Portland, OR Road Trips

Portland is the largest city lying between San Francisco and Seattle, but when compared to those cities, Portland's environment is not as fast-paced. It hasn't yet developed to the point of being overwhelming. Instead, it has a more laid-back, small-city feel. Over 650,000 people live in the city of Portland (2020); including the suburbs the metro area has 2.5 million people, so Portland has its fair share of amenities, including an impressive music and arts scene, and one of the largest collections of zine and independent publishers of any city in the nation. Its relatively large population also means it has some of the worst traffic congestion in the U.S., a fairly high cost of living relative to wages, and chronic underemployment. The city has a lovely blend of historic and modern architecture and many lush parks to poke your toes into. Forest Park and Washington Park in the hills west of Downtown offer a variety of trees, plants, trails, and wildlife near the city. Vistas of Mount Hood and the Willamette River, stately Douglas-fir trees (Oregon's official state tree), and roses and trees at every turn give the city stunning seasonal color. Environmentally friendly practices, such as recycling and an extensive public transportation system, are part of the culture and fuel many progressive city planning practices. Portland metro, like all Oregon urban centers, is surrounded by an urban growth boundary. This limits sprawl and helps make Portland a relatively compact city.

Portland has many unique and interesting neighborhoods to explore. One of the most exciting aspects of visiting Portland is constant possibly of discovery. Rather than containing most places of interest to a few busy streets, Portland has food, shopping, parks, and other activities sprinkled all throughout the city. Here are just a few notable neighborhoods: Downtown Portland is the heart of the city, centered around Pioneer Square and home to modern commercial towers, new condominiums, and converted lofts, along with several museums and urban parks of interest to tourists, including Tom McCall Waterfront Park along the river. To the immediate south of Downtown is the campus of Portland State University and South Waterfront, an urban revitalization area at the southern end of the streetcar line with newly built glass residential towers. Just to the north of Downtown is Old Town, which is where Portland was first settled and which has some historic buildings and is a nightlife center, but also contains a fair amount of social services for homeless and mentally ill. The neighborhood also holds the remnants of Chinatown which, despite a lovely archway entry at Burnside and 4th Avenue and some Chinese-inspired street decorations, is rather desolate and may prove a disappointment for visitors expecting the bustle of San Francisco's or New York City's Chinatown. Just to the northwest of Downtown is the Pearl District, a very hip and trendy neighborhood on the streetcar line which was not long ago derelict warehouses and empty industrial space.

Portland World Naked Bike Ride. 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. Free. Portland Rose Festival (Most events located downtown at Waterfront Park). 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. Free. (updated Jul 2021) Pedalpalooza. Three months of community organized (and free!) biking events during the months of June-August. All events are listed on the Shift Calendar. The type of rides are extremely diverse, ranging from rides where you learn about the history of the city, to ones where you bike from one side of the city to another. Or the dance party rides where you bike around jamming out to a certain artist or genre. Others where you bring along your dog and visit dog parks. Really any type of ride you can think of, it's probably on the calendar.

Foodies may find their nirvana in Portland. With its location in one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation, an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood raised not far from its boundaries, award-winning wines and beers, and a food culture that supports food artisans and emphasizes local, seasonal food served fresh, it's no surprise that the culinary scene in Portland has received national attention. Restaurants and food carts have popped up in large numbers throughout the city, making it quite easy to enjoy a good meal at a reasonable price. Both the Farmers Market and Saturday Market offer a wide range of cuisines made from healthy, local ingredients, and is great if you prefer to have a variety of choices. Quality restaurants can be found at several price points across town (see district articles for more suggestions), although sudden exposure of popularity of some can cause long wait times. The good news is that there is probably an establishment that is just as good or simply undiscovered just a short distance away if you don't want to wait! Burgerville. The Northwest's own fast food chain with a decidedly NW flavor promoting organic, fresh and seasonal ingredients. Great burgers and traditional fast food fare. Amazing seasonal items including sweet potato fries, asparagus, strawberries, blackberries, onion rings and more. Cha! Cha! Cha!. 'Rritos, 'ritas, and more. Good quality Mexican food at a middling price. Focus on local, sustainable, and healthy. McMenamins.

If you're looking for a free drink while walking around downtown, look no further than the iconic Benson Bubblers. These are ornate drinking fountains scattered throughout the downtown area, made of copper and in one-bowl and four-bowl variations. Installed by Simon Benson in the 1910s, the fountains continuously run from 6AM to 11PM daily and offer a cool drink perfect for the summer months. Many cities have asked for Benson Bubblers of their own, but the City of Portland has turned them all down, respecting the wishes of Benson and his family. A single exception has been made, however — Portland has gifted one Benson Bubbler to its sister city of Sapporo, Japan. Portland is often referred to as "the microbrewery capital of the world", and it's a well-earned title. Take advantage of the Northwest's famous microbrews — small breweries that serve their own (and others') craft beers. They are a world away from the generic beers that are America's mainstay. Portland also has more traditional nightlife drinking establishments, mainly downtown, in Old Town, and in the Pearl. You will find everything from dance clubs, gay bars, and an assortment of karaoke bars. Portland likes its alcohol. Although a handful of Portland's key gay bars can be found in Downtown and Old Town, they are not restricted to any identifiable gay neighborhood. They are found in diverse locations throughout the city, reflecting the fact that the Portland LGBT community is highly integrated into the city overall.

There are places to sleep all over the city, though somewhat less of them in the city's northwest. As in much of elsewhere in the world, downtown (here: southwestern Portland) is the place to find upscale accommodation and Eastside you will find many mid-range options. Budget lodging is somewhat scarce, though you might find a couple more places in this price range in neighboring cities in the Portland Metropolitan Area.

1 Portland International Airport (PDX IATA), 7000 NE Airport Way (9 mi (14 km) northeast of downtown, near the Columbia River), ☏ +1 503-460-4234. The main aviation gateway for the state of Oregon and southwest Washington state, PDX has been recognized by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the best airports in the United States. While it has grown as the Portland metro area has, it is still a relatively compact and easy-to-navigate airport. The main terminal is finalizing a major multi-year renovation including a nine-acre wooden roof that is worth looking at when you arrive or depart. Most major airlines serve Portland, though Alaska Airlines carries the most traffic through PDX, using Portland as a hub. Non-stop service is available from most major U.S. airport hubs, a lot of smaller cities in the Pacific Northwest (served by Alaska Airlines, Delta/Delta Connection and United Express), and there are a few international flights from Canada (Air Canada and Alaska Airlines), Frankfurt (Condor); Keflavik International Airport (Icelandair); Mexico (Alaska Airlines, Volaris); London Heathrow (British Airways) and Amsterdam Schiphol (KLM).

If you are touring the United States without a car, rejoice! Portland is an easy city to bicycle, walk or use public transport. Portland Streets roughly fall on a grid, though history and topography cause a lot of mismatches and exceptions. You may notice that a street is offset by several meters as it crosses an arterial, or that Boulevards like Sandy and Foster are diagonal due to their history as streetcar lines. In general, north/south aligned streets are numbered, while east/west aligned streets are named. The most visible exception to this is in North Portland where all streets are named. Numbered streets descend as they approach the Willamette River. This is true from both sides, so SE 7th is not the same as SW 7th. If you want to navigate like a local, get to know the "six sextants" which are often referred to oxymoronically as the "six quadrants". These sectors are generally divided by Burnside Street between north/south and the Willamette River between east/west, with a fifth sector (North) between the Willamette River and Williams Avenue, and a sixth sector (South) between the Willamette and Naito Parkway. Portland addresses contain their sector between house number and street name (i.e. 223 SW Yamhill St.). Address numbers increase 100 per block starting from Burnside Street or the Willamette River. This can make it easy to figure out locations from a street address, with practice. On named streets, the address numbers correspond to the nearest numbered cross-street, so 4534 SE Belmont St. is on SE Belmont near 45th Avenue.

Portland is generally safe for tourists, but it is still a big city with big city problems. Old Town/Chinatown can be a bit dodgy, but generally not dangerous during the day; at night, you're best off avoiding it or sticking to the well-lit transit stations. Public drug use is not uncommon in many parts of town. People in public states of psychosis (whether due to a history of poor mental health or induced via drugs) may be seen yelling in the street or engaging in other abnormal activities. For your own safety, if you see someone like this, do not engage with them and stay a safe distance from them. Some rougher areas of the city exist in East Portland along NE/SE 82nd Avenue and east of Interstate 205, but they are seldom dangerous and should pose no problem to those who mind their own business while seeing the sights or eating at some of the off-the-beaten-track places that can be found there. Portland has a large homeless population. You may be approached by people asking for food or money while walking in downtown or stopped at a major intersection. A simple "no" suffices as a response, but you may be threatened or cussed at. However, these responses almost never lead to physical violence – just anticipate that you may receive unsavory responses. Portlanders — drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike — generally obey traffic lights and signs, and you should, too.