If you ever saw the comedy series Portlandia, which ran from 2011 to 2018, you know this city of 653,000 (metro area 2.1 million) is bike-friendly and full of food carts/trucks, indie bookstores, farm-to-table restaurants, an embarrassing number of coffee shops - and has a certain quirkiness to it (a popular local slogan goes: "Keep Portland Weird"). Most of these characterizations are pretty accurate. However, it's also a city that boasts more than 150 parks, including the largest forested park in the nation, 70 breweries (and counting) and one-of-a-kind fun things to do like the Freakybutttrue Peculiarium., described by Atlas Obscura as "an emporium for the weird, creepy, rare, and just plain gross."
And if you plan to travel in June, check out the annual Portland Rose Festival at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park or stop by the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park (see below) to see why Portland is also dubbed the "City of Roses." Experience Portland like a local and rent a Biketown electric bike so you can ride the city's designated bike routes or paths. And in the winter, the area makes a good base for skiing or snowboarding excursions at Mount Hood., two hours east.
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