Bring it on home - Vanguard

Are you looking for something to do with your new friends on campus, or just trying to chase away the back-to-school blues? Movies and pizza go together like Canadian bacon and pineapple (or “pine and swine” as they say at Rocco’s Pizza), and make for a kick-ass time too.

Portland sports a few scattered gems throughout the city that bake high-quality, artisan pizza pies at reasonable prices. Pair one of the tasty delights with a flick from one of Portland’s hip, quirky local video rental stores, and you have a great reason to get out on the town before retreating home to sit down to dinner and a movie.

Near campus

The more scholarly, cerebral film lovers need look no further than PSU’s own Branford P. Millar Library for all kinds of documentary, foreign, art house films or a Hitchcock thriller. PSU offers a consistent field of film classes, and many of the films screened for these classes are available to check out from the campus library. Simply go to the library’s online catalogue, Vikat (www.pdx.edu/library), and search the video category. Best of all, checking out movies is free.

Once you have found an enlightening film, check out any one of three excellent pizza options within a two-block radius.

Only a couple blocks east of campus, Blind Onion (415 S.W. Montgomery St.) is a great little dive with some of the best pizza around.

Pizzicato (701 S.W. Alder St.) specializes in New York-style pizza with a very eclectic assortment of toppings, and you can find one right on campus in the Urban Plaza.

Hot Lips (1909 S.W. Sixth Ave.) is also a good spot to grab a pizza within a stone’s throw of campus.

Off Burnside

Just off of Burnside, across from Powell’s City of Books, Rocco’s Pizza (949 S.W. Oak St.) is a favorite hangout for zine-sters and zoo-bombers alike, the main attraction being its fat slices of delicious pizza. Don’t expect anything fancy, but be prepared to be satisfied nonetheless.

Around the corner from Rocco’s is the cozy little Watch This (916 W. Burnside St.). Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, noon until 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 7 p.m. They do not stock quite as many movies as most rental places, but luckily they have great taste. What they lack in quantity they compensate for in quality.

Pearl District

A short streetcar ride away from campus in the trendy, upwardly mobile Pearl District, lies another great spot to check out a DVD. Videorama (1136 N.W. Lovejoy St.) is operated by friendly, knowledgeable staff and shelves a great selection of new releases and artsy films. They boast a gay and lesbian film section that is just as large as their comedy section, a good helping of documentaries, and they always have great staff picks.

From there, you have two worthy pizza options that are within a two-minute walk. Probably the most eco-friendly, environmentally sustainable, geo-green-conscious pizza place on the planet, the Pearl District Hot Lips (721 N.W. Ninth Ave., #150) is a short jaunt from Videorama across from Jamison Park. They deliver in an electric car, use only local ingredients, and get recognition nationwide for their efficient, low-impact business model.

Another nearby pizza joint is the Bridgeport Brewpub (1318 N.W. Northrup St.). Located on Northwest 13th and Marshall, it is just a block away from Videorama. Even though it is a pub, the restaurant is open to minors. The pub recently renovated its building and now patrons can enjoy a nice dinner on a white tablecloth in the same space that had once been home to picnic tables and football games on a projection screen.

Outside of downtown

Movie Madness (4320 S.E. Belmont St.) has just about every movie you might care to watch. You can browse by director or by genre. The store is so vast, newcomers are better off inquiring at the front desk about particular films for which they are searching. Once you have checked out your desired movie, the staff at Movie Madness highly recommends Stark Naked Pizza, located in the vicinity on Southeast Stark Street and 28th.