Dave Knows Portland

January 30: Pinball Pedal

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Pinball is one of my favorite participatory sports (juggling would be the other), so the upcoming Pinball Pedal is one of the first bicycle tours to interest me. Though not as ironic as the Tweed Ride which occurs the same day, bikes, beer, and pinball make for a quintessential Portland-style event.

From the rundown on Yelp event page:

When: Jan. 30 4PM
Where: Pedal Bike Tours, 2249 N Williams Ave., Portland OR, 97227
Who: 21 and over- we’ll be visiting bars
Cost: Free- Bring quarters for Pinball and money for beverages and snacks
Distance: 6-7 miles

Pedal Bike Tours is presumably the group behind this tour, though I for one can find absolutely nothing about it on their website.. See Todd’s comment below for more information!

August 21-23: Slabtown Pinball Showdown

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slabtownflier200Think 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

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2009PDXAdultSoapboxPoster_sRise 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.

TimbersAnd 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.

Things to do in Portland on Christmas Day

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powellsbooks_logoMy family does the Xmas thing on Xmas eve, so I have traditionally spent part of Xmas day at Powell’s (1005 W Burnside). The downtown Powell’s is open 10am to 6pm today. It’s the best place on Xmas to encounter Portland’s non-Xian literati (read: cute Jewish girls – though of course I have a beautiful girlfriend so that’s not why I’m going this year!). This year I’m going to do my holiday shopping, which I was unable to do the past few weeks due to the crap weather. So if you’re expecting a Festivus present from me; sorry, you’ll have to wait a few more days!

rialto200After your visit to Powell’s, wander around downtown. You’ll find that most hotel restaurants and bars are open on Xmas day too.

Also downtown, stop in at the Rialto (529 SW 4th). It stays open 365 days a year. Play some pinball or pool, while enjoying your beer. Watch basketball on the ginormous TVs.

In the Clinton neighborhood, according to this post on Craigslist, you can get your latte on at K&F Coffee (2706 SE 26th Ave. – at Clinton St.).

The smokiest bar in town ®, the Basement Pub (1028 SE 12th), is open today too. As is the Cheerful Tortoise (1939 SW 6th) (though the Cheerful Bullpen is closed).

Other neighborhood pubs and taverns that cater to real drinkers have a better than average chance of being open too. Take a walk through your neighborhood business district; you might be pleasantly surprised.

Update: PDX Pipeline knows of several other places that are open today: Chopsticks Express (2651 E Burnside), Grand Central Bowl (SE 8th and Morrison), BOG (4801 SE Hawthorne), Tanker Bar (4825 SE Hawthorne), and the Jolly Roger (1340 SE 12th).

BlazersThis doesn’t happen every year, in fact it seldom happens, but the Trailblazers are playing on Xmas day this year. They take on the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 tonight at the Rose Garden. There are plenty of tickets available too. I’m going to tonight’s game; perhaps after a couple pints at the Rialto . . .

Trimetiquette has all the TriMet Xmas day schedule updates.

At the end of the day crank up the baseboard heat, settle into a comfy chair and read a good book while enjoying your glühwein!

Of course this list is far from comprehensive – if you know of particular restaurants, bars, etc. that are open today please comment!

Find a pin in Portland: PortlandPinballMap.com

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In the late 90s my brother Steve and I played in a local pinball league. I was never better than above average, but my little brother was good. Good enough to win the league and tournaments repeatedly. We were always on the lookout for new machines to test our skills on, and in 2001, Steve created PortlandPinball.com as a forum for local pinheads to discuss, amongst other things, locations of particular machines. Sadly the site is now moribund (though the Locations thread still has some life in it).

Portland Pinball MapThe recently launched Portland Pinball Map, created by SSW and CFF–ROM, fills the gap impressively.

The site enables users to:

  • Check your favorite locations for their latest line-up
  • Search for machines throughout town
  • Browse the machines in your region
  • Search for locations with four or more machines
  • Comment on a machine’s condition

I don’t play pinball (or hang out in bars or drink as much Pabst) as much as I used to, but now I know where I can go to find Rollergames when I get the itch . . . What!?! According to the map, no Rollergames in all of Portland?! Sigh.

I walk down pinball memory lane after the jump . . .
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