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.
Washington Park
Many critics, travelers and locals agree that of all of Portland's parks (and they are numerous), this is perhaps the best. The 458-acre (185-hetare) swath is home to such notable spots as the Portland Japanese Garden, the International Rose Test Garden, the World Forestry Center, Hoyt Arboretum, and several memorials dedicated to pivotal points in Oregon's history. The 12-acre, suitably Zenlike Japanese Garden is especially worthy of a 12-acre visit. It´s subdivided into eight separate gardens which represent different styles of traditional Japanese gardening techniques, though all feature essential elements like stone, water and plants which derive from influences of Shintoism, Buddhism, and Taoism, creating a unique, serene environment where visitors feel they are becoming a part of nature. The garden also features the Kashintei Tea House, where visitors can see demonstrations of a traditional tea ceremony, and a cultural village where Ikebana, bonsai care and Japanese music classes take place. If you're visiting in late March or early April, don't miss the chance to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Unlike other gardens within Washington Park, there is an admission fee. Admission costs $21.95 for adults, $15.95 for youths ages 6 to 17 and is free for kids ages 5 and younger.
The park is located in the city´s southwest, between West Burnside Street and U.S. Highway 26. You can pay to park (for $2 an hour) or take advantage of several public transit options, which may be your best bet as parking space is limited. TriMet's Blue and Red MAX Light Rail lines serve the Washington Park MAX station. The park offers a year-round free shuttle that stops at all of the park's major attractions. If you're coming to the park via light rail or bus, you can catch the shuttle on the plaza level of the Washington Park station.
Powell's City of Books
One of the USA´s most prominent remaining independent booksellers, founded in 1971, Powell´s is enormous - occupying an entire city block, more than 1⅓ acres, employing around 500, and reportedly the world´s largest bookstore - and exploring it actually requires a map. While you wander through the stacks, keep in mind that you are tracing the footsteps of great writers, many of whom - like Ursula K. Le Guin and Neil Gaiman - have scrawled their signatures on the building's pillars. You might also schedule your visit to coincide with a reading, as the book shop hosts events nearly every day totaling more than 500 author visits a year. The local chain Powell´s Books has two other locations, but this flagship is located in the Pearl District on the edge of downtonw and is open every day from 10 am. to 9 pm.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
Another fabulous Asian garden, it, too occupes an entire city block, in Portland's Old Town/Chinatown district just north of downtown. It's one of the only truly authentic Chinese gardens in the USA - modeled after China's Ming dynasty scholars gardens - and aims to be an oasis where people can escape the hustle of everyday life and connect with nature. In addition to featuring plants and trees native to China as well as an 8,000-square-foot lake, the garden also hosts a variety of Chinese cultural events and festivals, such as the Lunar New Year festival and lantern viewing evenings. It´s open daily from 10 am to 6 pm (till 4 pm from mid-October through April) and admission costs $14 for adults, $11 for kids ages six to 18 and is free for age five and younger.
Portland Art Museum
Founded in 1892, this 112,000 feets (10,400 sq. meters) of downtown gallery space is home to more than 42,000 pieces from mostly the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with standouts including an outdoor sculpture garden and works by Albert Bierstadt, the iconic painter of the American West; Paul Cézanne, Roy Liechtenstein, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera; and Vincent Van Gogh. And of course there are interesting rotating exhibitions from traditional to quirky, such as the past "Art and Beer" and the current "Monet to Matisse: French Moderns" and "Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks."
Forest Park
West of downtown, ispanning 5,200 acres and stretching for eight miles along the Willamette River, it's one of the USA´s largest urban parks in with features including the 30-mile Wildwood Trail, which is part of the region's 40-mile loop system connecting pedestrian and trail routes along the river to the city of Gresham through southeast Portland along the Willamette Greenway and back to the Marquam Trail in southwest Portland. To find a trailhead, check out the Forest Park Conservancy's online maps or buy a water-resistant trail map at Powell's or a New Seasons Market. If you're an avid birdwatcher, keep your eyes peeled: it's not unusual to spot barred owls, Cooper's hawks or pileated woodpeckers among the 112 species inhabiting the tall trees (mostly Douglas firs, western hemlocks, and western red cedars)
Pittock Mansion
On the outskirts in the West Hills, this is a 46-room, 110-year-old French-Renaissance-style chateau on a 46-acre estate with a sweeping view over the city, and it´s now a museum of the furnishings of the Pittock publishing family, whose members lived here until 1958.
Multnomah Falls
If you're willing to venture about 30 miles east of downtown Portland, the tallest waterfall in Oregon - and the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest - is located along the Historic Columbia River Highway. It's free to visit year-round. The information center is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. The lodge is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The falls are located off Interstate 84. Parking is at a premium, especially during the summer. From May 26 to Labor Day, a timed-used permit will be required to park in the I-84 parking lot; permits cost $2 and can be purchased at Recreation.gov. (A very limited number of parking spots are available at the historic highway parking lot; to score one, arrive early in the morning or later in the day.)
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Comments
I've been here and it's OK but despite the hype it's nothing to write home about, honestly.