OK. I’m not really that good at it, and at my age falls hurt a good bit more than they used to, but I still skateboard — a lot. That’s one of the things that I really love about Portland — Portland embraces skateboarding completely. Not only do we have a wide variety of indoor and outdoor parks (some fully or partially publicly funded), we have designated skateboarding routes downtown.
Given the many official and underground skate spots in Portland, it’s really hard to find a good, comprehensive list of parks and routes. Readers, what are your favorite spots to skateboard in and around Portland?
The last full weekend in July marks a rite of passage for beer lovers in the Pacific Northwest as Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park welcomes the annual Oregon Brewers Festival. Known as BrewFest to locals and beer lovers from afar, this festive celebration in the heart of Beervana will have people clinking glasses with friends and strangers as they tip back a few samples of the 85 domestic craft brews on tap throughout the weekend.
With sunshine in the forecast, BrewFest, which welcomes 80,000 people annually, will be open and ready for business from noon-9 p.m. Thursday, July 28 through Saturday, July 30, and noon-7 p.m. Sunday, July 31. Admission is free, but the souvenir cup ($6) is required for sampling. Beer is purchased with $1 wooden tokens and a full mug runs four tokens while a taste will cost you just one. Bottoms up!
That mountain is a lot closer than it looks. With Portland Bicycle Tours’ new shuttle service, you and a mountain bike can be up on Mount Hood’s west side in just 90 minutes. There the Sandy Ridge Trail System awaits with its spectacular views — and 15 miles of single track trails.
Even closer to town — in fact, in town — Pedal Bike Tours now offers a ride through Portland’s Forest Park, the largest forested park in within city limits in the U.S. Take their shuttle service to the top of the park and ride down in the cool of the canopy for 11 miles. Not sweaty enough? Ride back up!
Summer is a great time to soak up some Portland, whether you’re enjoying outdoor food carts, farmers markets, or a long scenic hike. And it’s also a wonderful time to enjoy a variety of arts festivals and events. Here are some upcoming art events that are sure to inspire and delight the senses!
Estacada Summer Celebration 2011
This free festival of music and art takes place July 22-23 in the heart of beautiful downtown Estacada.
Behind the Shoji Art Show & Sale The Portland Japanese Garden will showcase a collection of artful handmade items including pottery, glass, jewelry, wood carvings, textiles and more. This one-of-a-kind sale featuring Asian-inspired original artwork and unique gifts runs July 23 through September 5 and is open during regular garden hours (10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday and noon-7 p.m. Mondays).
Art in the Pearl More than 120 artists offer their creations at this Labor Day weekend event in Portland’s North Park Blocks of downtown Portland, Sept 3-5. The festivities include artist demonstrations, music and food.
Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival PICA’s annual Time-Based Art Festival (TBA) draws artists from across the country and around the globe for a convergence of contemporary performance and visual art in Portland, Oregon. Now in its ninth year, the TBA Festival is presented September 8-18, 2011, with visual art exhibits running through October.
Last year was my first experience with the very fun, very Portland phenomenon that is Trek in the Park. You may have to be a bit of a geek to get excited about live reenactments of original Star Trek episodes — so call me a geek. Everyone I know who’s been to Trek in Park considers it a must-see summer event. Heck, even the mayor’s a fan. Happily, you have plenty of opportunities to see this free show at Woodlawn Park in Northeast Portland: there are performances at 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in July.
As a vinyl lover and a DJ at a Portland-based internet radio station (House of Sound), I often come across weird gems and forgotten blasts from the past. A number of our DJs, myself included, like to not only straight-up play records, but experiment with sound — often doing things like mixing spoken word sources over ambient music or other sounds. When I arrived last week to set up for my show, the DJ before me was doing just that, and when I saw this gem, I had to borrow it from him to share it here.
Here’s the Portland segment of the record — continue beyond the break for the whole, wonderful record.
One of my favorite summertime traditions is to pack a picnic basket and go to the symphony. For 31 years, the Portland Festival Symphony has presented live classical music in Portland’s beautiful parks. It’s a wonderful way to experience the symphony in beautiful outdoor settings that bring the community together.
This season there will be six symphony concerts at public parks around Portland, from July 30 to September 4. The concerts are all at 6 p.m., and are always free — no tickets required. Just bring chairs or blankets for seating. This is a fun family event; there’s even a “Toy Symphony” where children can participate.
On September 1, the Oregon Symphony performs for FREE at Waterfront Park to launch their season. The Portland Youth Philharmonic will start off the concert at 5 p.m. Closing festivities include the traditional grand finale — Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with an elaborate fireworks show, complete with military cannons from the Oregon Army National Guard 218th Field Artillery.
So pack your picnic basket and enjoy the sounds of summer!
Back in the early years of the cupcake trend, Saint Cupcake came on to the Portland scene and soon thereafter, their mini- and full-sized cupcakes started making appearances at nearly every work event, baby shower and birthday party in town. The adorable Northwest Portland location was busy any time of day and those waiting in line for a box of take-away treats often fell for the pop-in-your-mouth mini variety knowing that no one would know they’d already had one when they went to enjoy another with the group. Now that is smart snacking.
In June, Saint Cupcake moved from its original location to a spot downtown along the MAX light rail line and within walking distance of many a commuter who will now be able to make their families and friends happy with a surprise box of treats any night of the week. Visitors to Portland should be happy, too — the new location is close to many downtown hotels. (Another Saint Cupcake is located on Southeast Belmont Street.)
The menu clues you in to which days select cupcakes are available, but in my opinion there is really no reason to look beyond the red velvet. Vegan options are available every day as well. Snack on.
OK. I’m not really that good at it, and at my age falls hurt a good bit more than they used to, but I still skateboard — a lot. That’s one of the things that I really love about Portland — Portland embraces skateboarding completely. Not only do we have a wide variety of indoor and outdoor parks (some fully or partially publicly funded), we have designated skateboarding routes downtown.
