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Most populous city in Oregon, U.S.
Photo: Kalinparsonsgaming, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Few American cities can match the youthful spirit of Portland, "The City of Roses". The largest city in the state of Oregon, Portland's residents are proud of their city, which draws people for its scenic beauty, great outdoors environment, excellent microbreweries, and eco-friendly urban planning policies, as well as a reputation for colorful characters and a proudly liberal outlook with an attitude to match.
Northwest Portland has the more chic districts of town: NW 23rd Ave. and the Pearl District. Spend a day here for some interesting shopping and check out Portland's Chinatown with the beautiful Lan Su Garden.
Downtown is here, with skyscrapers and many of its "splurge" hotels and restaurants. To the west is the large Washington Park with memorials, gardens and a zoo.
The neighborhoods east of the Willamette River and north of Burnside Street and Interstate 84. Alberta Street and several other trendy neighborhoods are here, as is the Convention Center and the Airport.
The neighborhoods east of the Willamette River and south of Burnside Street and Interstate 84. Hawthorne Boulevard and several other trendy neighborhoods are here.
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Portland's annual World Naked Bike Ride, held in early June, has many goals: to increase visibility of cyclists; to promote confidence in the beauty and individuality of the human body; to affirm nudity as a legal form of protest; to emphasize the bicycles’s place as a catalyst for change in the future of sustainability, transport, community and recreation; to celebrate the coming summer, bicycles in the urban grid, and the fun of a multi-thousand person bike ride; and to protest the automobile. World Naked Bike Ride is an annual, worldwide bike ride that highlights the vulnerability of cyclists everywhere and decries society’s dependence on pollution-based transport.
Portland's annual Rose Festival is held every year at the beginning of June. The largest event of the year includes multiple parades, a carnival at waterfront park, and several military ships docked for fleet week.
The Portland Thorns are the local women's' soccer team who play in the NWSL. They are known to draw a consistently sizeable crowd of fans and have performed well in league play since the founding of the club in 2013, winning three championships since.
The Portland Timbers are Portland's Major League Soccer team. Their most ardent supporters are known as the Timbers Army who sit at the north end of the stadium singing and chanting through the entire match. Visitors are both encouraged and welcomed to join by buying a general admission ticket and lining up hours before the game to get the best seats (if you so choose). If you'd prefer to watch the game and enjoy the energy of the Army from a distance (perhaps if traveling with young children), seating in assigned areas is also available.
The Portland Trail Blazers play in NBA. The Moda Center is centrally located near downtown next to four MAX lines for those who are interested in catching a game. Nearly every game is a full house, and there aren't many NBA venues that have the same energy for the same value as a Blazer game.
'Rritos, 'ritas, and more. Good quality Mexican food at a middling price. Focus on local, sustainable, and healthy.
Local natural food supermarket chain with fantastic sandwiches and an awesome deli counter. You can choose your bread, meat/tofu pate, veggies, and spreads. Six locations in the city.
Great value Lebanese food, family owned and operated where everything is made from scratch. Two locations.
Popular taqueria providing sophisticated but informal food in an evocative setting. Top-notch tortillas that are often purchased on their own. Excellent array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including authentic drinks not often seen north of the border (horchata, mezcal, etc.). Often crowded with lines, especially at mealtimes, but quick service keeps you from waiting too long. Outdoor seating. Kid and bike friendly. Order ahead for take-out and skip the line.
A heavy metal-themed pizza joint with some of the best pies in town. Pizza is available by the slice or whole, to eat there or to go. The salads are great as well utilizing yummy homemade dressings. Great for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike! Two locations in Portland.
Vegan and non-vegan food, cheap but delicious and with a very expansive menu for a taco cart (they also have three brick-and-mortar locations), including quite large burritos. The ingredients are fresh and the staff friendly.
A distinctly Portland spot, where you can get unusual donuts and a marriage while learning Swahili. While they do have the standard cake doughnuts, the real stars are the doughnuts topped with cereal, candy bars, strawberry Quik powder, and the maple bar with bacon (yes, bacon) on it. It's also the place to get vegan doughnuts. While the vibe is cool and flavour combinations and the naming gimmicks are creative, locals often recommend other local spots like Blue Star Donuts if you are seeking top quality. If it's a sugar rush and possibly a free huge doughnut you're looking for, take the Tex-Ass Challenge; eat one of their oversized glazed doughnuts in under a minute and a half and it's free. (Of course, you have to purchase it in advance!). The Downtown location often has long lines, but this is rarely the case just across the river at the Davis St. location.
At the markets, farmers, ranchers and nursery growers offer various conventionally and organically grown fruits, vegetables and pre-cut, pre-packaged meats (usually fish, pork or eggs) and live ornamental and food plants for gardening. There are other artisan food producers offering prepared products, ranging from fruit jams to farmstead cheeses, breads and pastries, pickles, pasta, chocolate, and more. They also have additional neighborhood markets in King Market (NE 7th & Wygant), Shemanski Park (SW Park & Main in Downtown), Kenton (N Denver & McCellan), and Lents (SE 92nd & Reedway) at different times. Check website,
A weekly marketplace for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade products. Goods you can find include jewelry, clothing, body products and pet treats. Saturday Market is the largest continuously operating market of its type in the United States.
By train
By car
The primary road connection between Portland and the rest of the west coast is Interstate 5, which runs through Washington, Oregon, and California.
By bus
Intercity buses pick up at the Union Station Bus Station next to the Union Station (800 NW 6th Ave), the airport and/or additional places on the way into or out of Portland (see their websites).
By public transit
In addition to the above there are other transit providers providing onward transport from Portland to other cities/municipalities surrounding the greater Portland Metropolitan area and outside the…
By boat
There are no useful boat lines, although you can take cruises up and down the Willamette River and multi-day tourist cruises from Portand to Clarkston, Washington.
By car
Driving around downtown is not recommended.
On foot
Portland is a great city for walking. The 200-foot (60-m) block size throughout most of Portland were designed in the 1860s for walking convenience and Portland has a lot of street life.
By bike
Portland, the self-proclaimed "Bicycle Capital" of the nation, is an excellent city for bicycle travel.
By public transit
TriMet operates the Portland metro area's extensive public transit system of buses, MAX light rail trains, and streetcars.
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Portland · International · PDX
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