Portland, OR

Last year, I was really excited about getting some trick-or-treaters. After living in Chicago, in an apartment, in a neighborhood of three-story six-flats, I was so excited to have a porch as a basis for my candy-giving adventures.

Three kids came to my door. Three.

I thought they looked familiar…

And I had the bomb candy, a veritable smorgasbord of treats, and all I got was three lousy trick-or-treaters. Ok, that is not fair, the kids weren’t lousy, it was just the turn-out that was lousy. I envisioned a constant barrage of children in cute, little costumes, some scary, some Disney no doubt.

I grew up in the country. A small farming town where there were three houses in my whole neighborhood, so needless to say, we did not get trick-or-treaters. Correction, we got our closest neighbors, before they drove to a more densely-populated neighborhood, with more candy per steps taken.

I live in SE Portland, and I figured it was prime trick-or-treat territory. Lots of houses, rather nice ones at that, and maybe ten or so houses per “normal” Portland block (which I always refer to as Barbie-blocks as they are not the big-city-size blocks, but instead about half the size of a Chicago block). But no, my block got nothing.

Granted, if I were an active trick-or-treater this year, I would head for the Laurelhurst neighborhood. Big, cool houses that are sure to give out good candy, right? Not so, usually. In my past experience as a pretty savvy “treater”, I found that the nicer the neighborhood, either no one was home or they gave you coins or something really healthy — and as this is Portland, Oregon, the land of Granola, I wouldn’t be surprised if Laurelhurst gives out organic, vegan candy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am into healthy foods and generally eschew the whole high-fructose corn syrup scene, but when it comes to Halloween, I take a day off and seek out the bad, the gooey, and the overly-sweet.

I wonder what neighborhood does give out the best candy in Portland. If anyone has an opinion on the subject, please drop me a line by leaving a comment.

To everyone, have a safe and happy Halloween. I have to work that night, but I will leave some candy on my front porch.

Portland, Halloween, trick-or-treat, trick-or-treaters, SE Portland, Laurelhurst, Chicago

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

Ok, so it may not be as glamorous as the so-called jet set, but then again, would you really want to hang around those people?

I finally got a bike, and riding around Portland is a totally “cool” experience. Other than those people, mostly older men, that insist on wearing those dreadful biking shorts, the people I see out in the bike lanes are, well, cool. I saw quite a few really hot guys, so a tip to all you single ladies, get yourself a bike.

I unfortunately went for the retro 3-speed bike, which is all well and good in certain situations, mainly those that do not involve elevation changes. Guess what, Portland is pretty hilly. Not San Francisco hilly, but hilly all the same, especially for someone like me who has let my bike riding thighs fall out of shape. I need to get a true commuter bike, with a lot of gears, but then again, first I will have to get some strength in my legs to really get around town.

All in all, fellow bicyclists are very friendly in this town, much like the drivers. Yes, it is true that Portland must have some of the nicest drivers in the US. I mean, I stand next to a road, not even remotely by a crosswalk or anything, and more often than not, someone stops for me. That is so nice. In fact, the Ross Island Bridge on-ramp could never happen in most towns. It is not often that motorists will stop without being told to in order to allow those at a cross-street to enter heavy traffic.

But I digress…the Portland bicyclist is polite and courteous. Biking in Portland is equally pleasurable. The city is immensely bike-able (other than for wusses like me). Bike lanes are a-plenty, and the city is going even further in making Portland super-bike-friendly with bike boxes at intersections.

I went to the city’s transportation website and requested a bunch of maps, information on biking, and even bumper stickers for both my bike and my car that state how much I “share the road.” If you too would like to see the online maps or request paper versions, check out this website link. There are maps for the whole city as well as the quadrants. The maps even feature walking tours. How cute is that…

Guess what I didn’t know? My bet is that you didn’t either. It is National Playground Safety Week. Who knew that something so specific could be it’s own “week.” A day, I could see, but a week.

I have a feeling that this is made up. By the Playground Lobby in Congress, the second biggest lobby behind the Oil Industry.

So, I did a little research into this so-called week. And look what I found. There is a whole organization devoted to Playground Safety. I am not sure why I capitalized playground safety. The Lobby made me do it.

No offense, but does this issue really need a whole week, much less an organization? I know, I know, there are exactly 205,860 accidents each year that are serious enough to send a kid to the hospital, but really a whole week? If a kid isn’t smart enough to play safely, for his or her own sake, then maybe this is where the whole survival of the fittest thing comes into play. Ah, I am sure I am kidding. All kids are precious.

Maybe I should come up with a disclaimer for this site, huh?

Still, this whole playground thing got me thinking. Why is it that safety always trumps fun? Those new swings that are in all the playgrounds, those little kiddie swings with a whole harness seat rather than a rectangular strap that makes it easier to jump out of…I hate those things. I may not be a little kid, but guess what Playground Safety Lobby, I like to swing. Those little harnesses may be slightly safer for kids (wouldn’t they get caught in them somehow?), but what about bigger kids and even normal sized adults? Are we not allowed to swing?

I live by the Kenilworth Park, and the powers that be have put in a new playground area in the lower part of the park. The swings are not installed yet, and I am really, really hoping that the old school swings are installed rather than the harness style swings that are in the upper part of the park. I want to swing once in a while, dammit.

National Playground Safety Week, swings, Kenilworth Park

It’s the holiday season, and many families are looking to spend more time together outside rather that inside watching movies together. I’m going to try and do my part to encourage that family time and share with you some of the December Family Events I’ve discovered lately!

>The Best Christmas Pageant Ever; Lakewood Theater for the Arts; 328 South State Street, Lake Oswego; December 13-December 22; call 503-635-3901 for tickets or visit The Lakewood Center online.

>Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Clause!; The Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre; at the Hart Theater, 185 South East Washington Street, Hillsboro; free parking on MAX line; November 20-December 23, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm; tickets run $7-$14; call 503-693-7815 for tickets or visit The Hart Theater online.

>Tuba Christmas; Pioneer Courthouse Square; downtown; December 15, 1:30pm; FREE!

>Do Jump for For the Holidays; Newmark Theater; downtown; December 7-December 30; call 503-231-1232 (or Ticketmaster at 503-224-4400) for tickets or visit Do Jump.

>Imago’s Biglittlethings; Imago Theater; SE Portland; December 14-January 5; tickets are $16-$31; call 503-224-8499 for tickets or 503-231-9581 to contact, or visit Imago Theater.

>Pacific Festival Ballet’s The Nutcracker; PCC, Sylvania Forum Theater; 12000 SW 49th, Portland; December 7-December 16, weekends; tickets are $18-20; call 503-977-1753 or visit Pacific Festival Ballet.

>La Boutique Fantastique (Ballet); Lincoln Performance Hall, PSU Campus; downtown; December 21-December 23; tickets are $10-$20; call Ticketmaster at 503-224-4400 or contact 503-725-3307 for tickets.

>Oregon Ballet Theater: Balanchine’s The Nutcracker with the OBT Orchestra; Keller Auditorium; downtown; December 8-December 24; tickets start at $24; call 503-2-BALLET or visit Oregon Ballet Theater to buy tickets.

>Oregon Symphony’s Yuletide Spectacular; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall; downtown; December 15-December 17; call 503-228-1353 or visit Oregon Symphony to purchase tickets.

>The Christmas Revels Winter Solstice Show; Scottish Rite Theater; South West 15th and Morrison, downtown Portland; December 7-December 16, weekends; call 503-274-4654 or visit Portland Revels for tickets.

>Beauty and the Beast; Northwest Children’s Theater; 1819 North West Everett Street, Portland; December 1-December 31, holiday matinees December 20, 24, 26, 27 at 2pm; tickets are $18-$22; visit Northwest Children’s Theater online to purchase tickets.

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, things to do in Portland, children’s activities, Portland holiday activities

So, earlier I was talking about a Portland-style Biggest Loser competition. Now I want to tell you about the ways you can participate and the prizes you might just win if you do so!

There are three ways to participate in Portland’s Biggest Loser competition:

COMPETITION MODE
~come to an official weigh in (private one-on-one weighings - there will be no public displaying of any results)
~bring $10** for the competition (ALL money goes to the prizes)
~keep track of your goals and progress weekly on SparkPeople (in the blog section)
~find fitness buddies
~come to healthy dinner nights out
~find fitness activities in your area to join in on
~come to the final weigh in and see how much you’ve accomplished!

PLAY AT HOME MODE - not motivated by a cash prize?
~do all the same but ditch the $10 fee and the official weigh in
~you enjoy all the benefits of the program except eligibility to win prizes

SUPPORT MODE
~if you have a friend that is doing it and you want to support them
~if you have gotten into shape and want to share tips
~if you have a service to provide to help people reach their goals
~if you want to donate any items for winners or participants

There are cash prizes available to the top three losers (based on percentage of weight lost) and we are currently working on a head-to-toe makeover for the grand prize winner! This prize is complete with a professional photo shoot to show off the new you! On top of all this, we are working on “swag” bags for all participants in the competition! There will be more details on these things later!

(**this $10 “fee” is totally optional but required to be eligible for the prize. this is not a scam - some people are just more motivated by the chance to win some dough!!)

Donations from hairdressers, estheticians, massage therapists, photographers and other Portland companies are always welcome. Please either send me an email or leave a MySpace message on The Biggest Loser PDX’s MySpace page

DON’T BE SHY! This is not just for the extremely overweight. It is about being healthy and working towards a better you! You can’t even say that you don’t know anyone who is going to do this - I am, you know me, right!? Invite friends to join with you, compete with them (Cav and I are competing between the two of us on top of the overall competition!) If your work is not already doing it - have them start! The more people involved - the more we can do to make this really work for the people that really want to make a change!

Getting in shape can be tough - but it is a lot easier when you know that you are not alone! Again don’t be shy - whether you just want to tone up or you need to lose serious weight - make today the day you commit to doing it! We’ll be here to help!

I have only been back to Portland for about a month now, after working, living and studying in Los Angeles. I have rediscovered the reasons for which I am completely in love with The City of Roses. I have been visiting the spots that were hot, artsy, creative, fun and inspiring before I left. The thing that I love is not only have they stayed popular and artsy but they have grown and expanded into places that have better food selections, more boutiques with clothing and arts & crafts and better beers.  As I was walking down Alberta St. (which is a very fun and happening place), I noticed in the window there was a flier for a Craft PDX Block Party.                                                       

 It turns out the Museum of Contemporary Craft  (www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org) is having a grand reopening this Sunday July 22nd from 12-7:30 PM at 724 NW Davis St. and the best part it is all FREE. Not only is it FREE but it will be having:

Did you love the movie “School of Rock” and wish your kids had an opportunity like that? Well, it’s here, right in PDX! Portland is a great place for young musicians, bands, and aspiring vocal artists to explore and refine their musical talents. With the right training and enthusiasm from friends and family, your young musicians could be a future rock star!

With each year being a growing success, the 2007 year is kicking off this summer with it’s third year. Let’s Rock- an annual rock n roll band camp for boys and girls ages 10 to 18, at the Metropolitan Learning Center during July and August. Check out their website for details, or contact MLC’s Site Director, Sylvia Linington, or Camp Director Sam Densmore at Portland Parks and Recreation, MLC SUN School by calling directly, 503-916-2912.

portland, oregon, MLC, youth, summer camp, activities, music, school of rock, rock music, bands