Dave Knows Portland

Portland Weekend Amusements (28-30 August 2015)

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The fantastic Festa Italiana, Movies in the Park, Drive-in at Zidell Yards, and Support Black Restaurant Days – all weekend!

All Weekend

Drive-In at Zidell Yards

North By NorthwestNorthwest Film Center and Zidell present Drive-In at Zidell Yards each evening Thursday through Monday, August 27 through 31, 2015 at Zidell Yards (3030 SW Moody Avenue) under the Ross Island bridge

The movies:

  • Thursday (27 August 2015): Clueless
  • Friday (28 August 2015): An American Werewolf in London
  • Saturday (29 August 2015): Jurassic Park
  • Sunday (30 August 2015): North by Northwest
  • Monday (31 August 2015): Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

Festa Italiana 2015

Festa Italiana

The 24th annual Festa Italiana tranforms Pioneer Courthouse Square into an Italian piazza Thursday through Saturday, August 27 through 29, 2015.
Arrive early to grab a table in the beer and wine garden (in my experience the beer and wine prices are very reasonable) where you’ll have an excellent view of the stage. Entertainment runs the gamut from marionettes, ballet, and opera to Sinatra tributes and of course (of course!) plenty of accordions!

Saturday-Sunday

Support Black Restaurant Days, Portland, OR!!!!

Inspired by an article about Black Restaurant Day in the San Francisco Chronicle, Portlander Bertha Pearl launched a Facebook event to bring Black Restaurant Day to Portland. The event’s page has amassed a huge list of black-owned restaurants in Portland that would otherwise not exist, and according to Pearl, August 29-30 will be Portland Black Restaurant Day.

Ongoing

Movies in the Park

Movies in Parks

Friday, August 28

Saturday, August 29

Things to do in Portland on Christmas Day 2014

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Christmas Day doesn’t have to be about family™

SHOPS

Powell’s Books (1005 W Burnside). The downtown Powell’s is open 10 AM to 6 PM on Christmas Day (all other locations, save the one at the airport, are closed).

ACTIVITIES

Seedy, Seamy & Sinful Portland Tour: Join Kick Ass Oregon History‘s Resident Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin for the Naughtiest Walking Tour of the Year on Christmas Day, 2014.

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

Notably, The Hollywood Theatre is showing The Interview on Christmas Day!

Bowling. Many (most?) bowling alleys, are open on Xmas day.

BARS, CAFES, and RESTAURANTS

Radio Room (1101 Northeast Alberta) will also be open again this year, serving a special brunch menu from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and a special dinner menu 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM And they accept reservations.

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

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.

The Beer Mongers are open all day on Christmas, and they will tap a few special kegs.

For a comprehensive list visit PortlandBarFly.com‘s Bars open in Portland 365 days a year

And Portland Food and Drink maintains a handy list of restaurants open Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

TRANSIT

TriMet’s Christmas Day schedule: TriMet buses, MAX trains, and the Streetcar will run on Sunday schedules. No WES service!

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!

Breakfast: From Silver Screen to Small Screen (1 October 2013)

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Portland ecologist and food writer Heather Arndt Anderson presents Breakfast: From Silver Screen to Small Screen, on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at the Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder)

Why was Scarlett O’Hara depicted enjoying breakfast in bed after being subjected to marital rape? Why does Walter White make pancakes for his family? Why does Agent Dale Cooper like his coffee black?

From scruples and stability to sex and masculinity, come see how breakfast has been used as a device in film and television, from the beginning of cinema to cable TV.

Heather knows breakfast – here latest book is Breakfast: A History. The presentation begins at 6:30 PM, and it’s free. The Jack London has a full bar and menu – sorry, no one under 21 allowed.

And lucky you, it’s two-fer Tuesday – at 7:30 PM Finn John presents Mysterious Skeletons of Old Oregon: If only these bones could talk ….

Things to do in Portland on Christmas Day (2012)

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2014 post here!

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

I’ve done the ground work, now get out of the house on Christmas Day 2012!

SHOPS

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

ACTIVITIES

The new Portland Aquarium (16323 S.E. McLoughlin in Milwaukie) is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Day. (Thanks SMx for the tip, and Molly for the correct hours!)

Bowling. Many (most?) bowling alleys, are open on Xmas day.

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

BARS, CAFES, and RESTAURANTS

The Beer Mongers (SE 12th and Division) is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Xmas day.

Anna Bannanas (8716 N Lombard & 1214 NW 21st) is open on Christmas day and generally stays open until things slow down.

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 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The Cheerful Tortoise is open from 11 a.m. until 2:30 a.m. on Xmas Day.

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

Portland City Grill (111 SW 5th) is open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (noon-9pm).

Prost! on North Mississippi at Skidmore is celebrating the fourth annual Prostmas on Xmas day. Open 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Radio Room (1101 Northeast Alberta) will also be open again this year for Christmas brunch and dinner, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., serving a special brunch menu from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Special dinner menu 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. And they accept reservations.

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.

Portland Food and Drink‘s annual list of restaurants open Christmas Eve and Christmas day is now live too!

TRANSIT

TriMet’s Christmas Day schedule: TriMet buses, MAX trains, and the Streetcar will run on Sunday schedules. No WES service!

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!

ScanFair 2012

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I'm a Viking!Celebrate the sights, sounds, tastes and traditions of a Scandinavian Christmas at the 28th annual Portland ScanFair, presented by the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation, this Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2, 2012.

The fair returns this year to the Exhibit Hall in the Memorial Coliseum (300 N Winning Way). Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and children under 12 are free. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Though primarily a holiday bazaar featuring Scandinavian food, crafts, and sundry, there is also an impressive entertainment lineup (pdf) featuring live traditional music and folk dancing performances and classes.

But my absolute favorite part of the fair is the annual pickled herring eating contest! Check out Nick Capri’s impressive 2008 win below. He took home as a prize a bottle of Krogstad Aquavit, made by Portland’s House Spirits. This year’s contest goes down at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday – don’t miss it!