Wa Derby Classic: Fill & Download for Free

For recreation, I enjoy playing pool with the local OPAL league, and Sam’s Hollywood Billiards is one of the coolest remaining old-school pool halls (kitty-corner from Hollywood Theater, so make a night of it!). Joining a team might be a bit of a commitment for a student, but if you’ve already got good game, you could sub on a BCA night, and there are lots of tournaments, etc., around town, where you can play for sport — and money. Other fun “team” options are trivia, roller derby, dragon boating, or exploring the RecessTime Sports League (dodgeball, kickball, pingpong, mushball).In general, just pick up a free Mercury (my preference) or Willamette Weekly and check out their calendars for music, movies, arts, events, etc. You could also purchase a Chinook Book and use the coupons/app as a guide to exploring the city and its wares on the cheap. I also recommend Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fugitives and Refugees,” which is one local literati’s walk-thru of some quirky local haunts and histories. “The Portland Red Guide” is an interesting guide to the city if you want to explore its more radical history. If you’re into the Simpsons, you could use the show as an organizing principle for your explorations, since Matt Groening grew up here and many of the place and character names are culled from the area ('The Simpsons' map of Portland (What other proof do you need that they're Oregonians?). And of course you can just EAT your way through the city because YUM.Portland is a city of neighborhoods, so maybe pick a different neighborhood to explore each weekend. Popular areas/hoods/streets to get you started: Hawthorne, Belmont, Division, the Pearl, Old Town, Alberta Arts, St. John’s, Sellwood, NW (23rd and so on), NE 28th and Burnside. Almost every neighborhood has a cool old movie theater serving pizza and beer, but some favorites: Laurelhurst (second-run, cheap!), Hollywood Theater, Baghdad, St. John’s Twin Cinema, Kennedy School (many of the McMenamin’s locations also have soaking pools, so check those out!). For cheaper recreational options in town, check out Portland Parks and Rec and the various community centers (Mt. Scott has a great pool, etc.). There are also a ton of outdoor recreation opportunities a stone’s throw from town. So it all depends what you’re into.If your folks are visiting: food carts, Portland City Grill (go at lunch/happy hour; food is not all that great for the $$ but the view is impressive, and hey, if they’re paying…), Jake’s Famous Crawfish (again, over-rated, but… classic?), The Heathman Hotel (fancy door guys), Pioneer Square, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Powell’s (take visitors to the mother-ship on Burnside, of course, but the Hawthorne store is a little more down-tempo if you don’t need the full experience), Oregon Zoo, Portland Art Museum, Oregon Historical Society Museum, McMenamin’s (various), Saturday Market (down by Burnside Bridge), Farmer’s Market (Park Blocks).If you like sports: Timbers, Thorns (soccer); Blazers (basketball); Vikings (PSU); Winterhawks (hockey). I don’t know, the only one I like is hockey. Winterhawks games are really fun and the team has a devoted local following. Skateboarding: Burnside, Glenhaven, Pier Park, Ed Benedict, Brooklyn St.If you want to get a little wild: karaoke (try Alibi Tiki Room, Chopsticks II or III, the Ambassador); strip clubs (off the top of my head, Sassy’s, Mary’s, Lucky Devil, Union Jack’s, Stripperoke at Devil’s Point); dancing (Jones, CC Slaughter’s, Dig A Pony, Holocene). Also, brewpubs, wineries, and distilleries galore. And, y’know, weed is legal here. So pot-shops abound, and I believe there are even like, bus tours. Lots of pot-friendly events and activities, including stoned painting and exercise classes, etc.If you want to get out of town: The Gorge—highlights include Multnomah Falls, Hood River (cute little town, major wind-surfing hub, some good breweries including pFriem and Double Mountain), Schreiner Farms (an exotic animals refuge that you can drive through at your leisure; they have camels, zebras, buffalo, and giraffes, just to name a few), the Bonneville Dam, Carson Hot Springs, Stonehenge at Maryhill; and the Maryhill Museum of Art. Oh, and Mt. Hood, generally. The Coast—highlights include Astoria, where “Goonies” was filmed; the Sylvia Beach Hotel (literary-themed hotel rooms); Sou’Wester (near Long Beach, WA; stay overnight in rehabbed vintage travel trailers); Haystack Rock/Pelican Brewery; Newport (boardwalk, aquarium, Rogue brewery); Oceanside (there’s a tunnel that leads to a great beach for agate-hunting at the right tides/seasons). Manzanita is a very cute little town. Tillamook Cheese Factory.When I was a student, I was involved mainly in the literary and creative scenes, so in that vein:Volunteer: Write Around Portland is a great organization that runs writing workshops for under-served populations in healthcare, social service, and institutional settings. They also host workshops for the general public through their Prompt workshops at Powell’s and low commitment, sliding-scale workshops at HOTLIPS Pizza. Literary Arts is a major local lit powerhouse, running an esteemed lecture series, hosting Writers in the Schools, providing college essay mentoring to high-schoolers, and now helming the local literary bonanza that is Wordstock. Bitch is a now-local feminist media organization that also publishes Bitch magazine. In Other Words is the feminist bookshop featured in “Portlandia,” also running on volunteer power. SMART promotes literacy by matching readers with children in preK, K, and 1st grade. Broadspace is a somewhat new-on-the-scene women’s art and work collective. Women in Portland Publishing is a networking group for women in Portland’s publishing sphere.Take a workshop: The Attic Institute, Corporeal Writing (Lydia Yuknavitch and co.), Tin House (lit mag and publisher co-located in NYC), Literary Arts, Write Around Portland, the IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center).Perform or go see others perform: Mortified (people reading hellishly embarrassing things unearthed from teenage journals, letters, etc.); Backfence PDX (live storytelling); Unchaste, Women Reading Their Minds (for the ladies!); Get Nervous (reading series focused on anxiety); Mystery Box (sexy storytelling); Verselandia! (poetry slam); LitHop PDX (“Portland’s Literary Barhopping Party”); Portland Arts and Lectures Series; Late Night Library; Loggernaut. Aaand here’s a whole bunch of other ones: List of Reading Series in Portland, OR.Intern (or just support local press!): Hawthorne Books, ONI (comics), Dark Horse (comics), Timber Press (gardening, horticulture), Tin House, Future Tense, Ooligan Press (student-run press manned by students in PSU’s publishing program), Bear Deluxe, PLAZM, Propellor magazine, Portland Monthly magazine, Bitch magazine, Glimmer Train, High Desert Journal, Hip Mama, Oregon Humanities. See here for more exhaustive list: Presses & MagazinesThis should get almost anybody off to a good start, but particularly the bookishly inclined. Good luck with all that, um, studying.