Dave Knows Portland

Archives for December 2010

Buddy Fest (15-December-2010)

by Leave a Comment

Buddy FestBuddy Fest, a special showing of Will Ferrell’s Elf, and an Ugliest Holiday Sweater contest takes place Wednesday, December 15 2010 at St. Johns Cinema (8704 N Lombard).

An instant holiday classic and future cult favorite, Will Ferrell’s “Elf” (2003) is the perfect movie to launch yourself into holiday bliss on a maple syrup-fueled sugar high of Christmas cheer! . . .

Be sure to dig deep into the dark recesses of your great aunt’s mothball-filled closet because you’re going to need an extra nasty holiday sweater to compete in the “Ugliest Holiday Sweater” contest before the screening. You’ll need to pull out all the stops to bring home one of the select prizes provided by select St. Johns vendors.

You must be 21 or older, and tickets are only $5 at the door. St. Johns Cinema sells beer and pizza!

Peacock Lane 2010

by 1 Comment

Peacock LanePeacock Lane officially lights up for the 2010 holiday season on December 15 at 6pm.

Peacock Lane is a narrow residential street one block east of Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard (née 39th Ave) between SE Stark and Belmont. Since the 1920s the residents of this stretch of mostly Tudor style houses have gone hog wild with the Christmas lights. To the extent that the collective display has become a Portland tradition, prompting gawker pilgrimages from throughout the area (if you’ve ever hit stop and go traffic on SE Stark at 9pm on a Tuesday night near the holidays, now you know why).

For a glimpse at what to expect read Heather‘s account of our visit last year: Oooooh. Aaaaaah.

Opening night, December 15 is pedestrian only! Every night from then until New Years Eve the lights are on from 6pm to 11pm (and until midnight on December 24th and 31st). It’s free! And the display is best seen on foot (since the conveyor track idea was rejected).

Peacock Lane is only a few hundred yards long. Bundle up, grab a hot cocoa (last year residents offered hot drinks at a reasonable price from a small kiosk in a family’s yard ), and take a leisurely stroll. I highly recommend stopping in post-stroll at the Horse Brass Pub, just up Belmont a few blocks, or Hall of Records, a few blocks down Belmont, for a festive warming beverage in cozy environs. Another excellent option is to stop in at the EuroTrash FoodCart up on 43rd and Belmont. They’ll be handing out $1 off coupons on Peacock Lane on Wednesday, December 15.

Things to do in Portland on Christmas Day (2010)

by 6 Comments

Click Here for 2014 Post

 

Up until Xmas day, this post is a work in progress. If you know of something I’ve missed, please leave a comment below and I will add it to the list – Thanks!

Some shops and activities and bars and restaurants do stay open on the holiday – you just need to know which ones.

Here are some places to drink, shop, and enjoy yourself Christmas Day 2010.

SHOPS

Powell’s Books (1005 W Burnside). The downtown Powell’s is open 10am to 6pm on Christmas Day (9am to 7pm Christmas Eve).

The Beermongers (SE 12th and Division) will be open 11am until 11pm! (Thanks to to commenter Tracy Thomas and Portland Beer and Music)

ACTIVITIES

Cascadia.fm will be broadcasting . . . something special. Stay tuned for updates!

Bowling. Grand Central Bowl (SE 8th and Morrison), and many other bowling alleys, remain open Xmas day.

Movies. Catch a movie – many movie theaters are open on the Holiday.

Peacock Lane. Check out the holiday lights on Peacock Lane in SE Portland from 6pm to 11pm on Christmas Day (for a preview visit Mile73!).

BARS, CAFES, and RESTAURANTS

Rialto (529 SW 4th). This downtown institution is open 365 days a year. Play some pinball or pool, while enjoying your beer. Watch basketball on the ginormous TVs.

Red and Black Cafe, Portland’s only vegan, worker-owned, collectively managed, IWW closed shop cafe is open on Christmas Day from 10am – 7pm.

Barista (539 NW 13th) will be open 9am until noon.

and

Coffeehouse Northwest (1951 W Burnside) from 8am until 1pm. (Via PortlandFoodandDrink.com)

Basement Pub (1028 SE 12th). Formerly the smokiest bar in town®, the Basement is open on Xmas day!

Mary’s Club (129 SW Broadway), of course, is always open.

Prost! on North Mississippi at Skidmore is celebrating the second annual Prostmas on Xmas day. For exact hours consult the Prost! Facebook page.

Radio Room (1101 Northeast Alberta) is open from 9am for a special brunch menu served until 3pm. From 3pm until 9pm there will be a special dinner menu, and happy hour extends from 9pm until 2am. You can check out the special Christmas Day menu at the website: www.radioroompdx.com.

Portland Monthly Magazine highlights eight restaurants open on Xmas Day including Mee-Sen, Chart House, and Urban Farmer.

And Portland Food and Drink delivers, as usual, with Christmas Eve/Day Events In Portland 2010.

And finally, for a comprehensive list visit PortlandBarFly.com’s Bars open in Portland 365 days a year

Also try truck stops (seriously! Jubitz, for example), Chinese places, hotel restaurants.

OTHER RESOURCES

TriMet’s Christmas Day schedule: TriMet buses and MAX trains will run on Sunday schedules. Portland Streetcar will use a modified schedule as well: To Northwest Portland, and To South Waterfront.

And make sure to check out PDX Pipeline, Bar Fly, and PortlandFood.org for more bars and restaurants open on Christmas Day.

The information in this post is compiled through a combination of hearsay, website perusals, assumptions, and direct contact – please do not take it as gospel; if you don’t want to make a fruitless trip out, give the place a call first!Up

Breakfast in Bridgetown – Book Review [and Giveaway!]

by

We have a Winner! William Reagan wins the free copy of Breakfast in Bridgetown, 2nd Serving.

Breakfast in BridgetownBreakfast in Bridgetown: The definitive guide to Portland’s favorite meal, 2nd serving, is a great resource.

I know breakfast in Portland pretty darn well, and even I learned of a few spots from reading the book that are now on my must visit list. The book isn’t just a catalog of great restaurant places in Portland (though it is mostly exactly that). There’s also an article by Brett Burmeister, of Food Carts Portland, giving the rundown on food cards that offer breakfast. PortlandFood.org‘s Nick Zukin‘s contribution helps you hunt down authentic international breakfasts in Portland.

The bulk of the book is authored by Paul Gerald, host of the weekly Cascadia.fm show Breakfast in Bridgetown, and he knows how to break a fast in Portland, Oregon.

One day, sitting in the Beaterville Cafe, it occurred to me that I had never done an article about a breakfast place in Portland. Then I thought of all the options I could write about. And within a few minutes, Breakfast in Bridgetown was born — at least, in my head.

So the book and the show is really about Portland, and our lives here. I’m not a restaurant critic, and the book doesn’t have stars or any kind of rating system. For each of the places, I’ll describe it, tell you what I think, throw in what others think, try to tell you how the place fits in the Portland breakfast pantheon, and then let you decide if you want to eat there.

Find Paul Gerald on Twitter @PDXBreakfast Guy. He’s also got a blog, where you can find the weekly podcasts, at BreakfastInBridgetown.com.

The book can be found at Stumptown Scribes, Powell’s, and other places – check out the blog for details.

We have a winner – Thanks to all who participated, William Reagan was the randomly selected winner!

CONTEST!

Win a free copy of Breakfast in Bridgetown, 2nd Serving!

Leave a comment on this post indicating your favorite Portland breakfast spot. On Tuesday, December 14 at 6am I will draw a name randomly out of a figurative hat and send that person a brand spanking new copy of the book, signed by author Paul Gerald himself!

Portland Timbers Roundup (10-December-2010)

by Leave a Comment

Timbers

Coaching News

Trevor James Lured to Portland by mao at Portland Timbers blog at The Offside

Los Angeles Galaxy’s longest tenured coach has been brought to Portland to be John Spencer’s assistant coach. Trevor James had been with the Galaxy since 2006 and since 2007 was the club’s Director of Player Development, overseeing LA’s academy system. Clearly this is a move by the Timbers to signal both their continued commitment to have MLS veterans in the coaching ranks as well as an important first (public) step toward the creation of a Timbers academy. [more]

Timbers announce coaching staff by Geoffrey C. Arnold at The Oregonian

Portland Timbers head coach John Spencer announced the members of his coaching staff for the upcoming Major League Soccer season.

Spencer kept two assistants from former head coach Gavin Wilkinson’s tenure and added one of his own.

Assistant coach Amos Magee and goalkeeper coach Adam Smith were retained, while Spencer brought in Trevor James as an assistant coach. [more]

Player News

Timbers introduce four new players by Geoffrey C. Arnold at The Oregonian

The Portland Timbers introduced four of their most recent player additions to the team’s Major League Soccer roster Wednesday.

Portland fans received their first look at midfielders Adam Moffat and Peter Lowry, along with defenders Rodney Wallace and Eric Brunner. The four were among the seven players the Timbers acquired after a flurry of expansion drafts and trades two weeks ago. [more]

Better Know A Timber – Eric Brunner by Kevin at Dropping Timber

Lebron isn’t the only Ohio pro athlete who’s saying goodbye to their hometown team this year. If you haven’t heard, Eric Brunner is bringing his talents to the Rose City.

Brunner is a a 6’4 defender who grew up in Dublin, Ohio, and also played his college soccer at Ohio State. After spending his freshman year at the University of Maryland, Brunner became a Buckeye and would go on to be a 1st team All-Big Ten selection his junior and senior seasons, as well as a 1st team All-American his senior. [more]

Business, Marketing News

Adidas America offices in Portland outfit MLS, eye soccer trends worldwide by Allan Brettman in The Oregonian

Zea and his team have overseen product development and uniform design for all 18 Major League Soccer teams, including two — the Portland Timbers and Vancouver, B.C., Whitecaps — that will join the league for 2011 season.

The Timbers’ jersey and uniform, which will be unveiled today, have occupied the Adidas America staff more than any other MLS uniform.

“We certainly don’t want to play favorites,” Zea said, referring to other MLS client teams, “but it is our hometown team.” [more]

So What Do You Think of The New Timbers Billboards? by Marjorie Skinner at Blogtown, PDX

By now you’ve probably seen some of the new billboards that’re stirring up interest in the 2011 MLS-ified Timbers, the work of former W+K ad director Jelly Helm . . .

MLS Soccer.com just published a piece today on the campaign, which notes that three are up so far, and there are 12 more in chute (including one that features someone I once dated, briefly, a looooong time ago, and no it isn’t Timber Jim). [more]

New KitThe Timbers Jersey Unveiling