Ultimate Open House

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day and to celebrate The Cheesecake Factory will offer every delicious slice of its more than 30 varieties of cheesecake at $1.50 per slice, limit one per guest, dine in only.

In addition, a special, limited edition cheesecake, the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake, will be introduced today with $0.25 from the sale of each slice sold this year benefiting the national hunger-relief organization, America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network.

Founded in 1976, the metro Portland Street of Dreams was the first of its kind in the country. It has since been adopted by nearly 500 cities around the nation. More than 80,000 visitors from around the country tour Portland’s show each year. This year’s month-long celebration is not only full of new events, but is an unprecedented opportunity for the greater Portland community to tour homes and views from the highest developed site in Portland – the top of Altamont.

Additionally, guests can discover ideas for their own homes, from the luxury to the ecological. Five top builders from the Portland metro area have designed and built these homes, priced from $1 million to $2.5 million and reflecting the very best in luxury home design. 

 The Street of Dreams takes place August 16-Sept 14, 2008 11am-10pm.  Tickets are on sale now at the Street of Dreams website.

Movies under the stars are a summer family tradition in Portland a listing of movie times and locations can be found here but the NW Film Center has a unique approach that looks like lots of fun.

Over half of the land in the Portland metropolitan area is privately owned. So when it comes to improving and protecting the nature and character of the place we call home, the practices used in every household and backyard matter. And that means every person really can make a difference!

Make the place you call home nature-friendly with these practices:

preserving and planting trees
native plants and natural gardening
pervious pavement or pavers
rain gardens
disconnected downspouts, ecoroofs and rainwater harvesting

The descriptions below are most often used to describe people living in Portlands.  Which one describes you?

Bright Lights, Big City - Very mobile singles living in the city. Singles ranging in age from early 20s to mid-40s who have moved to an urban setting. Most rent their apartment or condo. Some have a college education and work in services and the professional sector.
Aspiring Urbanites - Urban singles with moderate income. Low- to middle-income singles over a wide age range. Some have a college education. They work in a variety of occupations, including some management-level positions.
Power Singles - High-income urban singles. Highly educated professionals, many with advanced degrees. They draw a handsome salary and have reasonable living expenses while living a hip, upscale life in an urban center.
Corporate Climbers - High-income, high-expense urban singles. Urban singles with an up-and-coming income, but with higher-than-average living costs. Most have college educations and are employed in mid-management professions.
Affluent Immigrants - High-income immigrants living in suburban areas. Ranging in age from mid-30s to early 60s, these highly educated immigrants earn high salaries. A high proportion are homeowners.
Affluent DINKs - High-income, kid-free couples living in the suburbs. Middle-age Dual Income No Kids couple bringing in two attractive incomes. Most are highly educated and are employed in management professions. A high proportion are homeowners. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to our friends at K103 for a full listing of 4th of July Celebrations in Portland and at the coast. Click here…. 

Did you know: Robert G. Heft is a designer of the 50-star flag for the United States of America. He spent his childhood in Lancaster, Ohio, where he created the flag as a school project.

He designed the current U.S. flag in 1958 while living with his grandparents. He was 17 years old at the time and did the flag design as a class project. He unstitched the blue field from a family 48-star flag, sewed in a new field, and used iron-on white fabric to add 100 hand-cut stars, 50 on each side of the blue canton.

He originally received a “B-” for the project. After discussing the grade with his high school teacher, Stanley Pratt, it was agreed that if the flag was accepted by Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft’s flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted into the union in 1959. According to Heft, his teacher did keep to their agreement and changed his grade to an “A” for the project.

The Portland Meto area has a variety of options for those looking for fireworks this 4th of July.  The three biggest are….

Fort Vancouver Fireworks: You can spend the entire day at the Fort enjoying a touch of history and if you are early enough you can set up your spot and have a picnic in the early evening. At dusk the fireworks are started over the River. You must be there early as this is one of the busiest places to view fireworks in both Oregon and Washington.

Oaks Park: Nice if you have children and they love the carnival type rides. Bring along a picnic lunch and enjoy the park, ride the roller coaster and even spend the afternoon roller skating. Once dusk arrives you can watch a pleasant fireworks display.

Downtown Portland/Waterfront Blues Festival: The largest attraction takes place at Tom McCall Waterfront if outside picnicking isn’t your forte then by all means plan ahead and enjoy some outdoor dining while viewing the world famous fireworks. McCormick & Schmick’s Harbor side at the Marina located at 0309 SW Montgomery St. will serve you a wonderful meal while you view the Tom McCall Waterfront Park fireworks, visible from every outdoor table. Or visit the Veritable Quandary at 1220 SW First Ave to view these magnificent fireworks while you partake of the charm and ambiance of Portland as it was meant to be enjoyed.