Weekend on the Cheap:
– Submission from Sally: This Friday at 7:00pm an art exhibit called Mercury 7 and the New 9 opens at Artery at 2219 NW Raleigh in Portland. Beer courtesy of
Redhook Ale, victuals courtesy of the gallery, and entertainment by Chris Johanson and his band Sun Foot. More info here.
– Community Music Center’s Family Friday Concert Series presents the Portland Cello Project this Friday at 7:15pm. Concert is free, though they do ask for a suggested donation of $5 per person or $15 for a family.
– Buckman Art Show and Sell this Friday and Saturday, featuring over 140 artists with paintings, ceramics, sculptures, photography, prints, collage, mosaics, fabric and paper arts, textiles, fashion accessories, jewelry, toys and more. Opens Friday from 5:00pm – 9:00pm ($5 admission; kids 4 and under are free) and Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm with a requested $2 donation.
– The Columbia Slough Watershed Council offers a free workshop “Slough 101″ this Saturday from 8:45am – 1:00pm. From web site: “Ever wonder about that slow-moving channel of water running through Gresham, Fairview, and Northeast and North Portland? Learn about the history, water, wildlife and current issues of the Columbia Slough at a free workshop. Slough experts will lead hands-on activities including a tour of a pump station and macroinvertebrate discovery. Light refreshments provided. Suitable for adults and teens 14 & up. Meet at Multnomah County Drainage Districts. Free. Advance registration required; call 503-281-1132.”
– Metro hosts spring bird walks at Smith and Bybee Wetlands this Saturday from 9:00am – 11:30am with Audubon Master Birder James Davis. Please see web site to register for this free activity.
– The Multnomah County Central Library offers two free Saturday events: the first is the Calder Quartet playing from 2:00pm – 3:00pm and the second is a “Recycled Art” hands-on activity from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.
– Sherman Clay Pianos hosts a special presentation by Elizabeth Rusch this Saturday at 4:00pm as she reads from her just-released book: “For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart.” The reading will also feature musical interludes from Mozart performed by David Saffert.
– KPSU and Fifth Avenue Cinema present a free screening of “Banksy: Exit Through the Giftshop” this Saturday at 7:00pm, all ages.
– Third annual ZDAY 2011 at Urban Grind Coffee House this Sunday from 2:00pm – 7:00pm. From web site: “ZDay stands for “Zeitgeist Day” an annual and global awareness event. We will have speakers, DVDs, books, food, wine / beer, entertainment and lively discussions. Come share ideas and get involved with solutions happening right here in Portland! This is an all-ages event. Suggested donation $3.”
– Multnomah County Library presents a workshop on “Budgeting and Saving” this Sunday, 1:30pm – 2:30pm at Gregory Heights Library. Free.
– For more ideas on what to do this weekend, please visit Aroundthesunblog or PDXPipeline.
Spotlight: Beaches Happy Hour
We were across the bridge in Vancouver this past Monday and decided to check out the great happy hour at Beaches Restaurant and Bar, located right on the Columbia. Rated as one of top happy hour spots in the ‘Couve, we were not disappointed.
The food menu:
$1.50 Gator Tators
$1.40 Side of Seasoned Steak Fries
$1.85 Side of Garlic Mashed
$1.99 Meltin’ Choco Fix (brownie, vanilla ice cream and topping)
$2.25 Crispy Pan Fried Cornbread
$2.90 Mini Beach House Salad
$2.95 Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich
$2.99 Pepperoni Pizza
$2.99 Steak Chili or Seafood Cioppino
$2.99 Caesar Shrimp Salad
$2.99 Coupla Taquitos
$3.10 Sausage Alfredo Pasta
$3.10 Tator Chili Nachos
$3.65 Fireworks Chicken Rice Bowl
$3.65 Fish & Chips with tartar
$3.75 BBQ Chicken Pizza
$3.80 BBQ Wings
$3.85 Beaches 1/2 pounder Burger
$3.99 Lemon Pepper Calamari
$3.99 Pomegranate Pork Shank
$4.20 Korean Teriyaki Tidbits
Happy hour food menu is available in the bar area only (but they do have plenty of tables and can fit a lot of people) and there is a minimum beverage order of $2.00 per person (sodas are $2.45 with free refills). Portions are reasonable; combine two or three menu items and you should be quite full. We ordered the BBQ Wings (7 pieces), the delicious corn bread (2 pieces) and the Tator Chili Nachos and felt pretty satisfied (it was hard to resist the brownie and ice cream though!). Service was friendly and attentive and there were plenty of TV’s to watch the Blazer game; score a table near one of the two fireplaces for extra warmth or get lucky and get a table by the wall of windows and look out upon the mighty Columbia.
Happy hour is offered all day on Monday and from 3:00pm – 6:00pm Tuesday – Sunday; they start up again at 9:00pm. Yelp users give the restaurant 3.5 stars out of 5. There is a second location at the Portland airport and their web site claims happy hour from 4:00pm – 6:00pm and from 9:00pm – 10:00pm daily. Not sure if the same food items are on the happy hour menu, so don’t be surprised if something else is offered!
