But did you know we are host to the largest animated film festival in the U.S.?

We are, and you can be part of it – this weekend, at the Hollywood Theater on NE Sandy Blvd.

The 150-film, three-day festival (three evenings, two afternoons) starts this Friday night with thirty – yes, thirty! – short films on the first night (two intermissions, so you can tweet highlights to the SocioSphere). Things like:

• A thief who steals famous paintings, eats them, and is physically transformed by what he consumes…
• Two cavemen in search of a fabled mathematical dinosaur…
• A romance of amoebas, as witnessed through the lens of a microscope…
• A young New Yorker who finds the girl of his dreams with help from an army of enchanted paper airplanes…

And lots, lots more!

So, mark it up to yet another chance to do the hippest thing in the country and make your east coast (or Seattle, or L.A.) friends jealous.

Oh, and if you want to buy tickets or find more info, click here.

(Hint: The answer is always “No.”)

Well, in case it has crept up on you unawares, we felt you ought to know that this Sunday, May 12, is Mother’s Day. And we have the perfect solution for her insufficient supply and variety of chocolate.

Give her decadence. In particular, Chocolate Decadence. A tour dedicated to all things chocolate.

She’ll thank you for indulging her with chocolate in myriad forms. Be it whipped, melted, or served as a drink, she’ll master the subtleties of chocolate in its various forms and types.

And she’ll remember you as the best son, daughter, husband, etc. EVER.

And if touring with her on Mother’s Day isn’t an option, buy a Gift certificate so you can bring her on one or more of these tours at a time most convenient to you her. We’ll make sure you receive your ready-for-printing (and framing?) certificate well before you surprise her with breakfast in bed on Sunday morning.

The greatest thing about these ideas? You can take care of it right now, so you won’t be panicking on the morning of May 12. Get ahead of the game – Buy now!

Portland ranks ninth in the U.S. in a recent study that used a “boomtown” measure that combines population growth and growth in gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation. We were also the top-rated city on the west coast for Boomitude, with Santa Clara, CA coming in twelfth.

Read more here:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-top-12-american-boomtowns-134810207.html

KPTV “On the Go” reporter Joe Vithayathil took a below-the-streets look at the newly excavated area in a series of segments on the Channel 12 news show, in which a number of topics explored on the tour were introduced – and some of the newly discovered artifacts were revealed.

We recommend you check your cable or satellite provider’s “on demand” archives and take a look at these segments. They’re great fun – and you’ll get a much better idea of what the tour is about from these clips.

Of course, an even better way to explore Underground Portland is to just go on the tour. Or watch our own video clips. But, you knew we’d say that.

Seattle writer Sue Frause usually touts the great stuff about her hometown Emerald City, but in this column she talks about her most recent annual trek to Portland. In the column she mentions how much she loves all of our tours (Thank you, Sue!) but also specifically notes about Flavor Street, “the two-hour tour is a fun way to sample your way through the downtown food carts. Plus, no guilt, as you’re walking all those calories off.”

Great point, Sue! We’ll have to remind our guides to include that on the tour.

Not only was Flavor Street specifically lauded in the column, but we were one of only two recommendations in the “Where to Play” section of the article. Yay, Flavor Street! Yay, Portland food carts!

Portland was ranked at No. 2 in a list of the Top 10 Nerdiest Cities in America, according to the real estate blog Movoto. Only Atlanta was considered “nerdier.” Seattle was ranked third.

The rankings were based on several factors, including:

• Number of annual comic book, video game, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy conventions
• People per comic book store, video and traditional gaming stores, computer store, and bookstore
• People per LARPing group (whatever that is)
• People per science museum
• Distance to the nearest Renaissance faire

(Wait… aren’t those things kind of cool?)

We should be proud to be #2 on this list. After all, being ranked #1 is so… mainstream.

The answer is, yes, it is customary (although never mandatory) to tip a guide who has given you good service, just as it is customary to tip other hard-working professionals in service industries, such as a hotel concierge, a valet, a waiter, or massage therapist.

This is true even though each one of those individuals very likely draws at least a nominal salary from their company. For better or worse, service industries have evolved in this way. Rather than building the gratuity into the base price, we keep the base price low while enabling the direct recipient (the customer) to reward good service when it happens, typically with a gratuity of 10-20%.

On the other hand, it is unprofessional to say the least, and unethical at worst, for a guide (or waiter, or any service providing individual) to request tips outright, or insinuate any wrongdoing on your part if you choose not to tip.

Our advice to you if this happens: politely decline and walk away. And look for tour companies who leave those choices up to you, without pressure.

Sometimes the answer to that is, “It depends… what day is it?”

But not anymore. From now on the answer is, “Take a tour of Portland!”

Because no matter what day it is, you can take a fun, fascinating, mind-expanding tour of Portland – be it the best that the city has to offer (http://bit.ly/BestofPDXBl) or the worst (http://bit.ly/ShanghaiTourBl).

We’re running tours daily from now until late fall. And as the days get warmer and longer, we’ll add even more tours and tour times.

Want tickets? Go here.

See you ’round town… every day!

(Of course. We’re in Portland, right?)

You’re in luck. The nineteenth annual Spring Beer and Wine Fest starts Friday, March 29 and runs thru Sunday, at the Oregon Convention Center.

This year, over 40 breweries, sporting over 80 beers, take center stage, but they’ll be joined by over 20 wineries, nine distillers and a handful of cider makers as well as a variety of vendors of food, chocolate, and merchandise.

Cost starts at $20 for the basic entry package (includes all-day admission, tasting glass and ten tokens), with VIP options running up to $45. But this year, there are two special promotions that could get you free admission!
* Admission FREE to the first 500 guests on Friday, March 29. (It pays to plan ahead.)
* Admission FREE on Saturday for all Hoppity Hops Fun Run participants. (It pays to have fun.)

Find more information and tickets at http://www.springbeerfest.com.

Citing Portland’s “temperate climate, gorgeous scenery and, perhaps most important, affordability”, E-zine MovieMaker named Stumptown the fifth-best city in the US for shooting a film, just behind – surprise! – Seattle and L.A.

Okay, maybe L.A.’s higher rank isn’t a surprise… except that it’s ranked number 4! Gives a whole new meaning to “Beat L.A.,” doesn’t it, sports fans?

Maybe it’s even time to be proud of our big sister Seattle, at number 3, rather than nurture those competitive juices on this one.

And here’s the kicker: number one is our spiritual brother city, Austin, Texas. Maybe it’s no accident that people like to compare the two cities in favorable terms.

Okay now, quiet on the set. Someone, somewhere in our city’s fine neighborhoods, is getting ready to shoot a most excellent scene.

The experts may disagree amongst themselves, but you can settle a lot of this debate for yourself.

Next time someone tells you that you’re in a tunnel, look up.

If you see wooden joists, i.e. long, two-inch-wide, 10 or 12 inch deep boards, holding up the floor above you… you’re not in a tunnel. You’re in a basement. And the person telling you this tale is… well, telling you a tale. A tall tale, as they used to say.

If, instead, you see stone, brick, or even concrete – something solid, that can hold up the weight of streetcars, buses, trucks, and the street itself – then you MIGHT be in a tunnel.

As far as what went on inside the room – or tunnel – that you’re in… well, there are histories, and there are “historians.”

Maybe this little video here will help.

By the way, we should probably mention two things:

• We have recently obtained access to exciting new underground areas in one of our Chinatown locations! We’ll be adding it to the tour soon. (You can see for yourself whether it’s a tunnel or a basement.)
• The Underground Portland tour is now running on Thursdays at 10 AM and 2 PM, and Saturdays at 4:30 PM, in addition to our usual Friday thru Saturday 11 AM and 2 PM start times.

Happy discovering!

Click on the images to open the video pages and play. Have fun e-touring!

His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will visit Portland as part of the Environmental Summit May 9-11, hosted by Maitripa College.  It will be this Dalai Lama’s second visit to Portland. His Holiness last visited our fair city in 2001.

The Environmental Summit includes three days of enlightening teachings and conversations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and distinguished leaders of the Pacific Northwest.

Tickets go on sale today. More information, including event and ticket information, can be found on the official website here.

It must be World Wizard Comic Con 2013 in Portland.

Geeks, nerds, Trekkies and superheroes alike will celebrate the invasion of alternate realities, live-action gaming, celebrity invasions (such as legendary comic creator Stan Lee and Harry Potter’s Tom Felton) and new product releases at the Oregon Convention Center February 22-24. Doors open at 3 PM Friday, 10 AM on subsequent days, and a $30 admission fee gets you in the door. More info at http://www.wizardworlddigital.com/.

Always something fun going on in Portland!

The United Nations Environment Programme has selected Portland to host this year’s North American World Environment Day.

This recognition is the latest in the city’s far-reaching achievements in sustainability, livability and green living.

Activities on World Environment Day will include an exhibition of the International Children’s Painting Competition and an interactive environmental workshop for high school students led by Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the nation’s first female African-American astronaut. A variety of additional public events will lead up to the World Environment Day celebration on June 5.

Here’s more:  https://www.portlandoregon.gov/mayor/article/435051

Here’s five non-traditional ways to say “I love you”:

1. Tickets to the Portland Jazz Festival, February 15-24. How convenient that it starts the day after V-day!

2. Wurstfest in Mount Angel, February 15 -16 – Did you (or he/she) miss Octoberfest? Portland gives you a second chance to pair up great German sausage and beer.

3. Great Balls of Fire Fundraiser, February 10 – 28. Salvador Molly’s annual fun-raiser has netted over $45,000 for Oregon HEAT, which helps poor folks pay their heating bills. Won’t that just warm your heart? You bet it will. You get to eat some pretty hot stuff at Molly’s along the way. Definitely fun – and it shows what a soft heart you have.

4. How about a movie? Before you start snoring, keep in mind that the Portland International Film Festival is underway (February 7-23) with some great lesser-known and independent filmmakers gracing our area screens. What better way to impress with your incredibly cultured mind?

5. Chocolate Decadence Tour Gift Certificate. While we would love for this to be a tradition for you, the truth is, we limit the size of the tour group. So only about 16 of you can take advantage of this great idea at once. But – a gift certificate allows you to give twice: once on Thursday, when he/she opens the envelope and gives you that oh-you’re-amazing! smile; and then when your darling takes the tour. You are brilliant.

Yes. It means, guys (and gals), you’d better start thinking about what you’re getting your Valentine. Soon.

Whether your Valentine is the same one you’ve had for years, a brand-new love interest or someone you haven’t met yet, you’ll want to think about the one thing that gets his or her heart pumping and feeling loved:

Theobromine.

Or, for the uninitiated:  chocolate. (Theobromine is the chemical in chocolate that makes us feel so wonderful when we eat it… the part that’s not a taste bud covered in yummitude, we mean.)

Not sure what’s the best chocolate to give (or get)?

We’ve got some ideas. Check them out.

So says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

But before you leap to your feet to protest that our big sister city to the north is biased and selfish, take note: Seattle was ranked behind us (again), at number three.

Taking over the top spot is San Diego, California. And they’re doing it by brewing a wide variety of hoppy brews, no less.

Portland Brewers, the gauntlet has been thrown! Get thee to thy kettles and take back this title!

After all… San Diego’s already got the best weather. The least we could do is brew (and drink) the best beer.

Now it has all of the above.

This Friday, the 2013 Fertile Ground Festival of New Works opens with over 80 shows in dozens of venues all around the city. All brand-new original works from mostly local playwrights will take the stage, featuring the city’s best actors, directors, dancers, musicians and venues.

And you can see it all for $50 – less than the cost of a decent meal.

Like Wordstock, the Oregon Brewer’s Festival and a few other home-grown works of excellence, festivals like Fertile Ground contribute to making Portland more interesting, more cultured, more artistic, more vibrant… in a word, great.

Highly recommended.

And, keep it up, Portland.

Words cannot do justice to the man who transformed this nation in the middle decades of the 20th Century.

Except perhaps his own words:

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.”

– King, Martin Luther; Coretta Scott King (2008). The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Second Edition. Newmarket Press. p. 95.

If you take Monday off to celebrate Dr. King, please keep his words – his dream – in mind.

We love that the new mayor and council are committed to keeping Portland pedestrian-friendly, and want to build on Portland’s success as a great destination city for visitors, entrepreneurs and, yes, even new residents.

With a great blend of experience and outsiders’ perspectives, we’re looking forward to great things from our city’s elected leaders.

We have only one request of them.

Keep Portland Weird.

Our resolution – and we hope you’ll join us in this – is to walk more.

Yes, even WE need to walk more. And there are so many great benefits of walking:

• Walking is great exercise. It improves circulation, strengthens the heart, tones the muscles, and overall makes you healthier.
• By walking, you experience the city and your surroundings better. You can:
• smell the delicious aromas from great bakeries,
• taste the fresh air,
• discover the amazing hidden gems of Portland like drinking chocolate and aged balsamic vinegar
• hear the music played on every street corner,
• see the city’s colors up close (like that silver-painted mime guy or the bagpipe-playing unicyclist at the waterfront).
• And, you get to see – really see – the city. For instance, if you’re driving, you might see this:

• But if you’re walking, you’ll see this:

View of Portlandia, walking

Isn’t that better?

See why we love walking?

Happy 2013, Portland!

“Boxing Day” is celebrated widely in Europe, Canada, Australia and some other former colonial nations around the old British Empire. Always on December 26, aka the Feast of St. Stephen, the origin of the holiday is a bit murky. But its traditions are clear.

Some say the tradition began out of convenience:  the wealthy celebrated Christmas on December 25, of course, but their servants were too busy cooking, cleaning, attending and horse-driving that they had to wait until the 26th to celebrate with their own families. The masters would give the servants a box of goodies (probably leftovers) on the day after Christmas.

Others say it was a tradition to leave a type of bonus to various practitioners of service trades in a box outside one’s door. The service folk would drop by to pick up their boxes at their leisure on the 26th. (Maybe this begat the tradition of tipping one’s postal carrier or newspaper carrier?)

Others point to a practice in the late Roman era where offerings in the name of St. Stephen were given to the needy on the day of the good saint’s Festivus.

In any event, yes – presents! Presents! Presents! Are there EVER enough presents? (We love presents!)

And parties! Who wouldn’t want to go to a Boxing Day party? There’s always punch left over from pre-holiday parties…

Gifts on Boxing Day tend to be small and either fun or practical, often taking the form of thank-you gifts for Christmas Day largesse or as offerings to the host/hostess of one’s Boxing Day party.

What’s that, you say? You don’t have Boxing Day gifts yet?

We have a suggestion… one you can buy with a quick click and have in your hands in a jiffy.

It’s your last chance of 2012 to see Portland’s Christmas fleets light up the wake of our two grand rivers.

Say good-bye to the Columbia Fleet at 7:00PM, when the parade assembles in the area of the James. M Gleason boat ramp and heada downriver to North Portland Harbor. North Portland Harbor is located on the Oregon side of Hayden Island.

Likewise, the Willamette Fleet makes its final voyage as an ensemble tonight. The fleet assembles in front of RiverPlace Marina at 7:00PM and travels upriver to the area of the Milwaukie Boat Ramp. The fleet will arrive about 7:45PM and about 8:15P the fleet turns and returns to RiverPlace Marina. The fleet will also sail in below Oaks Park and in front of the floating homes on the way back to RiverPlace.

It ought to be a grand finale!

At 7:00 PM the Columbia Fleet will assemble in front of James M. Gleason Boat Ramp and sail downriver (west) to the I-5 Bridge Area, arriving at approximately 7:30 PM. The return voyage is the inverse trip.

At the same time, the Willamette Fleet assembles in front of Riverplace Marina and OMSI and travels downriver (north) to the Fremont Bridge  The fleet sails under the bridge and then turns to return to Riverplace Marina around 9:00 PM.

At 7:00 PM the Columbia River fleet will assemble in front of James M. Gleason Boat Ramp and will remain there for the first hour. The fleet then sails briefly across the river to the Washington Shoreline about 8:00PM, then heads to the restaurants in the area of the I-5 Bridge. Note:  the parade will not be on the Oregon side below the I-5 Bridge tonight.

The Willamette Fleet treats south-of-towners tonight. It assembles as always in front of RiverPlace Marina at 7:00PM and travels upriver (south) to the area of the Milwaukie Boat Ramp. The fleet will arrive there about 7:45PM and remain there about a half hour. About 8:15P the fleet begins its return voyage to RiverPlace Marina.

At 7:00PM, the Columbia fleet assembles in front of the James M. Gleason Boat Ramp (NE 43rd/Marine Drive) and heads uprivehttp://www.portlandwalkingtours.com/news/wp-admin/post-new.phpr – east – to the I-205 Bridge, and will turn back at about SE 164th Ave on the Washington side. Fischer’s Landing folks in Vancouver should get a nice view of the ships then. The ships return along the same path and should provide great viewing from Evergreen Drive, as well as from the back decks of Joe’s Crab Shack and Who Song and Larry’s.

The Williamette Fleet treats those who live between OMSI and the Fremont Bridge areas. At 7:00PM, the Willamette Fleet assembles in front of Riverplace Marina and travels downriver (north) to area of the Fremont Bridge.  The fleet will go under the bridge and then turns to return to Riverplace Marina around 9:00 PM.

Want Wednesday’s? Stay tuned.

And tonight is your only chance to catch a Monday parade this year, so make it count!

The Willamette Fleet assembles in front of RiverPlace Marina at 7:00PM and travels upriver (south) to the area of the Milwaukie Boat Ramp. The fleet will arrive about 7:45PM.

About 8:15P the fleet sets off for its return to RiverPlace Marina. No Oaks Park visit tonight, sorry.

The Columbia fleet will assemble in front of James M. Gleason Boat Ramp (43rd/NE Marine Drive) and heads downriver to the I-5 Bridge Area, arriving at approximately 7:30 PM.

Want tomorrow’s schedule? Come see us in about 24 hours.

At 5:00PM, the two fleets assemble in front of RiverPlace Marina. The parade begins in front of OMSI and travels downriver (north) to the St. John’s area, arriving at approximately 6:30 PM.

The ships will remain in the area for about 30 minutes. The parade will then continue on to the Columbia River and each boat owners’ home port.

At 5:00PM, both the Willamette and Columbia Fleets assemble in front of RiverPlace Marina, and head en masse to Lake Oswego, arriving about 6:15P – 6:30, subject to weather and river conditions. The ships will go as far as George Rogers Park and turn back to Portland.

With both fleets sailing together, it ought to be a grand sight and a fabulous parade!