MoxyMTG's Guide to #SCGPORT

We're super excited to have the Star City Open Series in town for the weekend!  I've put together a handy guide to help folks visiting get the most out of their weekend here: where to play FNM on Friday, the best food near the event site, and drinks to tell your bad-beat stories over after the event.

It's all on a Google Map here, check it out!  Everything is within moderate walking distance if you're up for it - Guardian Games (FNM) is about 1.5 miles from the hotel, but that's as far as it gets.

MoxyMTG's Guide to #SCGPORT

For the text version, read on.

FOOD - Anzen Japanese Grocery

Just across the street from the convention center, this is the closest place to get good food at SCG Portland. Walk around the the deli counter in the back of the store and get fresh bao, sushi and wakame for lunch. It's a 100-year old family-owned Japanese grocery store with all sorts of snacks and candy to take back to your hotel later, too. If you want a preview, this blog has some nice photos inside the store.

FNM - Guardian Games
Guardian Games is the biggest game store in Portland - it's about 1.5 miles from the SCG-endorsed hotel (Residence Inn), but a just straight shot 10 blocks south on MLK from the event site.  They also have an area in the back of the store called Critical Sip where you can enjoy bottled beer while playtesting.  If you get into town Friday afternoon and want to game, they run two concurrent FNM tournaments, both M13 draft and Standard, firing at 6:30 pm. You can walk to bars on Burnside or cocktails at Stark & Sandy from here.

BEER - East Burnside
If you need to drown your sorrows after losing your win-and-in, East Burnside is the closest area with a good selection of bars and restaurants.  Walk south on MLK from the event site and turn left (east) on Burnside, and you have a number of choices as you go east:

• Mirakutei. Eat dinner here first (ramen, Japanese) if you need something to soak up the booze you're about to consume.
• Rontoms, a big hipster dive if you just want cheap PBR.
• Sizzle Pie Pizzeria
• B Side Tavern - pinball, patio.
• Burnside Brewing Company
• Doug Fir Lounge - MusicFestNW is happening all weekend, so this place will be packed

If you get this far, you'll be sauced enough to try the last two destinations:

• Galaxy Lounge - karaoke.  I've never been, so can't vouch for the KJ or song selection.
• Union Jacks Club - it's no Mary's Club, but it's another well-known Portland strip club.

COCKTAILS - Rum Club / Beaker & Flask
If you prefer cocktails like I do, this is where you need to go.  Located at SE Stark and Sandy, this is a quick walk from Guardian after FNM (walk 2 blocks south to Stark, then turn left (east) and walk up to the diagonal intersection at Sandy Blvd).

• Rum Club has an exclusively tiki-inspired drink menu, and is a Portland service industry staple.
• Beaker & Flask is a larger bar/restaurant next door (same owner), and features rotating guest bartenders from Portland's best bars.

After drinks, you can walk east to 12th and catch the 70 bus back to Residence Inn if you're too drunk to walk.

For Star City's official info on the event, try here and here.