As someone whose family lives 3,000 miles away in New Jersey, I often find myself wondering what to do on major holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception. So I’ve compiled a list of things you can do and places you can go this year, either by yourself or with friends who also don’t have anywhere to go for the holiday.
Bread and Ink Cafe
3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd
The Bread and Ink Cafe is a pricier option at $45 per adult for a four course traditional Thanksgiving dinner; but children are served on a sliding scale of $2 per year up to age ten. It’s sure to produce that post-turkey haze we all know and love.
Andina
1314 NW Glisan St
Andina is an exciting Peruvian restaurant which serves up a Latin-themed Thanksgiving worthy of royalty. They combine traditional American Thanksgiving dishes with South American ingredients and a modern Peruvian flare to help celebrate the cultural diversity so often lacking in what we usually consume on the holiday.
QuarterWorld Arcade
4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd
If you’re less interested in food and more interested in drinking a few beers and playing classic video games, the QuarterWorld Arcade is perfect. It costs one dollar to enter during happy hour and only three dollars the rest of the day. QuarterWorld is also only a 15 minute walk from the Bread and Ink Cafe if you’re still able to move after such a meal.
Escapism Portland: Alien Zoo
10340 NE Weidler St
Are you a sci-fi nerd? Could you converse with an alien species if you had to? If so, then Escapism Portland’s Thanksgiving escape room is right up your alley. Escapism Portland is offering guests a 20 percent discount on Thanksgiving with the code ESCAPISM20. You’ll have one hour to escape life as an exhibit in an alien zoo. That is, of course, if you can pass the alien intelligence tests…
PDX Tofurky Trot 2017
7805 SE Oaks Park Way
The PDX Tofurky Trot is a 5k at Oaks Amusement Park open to all levels of physical fitness: Runners, walkers, and trotters are welcome. Money raised from the event goes to various organizations which support animal sanctuaries. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Whether you go to support those organizations, get your endorphins going, or make some extra room for stuffing later in the day, the Tofurky Trot is sure to be a great addition to the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day Dance
0234 SW Bancroft St.
The Renaissance School is hosting a dance to celebrate gratitude and community on Thanksgiving Day from 10 a.m.AM – 12 p.m.PM. It’s a fun way to begin the holiday, and if you come straight from the PDX Tofurky Trot, you can use it as a second excuse to eat a little extra later on.
Thanksgiving can be a hard day for many people, but embracing the community we as Portland residents are lucky to have may be able to make it a little better. Whether you’reit’s eating your heart out atn Andina, being way too competitive at Pac-Man at the QuarterWorld Arcade, or “trotting” for a good cause at the PDX Tofurky Trot,; Portland has an endless amount of ways to keep you and your friends busy on Thanksgiving Day this year.
Our on-campus and off-campus events calendars both feature listings for Thanksgiving Day. To submit to these calendars, send your press release to arts@psuvanguard.com.