Hay portland folks. Im going to be up there next weekend and was wondering if there is any cool toy stores up there? Plus do you guys' or gal's know of any online type site that gives you the scoop on whats going on ie..Clubs, concerts,food?

I think the food trucks are cool. The green curry at Sawasdee Thai Food is from another planet!

Portland Maine?
Or that other one, way over there

WHOOPS!

Portland Oregon

Grass Hut in Portland! Bwana's store with stuff from Le Merde, Martin Ontiveros etc etc.

Im definitly going to Grass hut.

Next Question: Is there a web site that tells you whats going on: Like Clubs, Concerts, Places to eat.

Do you know where you'll be staying? That is an important starting point. Not too far from Grass Hut (which unfortunately is now just a little corner inside a comic shop), there is Billy Galaxy (lots of fun vintage toys; not necessarily Japanese though). If you know where you'll be staying, I can give you a bit better direction.

As far as finding out what's happening, PDX Pipeline website is my typical resource.

Thank you RyanM and Future Man

I will be staying near the airport. But I will have a car. I also know I will be near Hawthorn st.

Im so stoked to get the F out of SF for a little bit!!!

Thanks guys

Yeah, Grass Hut is now in a comic book shop across from Upper Playground and almost kitty corner from Compound.

zach beat me to it, PDXpipeline.com's got everything going on. another site that's great is portlandbarflymag.com that will tell you a happy hour anywhere anytime!
and this weekend is this! Bikes and Beer!!!!

http://www.hopworksbeer.com/bikes/

Thank you everyone who has helped me with info

Im heading out this morning Very excited

You're gonna miss the heat - should be nice and cool this weekend.
If you're into jazz at all you should go check out the Blue Cranes at the Alberta Rose Theatre: http://www.albertarosetheatre.com/
Alberta is a fairly recently gentrified section that tends to be a draw. Good restaurants (go to Pine State Biscuits!), bad galleries, lots of shops and bars. And the Blue Cranes are great! I'd be going, but I'm out of town this weekend.

There's a really great pizza place in Alberta http://www.bellafacciapizzeria.com/index.html
They were able to make us a pizza when the power was out on the whole street because they use a wood burning oven.
Very nice family that owns it.

Yeah, I know several people that like their pizza. It's okay (my wife hates it), but I would eat just about anywhere else on Alberta (other than Vita Cafe) before eating there. There's definitely better pizza in Portland, and better food on Alberta.
And speaking of mediocre pizza, also stay away from Pizza A Go Go - expensive, and again just okay (can pizza ever really be bad?).

Well I'll try again.
How about http://www.pacificpieco.com/ ?
You can't tell me that place is not amazing.
When I was there they didn't make sweet pies yet, so I can't wait to go back.

Now THAT'S something I need to try! I love pies of all sorts, and my wife loves pasties.
G&F - just noticed you're from Chicago. That makes it all the more odd/interesting that you like Bella's!

Well, I've never been a fan of Chicago, or its pizza. I'm actually moving to Portland next month.

where is the best pizza in portland?

That's quite subjective - but one of my favorites is getting slices made to order at Pizza Oasis on W. Burnside (not the Hawthorne location!). Actually, that might be my favorite hands-down. Pepperoni, jalapeno, cheddar and fresh tomato!
Everyone talks up Ken's Artisan - I haven't been there, but it sounds a bit "too fancy" for me.
Apizza Scholls is another that I hear a lot about and actually want to try - but always end up going to Oasis instead.
Best bang for your buck is Sparky's on MLK & Lombard - $8 large 1 topping! They've also got a great cheeseburger pizza! This is where I go for carry-out.
Escape From New York is the best NY slice I've had in PDX, though I don't go out of my way looking for NY pizza. Typically I like a thicker, breadier crust - but if I'm hungry and in the area I'll grab a slice here.
If you're at Powell's Books and get a major food pain then Rocco's is the best bet - BIG slices right across the street from Powell's. I haven't been there in years, but I hear it's better than it use to be.
As a kid I really liked Old Town Pizza, and my wife still does - though I think it's for the nostalgia factor because their pizza isn't that great. Though they just opened a new location on MLK and their pizza is better than the original location's pizza.
Best theater pizza is Bagdad on Hawthorne, and is better than some of the above mentioned.
Anyway - that's my take.

It's pretty tough to find a good calzone here

This is awesome on so many levels. ESNY is one of my favorite films ever and i love pizza.

did the shop borrow any of the logo font from the film? are they fans of the film, or was it all in a name?

sorry, this is just real awesome to me.

I don't remember any movie imagery in the shop. However, it appears there's an image on their website to advertise the daily slice: http://www.efnypizza.net/EFNYPIZZA.NET.html

K so I talked to a friend, and it turns out we didn't eat at Bella's. Which makes me feel less shocked that you don't like it because I never ate there.

The real place that I liked in Alberta was http://www.503alforno.com/

Ha ha! I haven't been there...it wasn't around when I lived right off Alberta. I think it opened within the past year? But it looks MUCH better than Bella's! I'll have to give it a try sometime.