Archives for August 2009

August 21-23: Slabtown Pinball Showdown

August 21, 2009 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

Think you can play pinball? Put your skills to the test this weekend at at the Showdown at Slabtown.

In my younger days I was a pretty decent player, but my little brother, Steve, was a master. We both used to play in the late-90s era Portland Pinball League at the now defunct Jockey Club on Killingsworth. Back then the league was run by Brinda and Sam. Now Brinda and Sam run a bar, Slabtown (1033 NW 16th Ave), and once you’re hooked on pinball, you can’t give it up. Local pinball gang Crazy Flipper Fingers and Slabtown are hosting the Showdown. Grand prize is a Lethal Weapon 3 pinball machine!

For information on how to participate, and entertainment during the tournament, visit the Crazy Flipper Fingers and Slabtown websites.

August 22-23: Adult Soap Box Derby, Montavilla Brewfest, and the Timbers

August 20, 2009 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Rise bright and early Saturday morning and head up to Mount Tabor for the 2009 Portland Adult Soap Box Derby.

The races begin at 10am, and should complete around 4pm. Gah, I will be out of town much of Saturday, but if I were in town I would be up on Mount Tabor, in one of the designated viewing areas (see map – pdf), watching the races.

In the evening participants and fans are invited to the Tonic Lounge (3100 NE Sandy) for the after party. Awards will be handed out at 8pm, and at 9pm the music starts. The lineup: Muddy River Nightmare Band, Rönster, and Punk Rock Collective.

Also Saturday, August 22nd, just the other side of Mount Tabor, the Montavilla Neighborhood Association and Thatcher’s Pub are hosting the 5th annual Montavilla Brewfest.

Come out to the parking lot behind Thatcher’s (7915 S.E. Washington) from noon until 9pm for Andre’s Texas Style Barbeque, live music, and over 40 different beers from over 20 local breweries.

Timbers And a summer weekend would not be complete without a Timbers game. Last weekend the team beat Montreal 1-0 and dismantled Rochester 4-1, both on the road. They return home with the unbeaten streak still growing at 22, and they also sport a four game winning streak. Saturday they take on the Miami FC Blues at 7pm at PGE Park. Tailgate starts at 4pm.

And for the pinball players, all weekend long, the Showdown at Slabtown pinball tournament takes place at Slabtown, naturally. More details here.

A Late Night Portland restaurant guide from pdx Plate

August 17, 2009 by Dave Knows Leave a Comment

Hungry after 10pm, but Taco Hell’s drive-thru just doesn’t cut it? pdx PLATE feels your hunger pain, and is doing something about it:

pdx Plate’s Late Night dining guide

The list of restaurants is organized by area of town, days open, and late night hours.

The Final Sunday Parkway of 2009 and the Hawthorne Street Fair

August 16, 2009 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

The streets were eerily empty at 9:30am when Heather and I left the house. In the cool silence we rode to SE Lincoln to join the pedestrians and cyclists taking part in the final Sunday Parkway of 2009. Last year Heather and I walked the inaugural Sunday Parkway in North Portland, and it was packed. Maybe the lack of publicity was having an effect on attendance? After a brief ride we stopped at Colonel Summers Park for some cold-brewed coffee from Café Vélo and a slice of blueberry lemon cake and a plum vanilla bean muffin from Dovetail Bakery. While we enjoyed our breakfast we noticed the crowd in the park and the bicycle traffic on the street growing rapidly; we stopped worrying about whether the word had gotten out about the Sunday Parkway.

[Read more…]

The Boston Globe examines the Portland transportation model

August 15, 2009 by Dave Knows 1 Comment

Portland began its divergence from the typical American city’s transportation model in the 70s, when federal highway dollars were diverted to light rail construction. Since then 300 miles of bike lanes, several more light rail lines, the streetcar, and changes to land use patterns have contributed to a transportation transformation.

The Boston Globe asks if this model can catch on elsewhere:

Officials in Portland say the recognition from Washington is long overdue after years in which federal bureaucrats were indifferent or hostile, even as the city’s emphasis on “livability’’ became widely admired among urban planners and environmentalists. And while boasting of Portland’s transit-oriented culture, officials largely reject the idea that there is something special in the Oregon air that can’t be replicated elsewhere.

“We happen to have gone down a path that was very prescient,’’ said the city’s mayor, Sam Adams, formerly a city transportation official. “We get high praise on a very low standard.’’

The Obama administration’s focus on Portland, which US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood dubbed the “capital city’’ of transportation policy during a visit last month, comes as Congress begins work on a new six-year highway and transit bill. Advocates hope the law, which could be voted on as early as this fall, will be the most sweeping overhaul since 1991.

Read the rest: In one city, at least, two-wheelers welcome.

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