Nerd Alert in the PDX!

May 2, 2009 6:05 PM

I've read all about where to eat, drink, club, stay, and chill in Portland - now I wanna get my geek on!

The missus and I are driving out to the PDX next week as a scouting mission for an eventual move sometime in 2010. We'll be checking out places to live, local attractions, and some of the nifty places to eat and drink, but what I'll really need in my new hometown are places where I can fly my nerd flag.

I've read a bit about Ground Kontrol and Backspace, and they're already on my to-do list. What I really don't know much about are the best comic shops, the gamer stores that do board games and MTG nights, the anime shops that have screenings and sell the coolest new figures and other otaku goodies. I want the places that feed my geek need and that will make me excited for my move.

What are your favourite spots in the Portland area for geek culture?

posted by phredgreen to travel & transportation around Portland, OR (6 answers total)

Western Oregon Wargamers
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:11 PM on May 2, 2009

Uwajimaya (Portland suburbs) for all-things-asian (from groceries to caffeinated gum to Japanese puzzle boxes).
posted by zippy at 8:18 PM on May 2, 2009

For comics, my comic-geek husband frequents Cosmic Monkey (on NE Sandy Blvd.), Floating World (downtown), and sometimes Excalibur (on Hawthorne).
posted by lisa g at 8:42 PM on May 2, 2009

Oh, and Guapo is a comic store/coffeeshop on far SE Foster, but it's comfortable & seems to have a lot of manga.
posted by lisa g at 8:52 PM on May 2, 2009

For comics in Portland, I go to Excalibur on Hawthorn for selection, and Bridge City for the employees who manage to remember what you bought previously and recommend things based on it.

Bridgetown Hobbies on 33rd & Sandy has a good selection of board games, models, etc. Dunno if they have game nights.
posted by cmonkey at 2:13 AM on May 3, 2009

You might want to check out FreeGeek:

As a non-profit community organization that recycles and refurbishes used technology, Free Geek happily provides computers, education, and job skills training to volunteers in exchange for their service.

posted by funkiwan at 6:55 PM on May 3, 2009