Nifty Threads – Page 6

Portland Festival Symphony

For the 35^th consecutive year, the Portland Festival Symphony was in full swing. Just last week we took the family to Peninsula Park for the festival and it was great.

Daniel and I particularly loved the concerts (thank you to Neil Kelly Company) as well as when the kids tried out different instruments.

The aim of the festival is for people exactly like us who want to introduce their kids to the “mind-expanding world of music while having fun in a natural park setting.”

And, I believe that’s exactly what it achieved.

Our Very Own Beer Festival!!!!

Finally! Daniel’s word not mine…The Portland Craft Beer Festival has arrived! And boy did we enjoy it!!! It was only $20 and we got our own mug. I love those beer mugs. We went on a Sunday as it was family day. The kids – while obviously not beer drinkers – had a blast too. They weren’t so into the yoga but they did enjoy the children’s market and Ruby Jewel ice cream. Plus, I was happy as it was free entry for kids!

Organized by Joseph Sundberg, apparently this is now going to be an annual event. We got to sample beers from all the different local breweries (Daniel’s dream!) and there is entertainment too. What was particularly cool about this was that it is very local-focused: everything available was from Portland: the beer was brewed in Portland, as well as Portland ciders and wines. In additions, food vendors – that hail from Portland of course – were able to come sell their wares.

Held at the Fields Neighborhood Park, on Overton Street, it made for a fun, local and neighborhood friendly event. What more can you ask for?

The Peacefulness of Portland

I always knew that Portland was a great place to live, offering a high standard. But now that has just been proved – yet again I should say. In a survey conducted of the country’s 30 largest cities, Portland (along with Austin, TX), has “the highest proportion of workers who don’t commute at all.”

The study was put together by Director of the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, Michal Sivak.

Commuting can be so stressful. I remember back in the days I lived in the upper west side in New York and the commute I made to Patterson. It was awful. By Friday I was just exhausted. I had no energy to go out and all I did over the weekend was recharge myself for the next week! Talk about feeling like being part of the rat race!

Since moving to Portland, I have totally given that up. As has Daniel. Occasionally we meet clients for meetings (maybe at a local coffee shop or in the park) but that’s about as far as it goes. No commuting definitely makes for a more peaceful way of life.

Partying with EMBraer Paper Goods

There’s nothing worse than finishing off a great party and then having to wash a whole load of dishes. But what is the choice? When one entertains a bunch of business people – or even some friends – it doesn’t look nice to use paper goods.

Enter EMBraer Paper Goods. The company that makes paper plates, etc., almost look real! Not only will one’s guests not even notice that they are using paper (the quality is fantastic) they will probably think they are even nicer.

According to Beth Sonnenfeld, VP of Sales at the company, EMBraer Paper Goods has made a particular note of providing beautiful goods to ensure one’s entertaining is top quality. “When I first joined the Company, I knew that the goods we were selling had to be of the highest quality. In as much as people hate washing up, it’s way worse to use nasty paper goods. So at EMBraer Paper Goods we pride ourselves on top quality.”

This shouldn’t come as such a surprise. According to Matt Braer, who is also in Sales at EMBraer Paper Goods, “We are trying to take our lead from other Companies with great customer service and a reputation for excellent products.” He cites, Elio Motors, Zappos and CitiBank as examples of companies with top customer service.”

So that is the goal for EMBraer Paper Goods and the result is high quality and top service for its customers.

Cirque Du Soleil Entertainment!

We are privy once more to Varekai. The show first came to Portland in 2006 and just came back last week. We were lucky to get tickets as they were only performing eight times between 6^th and 10^th May. And boy were we glad we did.

It was different to the one that came nine years ago. But different in a good way. It was actually very cool how fast they assembled and reassembled all the tents. The themes were the same but a lot of the performers were different. Truthfully I thought it was even better than it was all those years ago.

I personally loved all the acrobatic stuff. There were a lot of different performers and I thought they were all top-notch. It’s a great show and we had a wonderful evening!