Table Of ContentSecrets of Living the Good Life—For Free! D Secrets of Living the Good Life—For Less!
r
e
s
b
e
c
k
THE
Live Large for Less!
Think you have to earn big bucks to live big in the City of Roses?
Think again.
Portland is full of free and ridiculously inexpensive stuff—you just need to know
where to look. Leave it to “The Cheap Bastard” to uncover all the ins and outs and
exclusive bargains to be had, and to tell you the real deal with wit and humor.
The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Portland, Oregon, shows you how to find free or low-cost:
• Entrance to plays, films, concerts, open mics, and museums, as well as the
zoo, pools, and other great places for family fun
• Recreational activities of all sorts, including skiing, snowboarding, golfing,
and yoga
Portland, Oregon
• Food—from burgers, banh mi, small plates, and tacos to gourmet food carts
and breakfast favorites.
• Haircuts, manicures, and massages
P
With The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Portland, Oregon, anyone can enjoy the good life! o
r
t
Rachel Dresbeck is a writer, editor, and the author of Oregon Disasters and l
a
Insiders’ Guide to Portland, Oregon (both Globe Pequot Press). She lives in Portland.
n
d
,
O
R
Cover design by Bret Kerr | Cover images licensed by Shutterstock.com
Printed in the United States of America
® Ed1s
itt
io
n
k
c
e
b
US $14.95 / Canadian $16.95 s
e
r
D
GPP Travel is an imprint of l
® Globe Pequot Press ® e
Guilford, Connecticut h
www.GlobePequot.com c
a
R
CheapBastard_Portland.indd 1 GPP Travel is an imprint of 10/3/11 4:12 PM
® Globe Pequot Press
Guilford, Connecticut
www.GlobePequot.com
CheaP BasTarD’s® serIes
The
CheaP BASTArd’S®
Portland, Oregon
secrets of living the Good life—for Less!
First edition
rachel dresbeck
®
Guilford, Connecticut
an imprint of Globe Pequot Press
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 1 9/29/11 10:31 AM
All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that you call ahead
to obtain current information before traveling.
Copyright © 2012 Morris Book Publishing, LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing
from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press,
Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.
Cheap Bastard’s is a registered trademark of Rob Grader.
Text design by Sheryl P. Kober
All photos licensed by Shutterstock.com
Map by Daniel Lloyd © Morris Book Publishing, LLC
ISBN 978-0-7627-7302-2
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 2 9/29/11 10:31 AM
This book is for Flannery and Cleo,
who make this book both possible and necessary.
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 3 9/29/11 10:31 AM
CONTENTS
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
SECTION 1: Entertainment in Portland
Theater: In on the Act. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Usher Yourself In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Always Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Cheap Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Youth & Children’s Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Theater Festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Discount Tickets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Film: Cheap Shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Independent Theaters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Alternative Theaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Free Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Film Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Dance: Cheap Moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Dance Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Music: Of Thee I Sing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Keeping Up: Local Music News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Favorite Venues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Classically Cheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Community Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Festivals & Concert Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Readings & Open Mics: Free Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Regular Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Readings at Bookstores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Cheap Readings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Grab the Mic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 4 9/29/11 10:31 AM
SECTION 2: Living in Portland
Food: Cheap Eats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Happy Hours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Food Carts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Free Samples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Cheap Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Drinks: Cheap Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Wine Tastings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Beer Tastings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Beer Festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Brewery Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Distillery Tours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Transportation: On the Road Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Public Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Car Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Walking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Biking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Biking Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Bike Repair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Heading Out of Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Child’s Play: Cheap Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Great Playgrounds, Parks & Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Farms & Fairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Arcade Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Skateboarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Story Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Museums & Attractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Shopping: Bargain Basement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Trash or Treasure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Cheap Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Consignment & Thrift Stores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Gear on the Cheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Contents v
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 5 9/29/11 10:31 AM
Discount Shops & Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Do-It-Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Health & Medical: An Apple a Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Health Clinics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Alternative Health Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Sexual Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Outdoor Recreation, Sports & Fitness: Cheap Thrills . . . . . . 139
Cheap & Free Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Ski Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Swimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Tennis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Yoga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Nosebleed Seats: Spectator Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Beauty Services: Cheap Is in the Eye of the Beholder. . . . . . 153
Beauty School Drop-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Cheap Barbers & Salons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Cheap Relaxation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Soaking & Saunas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Apartments & Accommodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Free Rental Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Cheap Sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
House-Sitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
SECTION 3: Exploring Portland
Walking Tours: A Cents of Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Nature Walks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Guided Tours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Free Self-Guided Nature Walks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Free Self-Guided City Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Free Gallery Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
vi Contents
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 6 9/29/11 10:31 AM
Gardens & Forests: Free Range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Free Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Sometimes Free Gardens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Gardening Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Foraging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Museums, Public Art & Libraries: Free Access . . . . . . . . . 186
Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Sometimes Free. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Cheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Art Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Escaping the City: Free at Last. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Camping in Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Day Hikes, Swimming Holes & Waterfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Hot Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Appendix A: Additional Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Appendix B: Parks & Recreation Community Centers . . . . . . 213
Appendix C: Library Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Contents vii
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 7 9/29/11 10:31 AM
ABOuT ThE AuThOr
Rachel Dresbeck is a writer and editor and the author of the Insid-
ers’ Guide to Portland, as well as Oregon Disasters and the fi rst edition of the
Insiders’ Guide to the Oregon Coast. When she is not researching and writ-
ing about ways to be frugal and still have fun, she teaches science writing
and writes about research for Oregon Health & Science University. She has
lived for nearly twenty years in Portland, one of the best cities in which to
live well for much, much less as the best revenge. Join the conversation at
http://chezportland .tumblr .com.
viii
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 8 9/29/11 10:31 AM
ACKNOWLEdGMENTS
Living well while being frugal is simply not possible without a
strong community—without them, this book and many other things would
not be possible. I would like to thank my bargain-minded friends who have
made thrifting fun. Especially, my thanks to Cara Bolles, who has shared
many adventures in and conversations about frugality over the years. Thanks
also to Linda Colwell, Nancy Forrest, John Grochau, and Kerry Kelvin, who
are my guides to the feasting part of the feast of life that is Portland,
Oregon. In the years that I have lived in and written about Portland, I have
met a multitude of experts who are willing to share their knowledge and
enthusiasm for free because they just love this city so much, and I am truly
in their debt. When I asked my daughter who should go in the acknowledg-
ments, she said, “Portland, because it’s such a beautiful city and it’s so easy
to live here.” I agree! Thanks, Portland!
A big shout-out is also due to my wonderful neighbors, who helped out
with their amazing support, including bringing me chocolate, driving my
daughters places, and feeding them dinner, half the time without my know-
ing (Me: I need to stop writing to make you dinner. Them: We ate at Chris’s
already). Thanks especially to Chris Frost, who is the inspiration for many of
these bargains, to Ann Marcus, to Steve and Patty Banchero, and to Kayleen
Shiba for partially adopting my younger daughter in these past weeks.
When my editor at Globe Pequot, Kevin Sirois, offered me the chance to
write this book, I was thrilled, since I fi gured I had in fact already written
this book. At least in my head. It turns out that it was not quite as simple,
so thank you to Kevin Sirois for being a great and patient editor—and to the
rest of the thoughtful editing team at Globe Pequot.
Finally, thanks are especially due to my darling, neglected family—my
husband Tom and my daughters Flannery and Cleo, and our long- suffering,
tennis-ball-game-deprived dog, Lily. Without your encouragement, I couldn’t
do anything I do.
ix
CBPortland_3pp_CS5.5.indd 9 9/29/11 10:31 AM
