 |
  |
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||
Summer Guide 2006 Find the listings here. Put a Little Sting on Your Rim Salt, sugar or nothing? Rocks or blended? Straight or flavored with mango, guava or some other tropical fruit that epitomizes warm beaches, blue seas and palm trees? What other drink gives you so many choices and so quickly brings to mind lazy summer evenings than the margarita, a perfect balance of sweet and tart, ideal for a steamy day. Our taste testers worked hard to find you the best margaritas and the best locations to drink them. We've arranged our tour of Eugene's margaritas geographically so you can even follow in our footsteps, or more accurately, our bike tracks. Aztec Sun (628 Blair): Hands down the best margarita we tasted and the cheapest, just $5.99. Made from scratch, it's like a fresh, tropical breeze and tasted exactly like the ones I drank off the beaten path in Tijuana. Light, incredibly flavorful and heavy on the high-quality house tequila. Downside: no outside seating. Taco Loco (900 W. 7th): Just across the street you'll find a tropical paradise in which to sip your frosty concoctions. With five bubbling fountains, cascading plants and dozens of statues nestled amidst the topiary, the fenced-in garden is the ultimate escape from reality. Add an exotic flavor to your marg (I recommend guava) for a truly incredible drinking experience. Downside: The margaritas are made with mix and were light on the tequila. Cabana Blue (174 W. Broadway): If you haven't checked out Cabana Blue, formerly Blue Luna, since owner Lisa Sanchez bought out her partner and moved, put it at the top of your list of things to do. This place has the feel of a Puerto Rican club and is best after the sun sets. When our server told us that she uses Squirt, limeade and sour mix to make the margs, we were a little dubious. But all three tasters agreed: The only margaritas that beat this interesting combo were the scratch margs at Aztec Sun and Lucky Noodle. Jo Federigos (259 E. 5th): It's worth going to Jo Fed's just for the funky jazz-cat-vibe and the smooch-worthy, hidden booths. But the margaritas won't disappoint either. In fact, they were so good we had two rounds. The mix of Rose's Lime, sweet and sour mix and tequila works well. Plus we happened to visit on Monday: $5 pizza night. Yum! Café Lucky Noodle (207 E. 5th): With outdoor seating right on 5th Avenue and from-scratch margaritas, Lucky Noodle is a great bet if you're trying to find the balance between the perfect drink and the perfect outdoor location. Downside: the train, which passes by and drowns out all conversation for as long as it rumbles past you.— Melissa Bearns
For Kids Only Got talent? Tell jokes, do magic, sing, dance, whatever? Kids 4 to 18 can plan a performance at Willamalane's annual talent show at Meadow Park June 28. It's free to sign up and free to attend, so anyone can be a star for up to 10 minutes. Register at 736-4544 or go to www.willamalane.org for more information. — Vanessa Salvia
Rainy Day Blues Will you have a plan when that rainy day comes? Or maybe you and your young'uns just want to take a break from the blazing sun. Building a kite is an absorbing activity for all ages, and one that holds the promise of a super-fun outing another time. Two sticks, twine and paper are all you really need, and the kids can decorate the paper with markers or stickers to keep them busy a few more seconds. For online help and 25 different kite styles that really fly, check out www.inquiry.net/outdoor/spring/kites/index.htm The Eugene Public Library has three copies of The Kite Making Handbook, and if you ask me, there's no better place than a library on a rainy day. Of course, there are always days when you want to toss your kids into a padded room and throw away the key. When you feel that urge, try Minds In Motion. This indoor play place at 445 Harlow Road in Springfield is open Wednesdays through Sundays and school holidays. You're golden all day for $6.50 per kid under 12 and adults free. Minds In Motion, 736-3101 or www.mindsinmotion.com — Vanessa Salvia
Take a Llama to Lunch You want to schedule a long camping trip this summer, hike to thrilling heights and go somewhere you'll never forget. But if you can drive to this heavenly spot, so can anyone else, and lugging everything around like a camel is for suckers. Are you forced into yet another car camp with someone else's blaring radio and potty mouth all night long? Heck, no, not if you let llamas do the heavy lifting for you! Several operators in Oregon can schedule a summer llama trek. Llamas can carry all your gear, are even-tempered and have soft hoofs that don't tear up trails. Many trek outfitters operate in the spectacular Wallowa Lake area. Easy to moderate hikes or "drop in camps," where the llamas carry your gear into the site for you and then return to their ranch, make these llama outings a sure bet for your whole family. Hurricane Creek Llama Treks: www.hcltrek.com Hike with llamas at Silver Falls: www.oregonlink.com/llama — Vanessa Salvia
Cool Off With Your Brain Off Sure, there are good summer movies. Especially in a small town like Eugene, where we're just now getting the 2006 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner, Tsotsi, among other art house and independent pictures that take their own sweet time getting here. Of course, the truly mindless stuff at which summer excels takes no time in arriving. And sometimes you just need to relax in a dark, air-conditioned room for two hours without caring or even beginning to think about what's on the screen. In that spirit, here are a few of the summer's more intellectually challenged offerings. The Descent and Pulse Hot young things are terrorized by bloodthirsty predators. Lather, rinse, repeat. In The Descent, there are nasty things in a cave. In Pulse, Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars") sees dead people … in the Internet! Whatever will they think of next? Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties I like to pretend that Garfield doesn't actually speak. Like, ever. He was much cooler when I was in third grade. It doesn't help that the darn cat, in this sequel to his 2004 film, is again voiced by Bill Murray. Bill Murray! What are you doing? Breckin Meyer (so adorable in Clueless) and Jennifer Love Hewitt shouldn't be in this thing either, but you! You really know better. Call up Wes Anderson, OK? I'm sure he can find something way better for you to do. Little Man Marlon Wayans plays a very short criminal who dresses up as a baby in order to … oh, sorry, am I still typing? Marlon Wayans dresses up as a baby. Why? Because White Chicks made $70 million, that's why. And, I'm guessing, because there are a lot of opportunities for breast jokes. Romeo and Juliet: Sealed With a Kiss See how the word "seal" is in that title there? It's punny. 'Cause the movie is about seals. On second thought, this animated film might be enough to make your head explode from trying not to think about it.
Snakes on a Plane There are snakes! And they're on a plane! And Samuel L. Jackson swears at them! Julianna Margulies, so good on "ER" but mostly MIA since then (no, Ghost Ship doesn't count), co-stars. The Internet is gleefully abuzz (ahiss?) about the movie Wired magazine dubbed the "best worst movie of 2006." Fake posters, trailers, songs, art, you name it, it's out there. Urbandictionary.com even defines the phrase "snakes on a plane" as the equivalent of "shit happens." This is the one you see to find out what all the noise is about. Or at least I do. You don't have to. It's OK. — Molly Templeton
Revenge of the '90s It's time to turn off those reruns of 90210 and get the flannel shirts out of storage. If you were in your musical prime while Tonya Harding was shopping around for a good deal on clubs, Eugene's summer concert line-up is going to have you smiling like a hooker let loose with platinum on Rodeo Drive. The KNRQ "97 Days of Summer" show on June 3 should be called the "Summer Days of '97," with headlining acts Everclear and The Presidents of the United States of America showing the kids of Eugene how we rocked it back when the Democrats were in office. August 11 brings a back-to-back mope-fest to Secret House Vineyard with borderline jam band Big Head Todd and the Monsters ("and I love her yet / she has done me wrong" … God, I made a lot of pizzas to that song) appearing with Toad the Wet Sprocket ("walk on the ocean / step on the stones" … a lot of wishing I could make out with someone to that song). For all the hilarity in reminiscing about a decade barely long enough ago to reminisce about, it is comforting that some of the more decent bands of the '90s have the longevity to draw old and new fans rather than resorting to a self-parodying "I need alimony money" comeback tours. Come on out and surf the crowd or practice your best "don't bother me, I'm suffering" face. It's a great excuse to see if you still fit into your Guess? jeans. — Adrienne van der Valk
Tix on the Green The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland has been around since 1935 (with a bit of a hiatus as founder Angus Bowmer fought in World War II), and guess what? It always sells out. Tickets for scripts that age badly (Bus Stop, sweet lord Jesus — what were they thinking?) are just as scarce as those for the highly-anticipated Merry Wives of Windsor or Cyrano de Bergerac. By 6:30 pm, you're definitely SOL — and that's in May. For the big outdoor season beginning in mid-June, even members find it tough to get seats. Except … you could go down to the green around 7:15 after some ceviche and a margarita at Taboo. You'd see people frolicking, eating, drinking and buying beribboned masks, but you'd also see tickets. One Saturday in late May, two OSU students held up four tickets apiece for The Diary of Anne Frank (whose name, by the way, OSF-ers pronounce "Ah-nuh Frahn-kuh" — just so you're not intimidated). True, they had bought the tickets as part of a student group. But, uh, well, not enough group members were coming. And it was their first time … er, only time … selling extra tix. For buyers, the tickets, face value $28.80, were a steal at $15. Meanwhile, a woman and her toddler stood hard by the box office, the kid swinging on a railing. She had two extra tickets to Bus Stop: face value $48, price $48. The box office staff, who basically had nothing to do, shrugged their shoulders and smiled. — Suzi Steffen
Overheaters Anonymous Summer is a bad time for heavy sweaters. By Dave Constantin "Yay! Summer's here! Yay!" Does this sound like you? Do you consider 90 degrees and no clouds a "nice day?" Do you salivate at the thought of lying out on the beach under the blazing sun while the desiccated sand pumps out radiant shimmers? How about saunas? You like those? Heat lamps? Flannel sheets? I bet you wear socks to bed too, right? When you go camping, do you just jump into the fire and roll around in the searing coals? Is that what you like? Is that what makes you happy, you masochistic weirdo? Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just that I get a little ornery this time of year. All this heat. It makes me go a little crazy. Know what else it makes me do? Sweat like a pro wrestler, that's what. But then, there's the rub. You see, I'm not a very big guy. I'm just your average, 5'10", 180-pound glistening freak who can't keep his glands shut. Oh, and for the record, I'm taken. Sorry, folks. Ever since I was a kid, my raging internal furnace has humbled me with the constant threat of inappropriate perspiration. In school, regardless of the season, I would walk the halls after gym or recess with all the composure of a malaria victim. I'd sit at my desk red-faced and shiny, trying to "think cold" or "think dry." Then I'd give up and just sit there helplessly leaking, the back of my shirt becoming a Rorschach of humiliation. I'm sure I can blame at least some of my adult neurosis on the trauma of being born a heavy sweater. But at least I know I'm not alone. I've had plenty of friends throughout my life who were in the same boat (pun intended, I guess). Granted, they've mostly been in the "big boy" category, with BMIs that demand excessive sweat production for basic survival. Me? I guess I've just always run hot. I sleep with the window open in the dead of winter. I'm usually the first one to break out the shorts every year. And I just lost four pounds typing that last sentence. Of course, in an "earthy" place like Eugene it's OK to be sweaty, dirty, dreadlocked, whatever. But in the real world, you can't just walk around all day smearing salty bodily fluids on everything. It's indecent. And it's the kind of thing that'll get you executed in Utah. Maybe I should move to Alaska. It's good and cold up there, right? The real bummer is, heat aside, I love the summer. Who doesn't? I'm all for water sports, extended daylight hours and cheesy blockbuster action movies. Unfortunately, little things like sweating in the shower or breathing warm air while I'm trying to sleep are enough to send me into a homicidal rage. Is that so wrong? I'm especially vexed at what I call the "delayed sweat." This one is apt to strike after I've taken extra special care to avoid "breaking the seal" on a particularly hot day: keeping movement to a minimum, drawing shallow breaths, drinking lots of ice water. Then I'll do something stupid like plop down inside my car after it's been in direct sun for a few hours and is roughly at bread-baking temperature. I'll just sit there, perfectly still, basking in the pulsing incandescence, knowing I don't have long. It'll surface as a film at first, but any movement will trigger the torrent. I'll try to think cool, think dry, think of what it would be like to have normal sweat glands. But the wheels will already be in motion. They're always in motion. That's who I am. I even have my own motto: "Always let 'em see you sweat. Because, really, what f@#$ing choice do you have?"
Bend Over With the rain pouring down outside my office window, I'm thinking fondly of the three years I spent in Bend before moving to the valley. That is, of course, if you like swimming in rivers that are cold enough in the dead of summer to take your breath away. Or how about when it's 95 degrees at noon and 35 at midnight? Ah yes, high desert summers. But as long as you dress for the weather, summer in central Oregon has its plusses, including lots of very cool stuff to see and do. Take for example the concert series at Les Schwab Amphitheatre with Modest Mouse, Fiona Apple and Bonnie Raitt as just a few of the highlights. And Sunday afternoons starting at 2:30 you can kick it with a picnic on the lawn and check out the free concert series, which features a few bands you might actually have heard of, including Vagabond Opera, Mingo Fishtrap and Aphrodesia. Get your yee-haw on at the Sisters Rodeo June 9-11. With a rodeo parade, trick riders and other performances plus buff guys and gals in sprayed-on jeans, what's not to like? So your inner cowboy or cowgirl hit puberty, decided boys/girls/both were more interesting than horses, started wearing all black and declared him or herself an art lover? Never fear. Bendfilm's Free Range Film Series, which runs through July 11, is the place for you. New films screen every Tuesday at McMenamin's Old St. Francis School. Foodies, Bend has something for you too: the 4th Annual Bite of Bend on June 17. Modeled after the Taste of Chicago, the BOB now includes plenty of booths where you can try the best of Bend eateries, an Iron Chef competition and wine and beer booths to keep you hydrated. Of everything happening over on the other side of the mountains, this event gets my top recommendation. — Melissa Bearns
Knives and Tree Trunks and Tartans, Oh My! When I was 20, I spent a term in London. While others were off sunning in the Canary Island for spring vacation, my friend Jamie and I went to Edinburgh, Scotland; while others in Edinburgh our age were out getting sloshed in the pubs, we impoverished ones wandered into a £2 concert called a céilidh. We thought that was pronounced "chel-lid" because, well, we had never studied Gaelic. Turns out it's something like "kayli," but don't hold me to it 'cause my French and German aren't helping much here. So anyway, a bunch of angel-faced kids in kilts and tartan skirts sang, a bunch of red-faced adults played instruments and there was a raffle. We resisted the call to buy raffle tickets, which turned out to be a culturally stupid mistake because a lot of people won a lot of … you guessed it … Scotch. I'm not saying that the Celtic Festival and Highland Games in Winston this August 19-21 will feature 20-year-old Scotch raffles, but besides the group sings, there will be archery and caber tossing. Cabers are not the little buds you eat in salads, it turns out (even I could toss those); they're 20-foot long tree trunks held in the palm, I'm not kidding here, and then thrown so they look like bike wheel spokes until they stick in the ground. Plus, there's an "edged weapon" competition (er, they mean scary knives and such), bagpiping, and even Celtic tea for the truly daring. Bring your plaid! — Suzi Steffen
Ball Busting The Eugene Emeralds deserve your heckling. After all, they're pulling in a prince's salary to play a backyard game. Sorry, that's not right. The Ems are paid very little, so what they deserve is whole-hearted support, but that's not what baseball is about. It's you, the fans, who deserve to heckle. From "Hey batter, batter" to "Pitcher's got a big butt," heckling is the backbone of America's pastime. To make it all the better, when you heckle at an Ems game, you heckle into the ears of the Ems. A shout made from any seat in Civic Stadium will reach the infield, really letting you attack the nerves of the batter, shake the catcher into dropping the pitch or distract the shortstop while a line drive flies within inches of his glove. Remember, folks, don't reserve your calls for the home team, because the visitors need some ragging too. Shame the dirty Canucks (Vancouver). Berate the tie-dyed hippies (Everett). Just do what needs to be done. — Jef Stout
10 Things to Do With Water 10. Take a loop of string or yarn and place a piece of it into each compartment of an ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze for a stylish ice cube necklace. 9. Make your own bubble solution from one quart water, 8 tbsp. Joy or Dawn dish soap and 1 tbsp glycerine. 8. Fingerpaint outside, naked. Clean up by running through sprinklers. 7. Cut off the bottoms of 2-gallon water jugs. Toss water balloons back and forth using the jugs as catcher's mitts. 6. Turn off all the lights and make a rainbow by shining a flashlight through a glass of water. Visit www.yorku.ca/eye/rainbow2.htm and follow the link to Dr. Kurt Nassau's rainbow demonstration. 5. Jump in it. (OK, I'll be parental here for a really good reason: always know how deep the water is before you jump.) 4. Spray people with it. 3. Drink it. Plain, or with Scotch or bourbon, though for best results freeze and shake with gin. 2. Jump rope with a garden hose. 1. Drip it on your blindfolded partner's nipples. — Vanessa Salvia |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
