Archive for the ‘Portland Life’ Category

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PELA News: See Art in the making in the Pearl!

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

This Labor Day Weekend is a great time to attend the Art in the Pearl Festival, held just north of PELA in the North Park Blocks.  Art in the Pearl is a community event where Portlanders get to enjoy creativity in many forms–dance, drama, painting & sculpture–as well as see art being made by local artists.  You can even create your own art!

Some of our PELA students will be attending this event as part of our Volunteer Program.  They will be greeting guests, helping artists, working information booths, and helping run various activities and events throughout the weekend.

At their Music Stage, you will enjoy music and dance performances from cultures around the world.

You can find information on the location and hours for Art in the Pearl here.

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A world of diversity at PELA!

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

One thing we love about our school is that students come to Portland English Language Academy from all over the world.   We always have a great mix of students from different countries, which creates a rich environment not only for English language learning but also for many multicultural experiences. 

Students from Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Japan, Brazil, Taiwan, Korea and Mexico

Last month, we welcomed students from countries such as Argentina, Pakistan, Korea, Ukraine, Colombia, Libya, Brazil, Taiwan and Malaysia! 

This month we will be joined by students from Turkey, Russia, China, Georgia (in Asia), Spain, Vietnam,  Japan and Saudi Arabia!

We hope you can join us soon and make many life-long friends with people from all around the world. 

Our school is like a family. I’m so happy to be studying here! 

– Shiho, Japan

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PELA News: Watch the crazy Soapbox Derby!

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

This Saturday, August 14th, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., head up to Mt. Tabor Park in SE Portland and watch a race you will rarely see: a Soapbox Derby!

A Soapbox Derby is a race where the vehicles (mostly made of wood) are unpowered–only gravity makes the cars move down the track. 

Portlanders design elaborate soapbox racecars, which can be steered by one, two or three people.  Spectators are encouraged to come and have a picnic next to the race course and enjoy the show! 

Click here for a map of where Mt. Tabor is located–you can take Bus #15 or Bus #4 to get to the park.

See a map of the Soapbox Derby course here.

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PELA News: Enjoy “First Thursday” this week!

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

If you enjoy looking at beautiful Art, then you need to attend “First Thursday“! On the first Thursday of each month, many downtown Portland art galleries open their doors and invite you to join them for an evening of art and music. Walk from gallery to gallery to view new exhibits and shows–many galleries serve free wine & food…not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening!

In addition to the open art galleries, First Thursday also hosts a Street Art Fair on NW 13th Avenue, just a 10-minute walk from PELA. At the Street Art Fair, many up-and-coming local artists show and sell their art–it is like a giant, open-air art show!

Generally, First Thursday hours are Thursday evening, 6pm to 9pm. Most galleries are in NW Portland, between NW Everett & Hoyt Streets, and between 6th & 13th Avenue. See a map of First Thursday Galleries here.

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PELA News: Ride a bike! Save lives! Join the Portland Bridge Pedal!

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Every since 1996, the Providence Bridge Pedal has been a great way for PELA students to experience Portland in a very unique way–by riding their bikes across 10 Portland bridges with thousands of other cyclists!  The 36-mile course winds back and forth across the Willamette River; there are shorter courses, too, and even a 6-mile course you can walk!  This is truly an event you can only experience in Portland.  Portland is one of the best cities in the U.S. for bicycle-riding, with many bike-lanes criss-crossing the city, and many bike events throughout the year.

Money raised from this event are used to purchase medical equipment for schools and non-profit organizations, as well as supporting various health programs throughout the city. 

The race begins (depending on which course your take) between 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.  You can find more registration information and see the various bike routes at their website, too.

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PELA News: Fun Summer Break @ Pioneer Square!

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Next week is summer vacation for PELA, so if you are looking for something fun to do, head on down to Pioneer Square !

7/16-7/18 Sand in the City - (Pioneer Square) Come and see huge sand scupltures in the Square, with live music every day!  Click here for a schedule of events and music.

7/19 Portland Farmers Market (Pioneer Square, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) - come and sample delicious, locally-grown fruit, vegetables and other products made here in Oregon. 

7/20 & 7/22 Noon Tunes - (Noon – 1:00 p.m.) every Tuesday and Thursday come down and enjoy live music in the sun while you eat your lunch!

7/23 Movie at the Square – (begins at sundown, around 8:30 p.m.) Come watch a movie on the big screen outside!  On 7/23, you can watch “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off“, a classic teen movie from the 1980s. 

Happy Summer Vacation!

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PELA News: Enjoy “Noon Tunes” @ Pioneer Square!

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

For the 20th year in a row, Pioneer Courthouse Square will host the ever popular Noon Tunes Concert Series that will entertain crowds of thousands every Tuesday and Thursday from Noon-1:00pm.

The festival runs through July and August and is completely free!

The Noon Tunes Concert Series showcases the best in regional and local musical talent.  If you get there early, you can enjoy a FREE bottle of organic Honest Tea at the concert!

Now go and enjoy some live music!

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PELA News: Drink Beer and save the Earth!

Friday, June 25th, 2010

If you love beer and love the Earth, then you must come this weekend to the North American Organic Brewers Festival, at Overlook Park in North Portland!   At the festival you can taste organic beers and ciders from around the world, listen to live music, try organic food, and learn about what you can do to protect the Earth through recycling. This festival is one of the best kept secrets of Portland!

Admission into the Festival is free, but to taste beer you need to buy a glass and tokens. On Friday & Saturday, the Festival runs from Noon to 9 p.m. , and on Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m.

To get to the Festival, take the MAX/Yellow Line north to “Overlook Park” Station. Overlook Park is located at 1301 N. Fremont Street.  If you take the MAX, you get a $1 discount off your tasting glass!  Click here for a schedule of live music. See you there!

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PELA News: Alberta Street’s “Last Thursday”!

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Portland is a great place for local artists of all kinds–painters, actors, musicians–and on the last Thursday of each month, Alberta Street in Northeast Portland closes to cars and opens its sidewalks to Last Thursday!

At Last Thursday, you can unusual street musicians, fire-dancers, acrobatic shows, and parades of colorfully decorated bicycles. Artists show their artwork on the sidewalk, and there are many art galleries along Alberta, too. You can also taste many different kinds of foods on Alberta at the many restaurants and sidewalk food carts, so Portlanders can spend the entire evening walking down Alberta. So come to Portland and see a unique part of American culture!

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PELA News: Fun Portland Events for Memorial Day Weekend!

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

This weekend is Americans celebrate Memorial Day, a holiday honoring men and women who have died fighting for the U.S. 

Because it is a 3-day weekend, many Portlanders head out of town on vacation or stay in town and enjoy the beginning of the Portland Rose Festival!  The Portland Rose Festival is a 2-week long festival with parades, parties, races and performances throughout the city. Starting this week, several of PELA’s Volunteer students will be helping create floats for the Rose Festival Parade.

Also this weekend, more than 140 wineries are open to the public during Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country, west of Portland. Many of these wineries are not open at any other time during the year. Festivities include tasting of new releases and older vintages, barrel tastings, specialty foods and sales of limited quantity wines. Some wineries have live music and some charge a tasting fee.

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