website.

Living in Chicago made me question my devotion to golf, only because good courses were invariably an hour away. Not that they were far, necessarily, but with the horrendous traffic issues, it seemed that golfing 18 holes meant an entire day devoted to driving there, waiting behind people that seemed to have no idea what they were doing or how they ended up with a club in their hand, and then driving another hour to get home, and gee, now it’s dark out and I am so irritated after being stuck in stand-still traffic that all I want to do is start drinking.

Wow, that was a really long sentence.

Sure, there were courses that were closer in the city. I played a city course on the Southside of Chicago, Jackson Park, in August and no joke, I was hitting off bare dirt in the middle of the fairway. That ain’t cool. And it ain’t golf.

But seriously, golfing in Portland is a pleasure. I live about a mile from Eastmoreland. Colwood National, Rose City, and Glendoveer are twenty minutes away. These courses, despite being municipal courses, are in nice shape, they can be challenging, and the most 18 has taken me is 4 and a half hours. And that is on a really nice Saturday.

In Chicago, it seemed that 18 always took at least five hours. I am a fairly fast golfer. I don’t spend a lot of time dickering with myself about my club selection, or take five practice swings. It’s one practice swing, I address the ball, and I hit. Amateurs do not need to act like they are one shot ahead of Tiger at Sawgrass and take ten minutes to hit their shot.

So anyway, if you like to golf, Portland gets a huge plus in that you can pretty much golf all year. Sure, it’s not Tuscon with 80 degree days in January, but really, who would want to live in Arizona anyway? I kid. Arizona has its charms.

There are some really nice courses in the area as well. Mt. Hood provides some stunning holes and backdrops. I have yet to make it out there, nor have I been able to go down the coast or up the coast to that new course near Tacoma, that is hosting the US Open in something like 2015.

golf, Portland, Michigan, Chicago, Eastmoreland, Colwood, Rose City, Glendoveer, Mt Hood, Sawgrass, Arizona, Tuscon

If you haven’t heard Portland is, um, “known” for its strip clubs. And the first time I was ever in Portland, yes, I too, went to see what all the hubbub was about…

Here’s my question: Does the number of strip clubs correlate to a high number of hot strippers in town? The answer in Portland is, sadly, no. The advice I have been given is never go at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday, if you get my drift.

However, I would be remiss not to point out that Barfly is promoting its, get this, 12th annual Strip-o-rama. One, it’s a brilliant idea, and two, this will be the 12th year of this, what must be, a magical mystery tour for drunks-that-love-strippers.

Well, if that doesn’t pull you out of your post-holiday withdrawals or blues or whatever the young kids are calling ‘em these days, I don’t know what could!

If no, you could always go out and catch 27 Dresses, the new Katherine Heigl vehicle. I think that would lead to suicide for some this time of year, and I wonder why they choose this time of year to release it. Maybe for everyone sick of good films…ah, I digress.

Oh, wait, I know what you could do this weekend. I have a habit of reading classifieds, so I ran across this.

Come to Open Hands Acupuncture on Saturday, January 26th from 12p-4p for free demo acupuncture, massage and naturopathic consultations.

We’re located at 114 N. Killingsworth Ave. For more information, call us at 503.281.4656.

114 N. Killingsworth Ave., 97217 via Willamette Week

If I were in town, I’d probably check that out. Four minutes of free massage is better than no massage. Maybe there will be cookies…organic spelt cookies in this town. Still, organic spelt cookies are better than no cookies at all.

Anyway, I will try to post a fuller list of things to do this weekend that maybe won’t suck.

Disclaimer: Any information provided by this writer may suck, and the writer is not held responsible for that resultant suckiness in perpetuity throughout the universe.

Portland, strip clubs, barfly, 27 Dresses, Katherine Heigl, accupuncture, massage, organic, spelt, willamette week

I was invited to see the 20th Anniversary of the Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto on Saturday night. (I passed on it and wandered downtown instead.) Although I didn’t go, I heard good things from my friends who did and I thought I would share the information for ya’ll!

I had one friend say that it was “damn Christian propaganda” and another who said “The presentation of lights was spectacular but the 60-90 minute quoted time to walk through The Grotto was grossly exaggerated as it would only take a leisurely 20 minute walk.” While I do have very educated and loquacious friends, I think she knew she was being quoted. I had another friend honestly admit that it was “not worth the 7 dollar a person fee.”

Between November 23rd and December 30th, 2007, The Grotto’s beautiful Christmas lights are up and open to the public. You can go between the hours of 5pm and 9:30pm (grounds close at 10pm) except on Christmas day. It is $7 for general admission and $3 for children ages three to twelve. Children under the age of two get to go through free! (I’m sure they’ll remember the wonderful sights, too!)

The Grotto began in 1988 in hopes of spreading the true spirit and meaning of Christmas. The Grotto welcomes the St. Stanislaus Polish Church choir and over 60,000 visitors see them yearly. There are actually over 150 concerts performed in the 500-seat chapel in the month that it is open.

The Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto is located at NE 85th and Sandy Boulevard in Portland, Oregon!

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, Christmas Festival of Lights, The Grotto, Christmas, Christmas lights, Christmas concerts

I was born & (essentially) raised in Oregon. (I spent time in Florida, in Alaska, and growing up, spent a year in Vancouver as well.) I went to college in Corvallis and moved to Portland in 2004, soon after graduation. I fell in love with Portland immediately, and for a long time I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Lately, however, I’ve been feeling this weird pull away from my beloved city, and have been contemplating moving. I’m back in school and so in my mind, I’m staying in Portland until I graduate. I’ve been thinking a lot in the past few weeks of where I would move to. I’m at a loss. I have no idea what city would afford me the luxuries that Portland does.

I’m an hour from the ocean.
I’m an hour from skiing on a volcano.
I’m able to hike in my own backyard.
I can be in the most pretentious bar ever, walk to the next block and be able to dance the night away to 80’s music.
I am surrounded by the smartest, and the strangest people I’ve ever known.

Why would I want to move, right?

and more importantly:

Where would I move to?

I did a “where should I move to?” search just to see what I came up with, and I think I’m the last person in the world to know about Find Your Spot. Seriously, why didn’t I know about this site before. I spent about 15 minutes taking their quiz to find out where I should live, and here are my answers - with some oh-so-smart-ass-commentary to

1. Norfolk, Virginia - Uhm, okay. I know that I would have to learn to say “Nore-fock” instead of “Nore-folk” … and that would make me laugh. Plus, it snows here. 7″ of snow a year. Uhm, that’s a lot for me.

2. Portland, Oregon - Well I’m glad to know that I’m living in the appropriate city.

3. Cincinatti, Ohio - Not Columbus? That’d be more fun. I have friends who live there. It snows in Cincinatti, too. Plus, I don’t like the Bengals. Boo.

4. Tacoma, Washington - a very very close friend lives here. I’ve seen both the good and the bad sides of Tacoma and I think I could enjoy living here. Too bad the school opportunities for me aren’t so great in Tacoma unless I want to commute to Seattle everyday.

5. Eugene, Oregon - a Beaver living in Duck territory? No thanks.

6. Charleston, West Virginia - Hmm … besides the two feet of snow every year, I think I might like this place after reading the descriptions.

7. Salem, Oregon - my parents live right outside of Salem. I do not want to live in Salem. (Not because my parents live there, but because of the things I’ve seen & heard about Salem.) Thanks for the suggestion.

8. Hampton, Virgina - I’ve never even HEARD of Hampton. I could move there. *shrug*

9. Lynchburg, Virgina - Why is it that I’ve never heard of anywhere in Virginia? This place looks gorgeous though, has about the same amount of rain as Portland, and would be decently near friends. Hmmm … I may have to think about Virginia!

10. Corvallis, Oregon - been there, done that. I love Corvallis, and have actually thought more than once about moving back. I have friends there, it’s close to my family, I could get my Master’s degree from Oregon State. Buuuut, I’ve been there, done that.

Continuing the Meme around Portland post from earlier, here are some more of my own opinions - but remember - TELL me about your favorites, too! Tell me what you think I should check out!

Best Land Mark: Uhm, a Portland landmark that is my favorite? Pittock Mansion. Not only do I love being up in the West Hills just to look at at things, I love being a photographer and going up to Pittock Mansion. If you haven’t been up there, and have the chance, you definitely need to check it out! Oooh, on top of everything though, the bridges are fantastic! FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!!

Entertaining The Kids: My favorite thing to do with children in Portland is take them to the zoo and the Children’s Museum. Both offer year-round events for the kids, and are adult-friendly enough that we don’t feel the need to spork our eyes out repeatedly (or as repeatedly as you can spork eyes out). The lights done at the zoo are quite fun, and while you might freeze your buns off, it’s worth it!

Popular Outdoor Activity: Running, walking, hiking, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading (yes, I still see people rolling by on those things!), scootering, segwaying, sitting on the curb, eating lunch on a patio. There are tons of outdoor activities to do in Portland!

Breathtaking Views: A breathtaking view in Portland? Open your eyes. Look to the East, you’ll see the Cascade range leading you towards the Coast. Look towards the West; you’ll see Mt. Hood, Mount St. Helens and on a clear day, you might even see Mt. Adams. Look in the morning and see the sunrise over the mountains, and then in the evening, watch it set over the other mountains. Go out late at night and see the lights sparkle all around you. Drive over the bridges late into the night and look at the lights all around you. (I wonder, on a light-type-scale, how Portland rates among night lights compared to other cities.) Look at the river (but please don’t get in), look at the old architecture, look at all the new architecture. Just open your eyes in Portland and (whether positively or negatively) let your breath be taken away!

First of all, thank you to all of your recent visits lately! My stats are climbing and the word about About Portland, OR is getting out. This is both exciting and encouraging and I may see about running a contest in the month of November if the traffic keeps up!

Second, thank you for bearing with me on my new ideas lately. Wednesday’s “Keep Portland Weird” didn’t happen but instead, I got the honor of writing a cool article on a Portland fashion designer being featured at Portland’s Fashion Week. Check it out, check out the website, and buy me this dress, please!?

Third, let’s get going with some fun things to do this week in Portland, Oregon!

1. Buy yourself some tickets to see Mr. Billy Joel! Tickets for his November 24th concert go on sale this Saturday. You can purchase them at Live Nation as soon as 10am on Saturday!

2. Go check out Fright Town! The Memorial Coliseum’s Haunted House opens on Saturday. (The little note at the bottom of the ad warns against bringing small children. Instead, bring your crazy Aunt Patty! Heck, be brave and bring MY crazy Aunt Patty!)

3. Learn to dance! The Ballroom Dance Company has dance classes starting every day of the week. This Friday, October 12th is the first class in a 5-week group class series of both beginners Salsa (7-8pm) and Cha Cha (8-9pm). On Saturday you can learn beginners Swing from 11am-noon as well. If you’re feeling adventurous, join The BDC on Saturday night from 7:30-11pm for their ballroom dance party. A $10 admission covers a beginners lesson, drinks & snacks for the evening. Or you can choose to join the Lindy Hop & swing dance party from 7:30-midnight on Saturday as well! The $8 admission to that includes a beginners lesson.

4. Live horse racing is back at Portland Meadows. Go watch the horse races or waste earn some money betting on those ponies. Every Sunday, Monday & Tuesday the first race posts at 12:35pm. Parking, grandstand and clubhouse admission is free so even if you don’t want to bet, you can cheer on your favorite horse!

5. Check out Portland Center Stage’s performance of Cabaret. If you’re over the age of 18, enjoy this performance at many times between now and November 4th. See Storm Large (yes, of Rockstar Supernova & Storm Large & the Balls fame) play the role of Sally Bowles and Roman Fruge as Clifford Bradshaw. Portland State University’s VanGuard staff member Aaron Kelly reports “we are taken through the entire realm of emotions, from stimulation and levity to a tenderness & even fear” during the performance. What could be a better date than that?

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, things to do, things to do in Portland, Billy Joel, Memorial Coliseum, Rose Garden, concert, Fright Town, haunted house, Portland haunted house, ballroom dancing, salsa, cha cha, swing dance, lindy hop, The Ballroom Dance Company, horse racing, Portland Meadows, gambling, Portland Center State, Caberet, Portland State University, VanGuard, Aaron Kelly

Wanna go to a concert this week? I did some scouring to find out who’s coming to town and wanted to share!

The Aladdin Theater
*Monday, October 1, 8pm: George Winston - “…best known for his melodic rural folk piano style, has made no secret of the debt his playing owes to the musicians of New Orleans. Creole Moon, a pensive version of the title tune from Dr. John’s 2001 album, is full of emotions that residents of The Crescent City might have felt in the aftermath of the storm.” $35 at the door

*Wednesday, October 3, 8pm: the subdudes w/Liz Barnez - “Welcome to STREET SYMPHONY, it’s the kind of an album that stirs the consciousness and galvanizes the soul with an array of songs that are underlined by the band’s trademark music: a vibrant cauldron of sounds that brings together the meaty grooves and jazzy dynamics, soulful R&B swagger and easy vocal harmonies.” $20 advanced tickets & $22 at the door.

*Sunday, October 7, 8pm: Nellie McKay - “…Nellie McKay is an incredibly talented youngster of nineteen. Her acerbic wit and prickly banter pepper her live shows in between renditions of her ever growing, self-penned repertoire and a standard or two. No song is performed the same way twice, partly because Ms. McKay has difficulty remembering lyrics, particularly her own, and partly because she pledges allegiance to no rule other than to keep her live show and her music as fresh and non-repetitive as possible.” $18.50 advanced tickets $ 20 at the door

There are plenty of other concert venues in Portland that are worth checking out! Here are just a few shows at a few ballrooms during the month of October! I will be featuring more venues as well as more concerts that will be in town!

McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, The National, 80’s Video Dance Attack, M Ward, Pat Monahan, David Crowder Band & Brandi Carlile are all on the list!

The Wonder Ballroom, Metric, Rogue Wave, Harry Shearer, Dashboard Confessional and Augustana, Aesop Rock & Tiger Army will be in town!

The Doug Fir Lounge will show Gruff Rhys, Her Space Holiday, XOXO Panda, Black Francis, East Coast Champions, The Slants, Logan Lynn, Dat’R, The Aliens, Augie March, Derby, Boy Eats Drum Machine and many many more. Oftentimes, the Dough Fir has multiple shows in a single evening!

At the Portland Rose Quarter, Widespread Panic, Casting Crowns, Andrew Rieu, Women of Faith, Australian Pink Floyd, Interpol, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus share their love of music with our fair city!

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, musicians, concerts, October music

Do you need something to do this weekend?

Friday, September 28th @ 7:30pm Powell’s City of Books on Burnside sponsers an evening with Greil Marcus, author of In the Shape of Things to Come.

Friday, September 28th @ 7pm Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing presents an evening with Alice Walker (most notably famous for The Color Purple). Walker returns to authoring with a picture book, including a poem “Why War Is Never A Good Idea”.

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Yesterday a friend and I drove over to Astoria, and then down the coast to Canon Beach. We had a marvelous time taking pictures, getting stuck on the Astoria-Long Beach bridge (for over 20 minutes) and then exploring the “rest stop” that is Dismal Nitch. Today you all get the pleasure of being linked to some of my pictures from the adventure. These are pre-editing and are in a general order, but nothing too fancy. Pictures include the Astoria Column, The Goonies house, Canon Beach, old ladies on logs, and birds.

BeachDate

About Portland OR, Portland, Portland OR, Canon Beach, traveling, photographs, Astoria, The Goonies