No, you’re not cheap. You’re just a student. You live off of noodles, coffee and Stafford loans. But hey, just because you’re also picking up an education in pinching dimes here at Portland State, that doesn’t mean you can’t go out every now and then and see what the city has to offer.
Perhaps you didn’t know this, but that little student ID in your wallet, given to you courtesy of PSU, can help out from time to time while hitting up some hot spots around Portland, as part of that wonderful concept of a student discount. Or even breaks on the things you buy. Sure, in the end it’s only a buck here and a buck there, but that can add up, perhaps even to another cup of coffee.
Don’t ever be embarrassed to ask about a student discount when you’re putting down your dollars. Here are some ideas for some places around town that offer a break to students.
Regal Theaters: Plenty of locations around town. After 6 p.m., students can get a discount on movie showings. Take advantage this weekend because, after Sept. 18, they aren’t going to offer discounts on Friday or Saturday anymore.
Portland Art Museum: Just down the road from PSU right off of the Park Blocks stands Portland’s institution of art. You can get $3 off the price of admission for an adult if you flash your student ID, which works out to be $9.
Century Theaters: Not as big around town as their Regal counterpart, but you can find them if you look around. Of course, you only get a break on movies after 6 p.m.
TriMet: Not so much of a discount, but the famous PSU FlexPass is available at $175 per term. For those of us who make regular trips on Portland’s mass transit system, this can be quite beneficial.
Portland Center Stage: Head down to the Pearl District to catch a show on the big stage. The Portland Center Stage is housed at the Gerding Theater within the old armory off of Northwest Eleventh Avenue. There is no set discount, as it depends on the performance you want to see. But students can enjoy cheaper costs of admission on shows Sunday through Friday.
Artist Repertory Theatre: Another great institution of the performing arts here in town. Not too far off from PSU. The theater is located at 1515 SW Morrison St. It doesn’t matter what day you want to catch a show, tickets are just a flat $20 for students.
Northwest Film Center: Pull out that ID for a dollar off tickets for some of the more unique and hard-to-find films showing in town. The film center is just around the corner from the art museum on Southwest Salmon Street. There will always be a film festival or cinematic treat to meet your film geek desires here.
Portland Opera: To visit the opera, one has to venture over to the east side of Portland to 211 SE Caruthers St. The Portland Opera offers Friday and Sunday student specials on tickets. Catch a performance for $32. I know it may seem a little steep, but we are talking about the opera here.
Fifth Avenue Cinema: We can’t forget our very own PSU movie theater. They do offer the best student discount of all, being that movies are free. I’ll say that again: it’s free for PSU students. And because they’ve got so much heart, they even offer a discount for students of other institutions.