So after visiting us what is there to do? For live music the major venues are
The Aladdin Theater (3017 SE Milwaukee) with a 650 seat capacity, The Roseland
Theater (8 NW 6th) with a 1000 seat capacity, LaLuna (215 SE 9th) with a 1000
capacity, Satyricon (125 NW 6th) (Alternative Rock), Snake & Weasel (1720 SE
12th) (Folk, Acoustic, Neo-Hippie), Berbati's Pan (10 SW 3rd) (Alternative Rock)
and The Crystal Ballroom (1332 W Burnside) with a 1500 capacity (From Swing to
Alternative Rock) which boasts one of 2 ball barring floors in the country. We
also have tons of other small clubs and bars which host live music which you can
find listings for in the Willamette Week (weekly), the Friday A&E in the
daily Oregonian or The Rocket, a twice a month publication. Portland could be
the blues capitol of the states west of the Mississippi.
Portland is the unofficial beer capitol of the United States and you'll find
local micro brews everywhere you go. For the major connoisseur don't' miss Hair
of the Dog's three styles Fred, Golden Rose and Adam which is a rarity out of
state but don't over indulge at the 10% alcohol it contains. Other micro-brewers
include Widmer, Portland Ale, Northwester and Saxor. You can contact Oregon
Brewers Guild (503-295-1862) for a free Oregon Beer Guide. Great watering holes
include the Horse Brass Pub (4534 SE Belmont), if you don't mind the smoke, with
a huge selection of local & import beers, Dublin Pub (6821 SW
Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy), over 100 beers on tap, Laurelthirst Pub(2958 NE
Glisan). Portland Brewing Company and Widmer Brewing Company products can be
found everywhere but both have very good brew pubs and food (Portland Brewing
Company, 1339 NW Flanders), (Widmer Brewing Company, 1 N Center Court). There's
enough McMenamins pubs in between them all to also keep you busy. Portland also
comes in second in coffee with a coffee stand about every 100 feet, including
local favorites Coffee People. And don't forget many of our fine wines of the
Willamette Valley are award winning.
What to eat? The Northwest boasts some of the best seafood on the planet and
you can normally get it fresh at most restaurants but make sure you ask. If
budget isn't a problem don't miss Jake's Famous Crawfish, over a hundred years
old and flies seafood in from around the world daily. Thai food is bountiful
Thai Orchid, Bangkok Kitchen, Lemongrass and Kuhn Pic's Bahn Thai being some of
the best. Also we have an abundance of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese
Restaurants that you can't beat. All the Asian restaurants can satisfy the
vegetarian taste buds but the best over all vegetarian hangout is Old Wives
Tale's For the meat eaters we have the best Tex-Mex restaurant out of Texas,
Esparzas, they smoke their own meats and were named Best Overall Portland
Restaurant several years ago. Other cool cheap to moderate eating places include
the Montage and Dot's Cafe.
What to do? Movies? For Art & Repatore films try the funkiness at Cinema
21 a 1940's theater (616 NW 21st) or Koin Cinemas (222 SW Columbia). For beer,
pizza and a second run film for next to nothing, McMenamins Bagdad Theater, $1
admission, (3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) or their Mission Theater, free admission,
(1624 NW Glisan). Visit Powell's Books, (1005 W Burnside), the largest new and
used book store in the country. For those who seek the strange or bizarre don't
miss The Church of Elvis (702 SW Ankeny) or Stark's Vacuum Cleaner Museum, (107
NE Grand), both are free, though you will want to have some quarters on hand so
Elvis can predict your future and their t-shirts are great souvenirs. Shopping?
NW 23rd with a variety of unique local and national specialty shops, SE
Hawthorne between 28th & 39th with it's more neo-hippie vibe and of course
Downtown, which Portland has one of the best downtown areas of all major cities.
The town boasts more used clothing stores and used cool stuff per capita than
most cities so check the phone book. Also check out Washington Park which is
home to our zoo, Japanese Gardens and Rose Gardens.
Great side trips- Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood, the Columbia Gorge (waterfall
heaven) and Mt. St. Helens (or what is left of it after it blew it's top).
