Portland, Oregon: What’s Worth Your Time

Portland has been written about so much in terms of its self-conscious weirdness that the actual city sometimes gets obscured by the mythology. It’s a mid-sized American city with exceptional food, good public transit, easy access to remarkable nature, and real urban problems that would be dishonest to skip over. Powell’s Books is still magnificent. The Japanese Garden is among the best in North America. The downtown core has had a rough few years and has been improving, but check recent reports before planning your accommodation.

Where to Spend Your Time

Powell’s City of Books on West Burnside occupies a full city block across multiple floors. Used and new books together, a rare book room, and a density of good writing on every shelf that rewards slow browsing. You go in intending 20 minutes and emerge 90 minutes later carrying things you didn’t know you were looking for. This is not a criticism.

Washington Park holds the Oregon Zoo and the formal Japanese Garden. The Japanese Garden is one of the most carefully maintained in the United States, designed in 1963 with ongoing input from Japanese garden experts and covering 5.5 acres above the city. The 2017 Cultural Village expansion added a significant new pavilion designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Entry runs around $22. Go on a weekday morning for the best atmosphere and the fewest selfie sticks.

Forest Park is 5,000 acres of urban forest with over 80km of trails accessible from multiple trailheads. The Wildwood Trail runs 48km from near the zoo to the northern park boundary. An afternoon out-and-back from the Thurman Street trailhead gives you 2-3 hours of Douglas fir and maple without leaving the city limits, which is a genuinely unusual thing to be able to say.

The Saturday and Sunday Portland Farmers Market (March through December, PSU campus) is one of the better markets in the Pacific Northwest. Good for breakfast and local produce at prices that haven’t yet adjusted to Portland’s rising restaurant costs.

Food and Drink

Portland’s food truck scene is real and not diminished. Cartopia on SE Hawthorne is a good permanent pod. Potato Champion has excellent loaded fries with poutine and international variations. Thai food trucks citywide are reliably better than equivalent sit-down restaurants.

For proper restaurants: Tasty n Daughters on Alder Street does the best breakfast in the city, cash only, with substantial weekend waits. Ava Gene’s serves vegetable-forward Italian cooking that would be notable in any city. Han Oak in the Pearl District has outstanding Korean food with cocktails that justify the prices.

Oregon’s wine country in the Willamette Valley is 45 minutes south and produces world-class Pinot Noir. The valley has approximately 700 wineries; the Eola-Amity Hills and Dundee Hills sub-appellations have the most celebrated estates.

Breakside Brewery in Northeast Portland produces some of the more interesting craft beer in a city that has more breweries per capita than almost anywhere in the country.

Getting Around

Portland’s MAX light rail runs from PDX airport to downtown in 40 minutes for around $2.50. Within the inner city, the city is very walkable. The Pearl District, NW 23rd Avenue, and the Hawthorne and Division Street corridors in Southeast are all navigable on foot.

Where to Stay

Hotel deLuxe on West Broadway has a film-era aesthetic and comfortable rooms in a good central location. Society Hotel in Old Town has an unusual range from small hotel rooms to dormitory beds. Ace Hotel in the Pearl District is well-run and central to the main eating and drinking areas.

Practical Note

The downtown situation has improved since the worst of the post-2020 period, but some blocks east of Burnside can be uncomfortable after dark. The Pearl District and NW 23rd are fine at any hour. Adjust neighbourhood expectations accordingly rather than avoiding the city.