Portland. Oregon
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Expedia video, freely available on Youtube.
The British admiralty Office assigned Lieutenant William Broughton, Commander of HMS Chatam to explore the Navigable waters of the Columbia River. On 30th October 1792 he took possession of the Territory, now the State of Oregon, in the name of the British Crown. He named the Mountain Mt Hood after Viscount Hood, Admiral of the British Fleet. The Columbia river which separates Washington State from Oregon is pictured below. If you are familiar with American wine, you will know that this area is a great producer of wine. You might also have heard of the hiking brand Columbia, named after this river.
The British admiralty Office assigned Lieutenant William Broughton, Commander of HMS Chatam to explore the Navigable waters of the Columbia River. On 30th October 1792 he took possession of the Territory, now the State of Oregon, in the name of the British Crown. He named the Mountain Mt Hood after Viscount Hood, Admiral of the British Fleet. The Columbia river which separates Washington State from Oregon is pictured below. If you are familiar with American wine, you will know that this area is a great producer of wine. You might also have heard of the hiking brand Columbia, named after this river.
Columbia river ^
Make sure you get a window seat coming in to land in Portland as sometimes you get a great view of Mount Hood, as I did below.
Portland, The City of Roses as it is known loves to be known as weird! A hipsters paradise, but by being known as a place for alternatives, people who don't want to follow a trend, it has ironically become a ' Trendy city.'
Straddled across the Willamette River, Portland, with much in common with nearby Seattle and San Francisco does have it's own strong identity. It is a very liberal culture here and a bastion of counterculture. It is one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world and unlike Seattle and San Francisco the city centre is fairly flat and easily walkable.
It has beautiful parks and within an hour's drive you can explore many more beautiful parks, wine valleys, waterfalls, mountains, volcanoes and a stunning rugged coastline.
Intel is the biggest employer, but Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear and Dr Martens etc are also large employers. Portland is the capital of Karaoke in the U.S and has a great Live Music scene. It is one of the best cities in the world for street food and has the most micro breweries of any city. There are many festivals such as this one below, in the Alberta Arts District, every last Thursday in the month.
Straddled across the Willamette River, Portland, with much in common with nearby Seattle and San Francisco does have it's own strong identity. It is a very liberal culture here and a bastion of counterculture. It is one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world and unlike Seattle and San Francisco the city centre is fairly flat and easily walkable.
It has beautiful parks and within an hour's drive you can explore many more beautiful parks, wine valleys, waterfalls, mountains, volcanoes and a stunning rugged coastline.
Intel is the biggest employer, but Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear and Dr Martens etc are also large employers. Portland is the capital of Karaoke in the U.S and has a great Live Music scene. It is one of the best cities in the world for street food and has the most micro breweries of any city. There are many festivals such as this one below, in the Alberta Arts District, every last Thursday in the month.
Weather
The climate is warm and dry in the summer. We were there in July one year recently and it was 30-31c most days, although the mid twenties are more typical. The summer is May to September, with July and August being the driest months. The winter is usually cool and wet, with a rare snow flurry, but mainly rain.
Places to visit in Portland
4) The famous food trucks in Downtown Portland, we liked the ones here: 1003 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
5) Pioneer Place and shopping area downtown. 6) Portland Art Museum
7) Powell's Books, the worlds largest independent book store with something for everybody. New and used books. Good View points of the city well worth a drive are: Rocky Butte for a great view of Mt Hood!! and Portland City Grill for a great view of the city. |
Places to visit from Portland
1) Mount Hood
I took these from an A window seat flying from the UK. 2) Multnomeh Falls, just 35 mins from Portland! This is a must see spectacular waterfall and an easy drive to it from Portland.
3) Canon Beach, 1 1/2 hours from Portland. It isn't usually warm enough to swim here though, but this coastline is beautiful.
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Longer trips from Portland
1) Seattle, a 3 hour drive north, see my page on that.
2) Springfield (Home of the Simpsons), there is a mural there and it's next to the city of Eugene, Oregon.
3) Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Well worth a visit!
4) San Francisco, see my page on that. You could stop over night around the Crater Lake area. See my page on West Coast Road Trip.
5) Astoria, a pretty little town at the other end of the Columbia river. pictured below. It is the oldest city in Oregon. Photo below.
2) Springfield (Home of the Simpsons), there is a mural there and it's next to the city of Eugene, Oregon.
3) Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Well worth a visit!
4) San Francisco, see my page on that. You could stop over night around the Crater Lake area. See my page on West Coast Road Trip.
5) Astoria, a pretty little town at the other end of the Columbia river. pictured below. It is the oldest city in Oregon. Photo below.
6) Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier, Washington State.
Mount Rainier, Washington State. ^
7) Walla Walla wine region and Lake Chelan Washington.
8) Smith Rock State Park. Oregon's spectacular version of the Grand Canyon.
We all enjoyed our trip to Portland. I had expected it just to appeal to my grown up children, but I was actually pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it! There are so many places within driving distance to see from here as well.
FOOD
Portland is well known for it's food, below is a restaurant that was featured on Diners, drive ins and dives. Vegetarians and vegans are very well catered for and Portland is most famous for it's food trucks. I could personally recommend Caspian Kebabs! but there are food stalls to cater for everyone. You can't come to Portland without trying at least one. The local wine is also excellent. Don't forget to try Vodoo Doughnuts and salt and straw ice cream, for a local treat. We loved the food trucks too.
Shopping is great here too, with a several malls, but the best thing in Oregon is that there is no sales tax!!
Popular restaurants include:
Tin Shed
Sushi Love
Pastini
Andina
Screen Door
Lechon
Seasons & Regions
Shopping is great here too, with a several malls, but the best thing in Oregon is that there is no sales tax!!
Popular restaurants include:
Tin Shed
Sushi Love
Pastini
Andina
Screen Door
Lechon
Seasons & Regions
Where to Stay
Portland is split in half with the I5 motorway and Willamette river running through the middle. The main city centre is on the left (West side) and further West seems to be the most affluent area of the city. There are some beautiful homes in the hills to the west of the city. The East side is up and coming with the Alberta arts district now a fun place to stay as well. The highest crime areas seem to be in the South East. North of Alberta street is a safe area. I wouldn't rent a place too far south of here though. The neighbourhoods to avoid staying in are Hazelwood, Lents, Powelhurst-Gilbert, Centennial and Montavilla (All in the South East) Everywhere else seemed safe to me. We all felt safe everywhere we went in Portland.
The traffic on the I5 is insane though, so it is much easier to stay on the West side. If you do go to the Eastside set your satnav to avoid motorways as it will direct you on the I5, which is at a constant standstill.This city needs a by-pass or tunnel urgently! However the airport is in the NorthEast, so allow time to get there if you are staying on the West side.
Portland is surrounded by mountains and the Volanoes. Mt Hood and Mt St Helens are visible from the city on a clear day. Mt St Helens is actually in Washington State though and is pictured below.
Where to Stay
Portland is split in half with the I5 motorway and Willamette river running through the middle. The main city centre is on the left (West side) and further West seems to be the most affluent area of the city. There are some beautiful homes in the hills to the west of the city. The East side is up and coming with the Alberta arts district now a fun place to stay as well. The highest crime areas seem to be in the South East. North of Alberta street is a safe area. I wouldn't rent a place too far south of here though. The neighbourhoods to avoid staying in are Hazelwood, Lents, Powelhurst-Gilbert, Centennial and Montavilla (All in the South East) Everywhere else seemed safe to me. We all felt safe everywhere we went in Portland.
The traffic on the I5 is insane though, so it is much easier to stay on the West side. If you do go to the Eastside set your satnav to avoid motorways as it will direct you on the I5, which is at a constant standstill.This city needs a by-pass or tunnel urgently! However the airport is in the NorthEast, so allow time to get there if you are staying on the West side.
Portland is surrounded by mountains and the Volanoes. Mt Hood and Mt St Helens are visible from the city on a clear day. Mt St Helens is actually in Washington State though and is pictured below.
Crime
Portland does actually have quite a high crime rate per population, They are working on this at the moment, but most of it is property crimes and vehicle theft rather than violent crime against people. Violent crime is just below average. Vehicle theft is very high actually, so be careful where you leave your car and make sure it is locked, with no valuables visible.
All American cities seem to be climbing yearly in murder rates though. The most dangerous areas in the city are Hazelwood, Centennial, Sunderland, Powellhurst, Chinatown. (Mostly areas east of the 205 and around the airport.)
All American cities seem to be climbing yearly in murder rates though. The most dangerous areas in the city are Hazelwood, Centennial, Sunderland, Powellhurst, Chinatown. (Mostly areas east of the 205 and around the airport.)