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Archives for August 2008

August 16-17: Lots of ways to get heat stroke

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The first item on my list of things to do this weekend probably won’t lead to any heat related maladies, because the wee hours of the morning are relatively cool.

The English Premier League starts regular season play early Saturday morning. For places to watch check out Wednesday’s post on the topic, and make sure to check the comments for additional suggestions.

At 11am head up to Hawthorne, between 20th and 50th, for the Hawthorne Day Street Fair. You’ll find all the typical street fair fare, including musical performances, business demonstrations, face painting, and art. Some highlights:

TimbersSaturday evening the Timbers take on Montreal at PGE Park. Both of these clubs have had disappointing seasons on the field (but great seasons in the stands). Free Taka bobblehead for first 1000 people into PGE Park!

Once again let me remind you to drink lots of beer, to stave off dehydration in the heat!

India FestivalSunday, it should be a bit cooler. Head down to Pioneer Square for the India Cultural Association of Portland‘s India Festival.

India Festival is filled with tastes, sounds and sights of India. There will be live music, excellent dance performances, food and entertainment! Catch a glimpse of India and its subcontinent’s culture, history and people.

Attendance is free!

Other events this weekend:

Can LA learn transportation tricks from Portland?

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The LA Times‘ Road Sage, Steve Hymon, asks today in the Bottleneck Block, what can Portland teach Los Angeles about transportation?

I recently spent a long weekend in Portland, Ore. The trip was for fun, but it was hard not to look and sometimes marvel at the many things that Portland does well on the transportation front and wonder if they can be applied here.

The somewhat starry eyed analysis looks at cycling, light rail, parking downtown, the bus mall, the streetcar, and even the tram.

Clearly, a city like LA is a different beast than Portland, not just in size, but in political culture. Decades ago Portland chose, and stuck to, a path that deviated from that taken by most of the country. Portland is now reaping the transportation benefits, in particular, and providing an example to other cities.

Stumptown to open two cafes in New York City

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The crown jewel of Portland’s coffee roasters is opening cafes in Brooklyn and Manhattan soon.

There was speculation last year that Stumptown was looking to expand to NYC, but the plans hinged on finding a location to roast beans. It appears they have found a spot.

From yesterday’s New York Times:

Duane Sorenson, who owns Stumptown Coffee Roasters, based in Portland, Ore., packed up a U-Haul last month and moved to Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, just a short hop from the coffee roastery he will soon open in Red Hook.

Once his two 1950s-era Probat roasters are running, he plans to open a cafe there and another at 29th Street and Broadway, in the old Breslin Hotel, which is scheduled to be reborn as the Ace Hotel later this year.

Places to watch English (and world) soccer in Portland?

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Update: Looking for a place in Portland to watch a Soccer match? Visit our new site: Portland Soccer Bars

The Timbers 2008 season will, eventually, come to an end. How will you obtain your off season footy fix? Fittingly, the days will become short and gray and wet . . . just like in England. Every year it becomes a bit easier to catch English, and world, soccer. You need high speed internet and/or expensive cable packages though. Sometimes you want a raucous crowd and strong coffee or a breakfast pint with your Tyne-Wear Derby. If you can’t manage that at home, try these places:

Costello’s Travel Caffe (2222 NE Broadway) – I have yet to visit this place, but I know they showed matches during the last World Cup, and they talk up international soccer on their about page.

Horse Brass Pub (4534 SE Belmont) – Smokey, greasy, and a really crappy, albeit large, TV. But for atmosphere, this is the best place to catch a match Saturday or Sunday morning. They don’t show every match, however, and the coffee sucks. Luckily you can get a breakfast pint. (EPL matches start this weekend, but the Horse Brass hasn’t updated the soccer schedule yet – as of 8/12/08. My guess is they’ll show whatever is broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel.)

Kells Irish Pub (112 SW 2nd) – They used to just open early on weekends for particularly big matches, but last year they started serving a full breakfast menu and opening every (I think) weekend morning for English (and Scottish sometimes too) soccer. Very accommodating to special requests, which is sometimes necessary for those of us who are not Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, or Man U fan. They have all the cable bells and whistles, so if the match is broadcast, or rebroadcast, they can probably show it. Check here for broadcast updates.

Marathon Taverna (1735 W Burnside) – Opens 7am every day. Full bar and a full, greasy, food menu. Cavernous place with TVs hanging from the walls and ceilings throughout. And they, like Kells, seem to have all the channels.

Any one out there have other suggestions?

How about places to catch Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch, or French soccer?