Guide to Portland, Oregon: how to get there and where to stay, what to see and where to go in the evening. The best things to do in Portland, Oregon: fresh reviews and photos, places to see, branded entertainment and shopping.
One of the two American Portlands, this city differs from its namesake in Maine as much as the west coast of the United States differs from the east. One of the greenest cities in America, it is also a lively, modern metropolis full of movement. Portlanders, who number about 600,000, are proud of their skytrain and half a dozen colloquial names by which the city is known in the country: Beer Paradise (“Birwana”), City of Roses, City of Bridges, City of English Football and even Little Beirut.
In recent decades, Portland has experienced a rapid growth in food service, and the city has been named the best in the world by CNN for its street food.
How to get to Portland, Oregon
According to toppharmacyschools, Portland has an international airport, but direct flights from Russia do not yet fly here. Rail links connect the city with Los Angeles and Chicago.
Search for flights to Portland, Oregon at the lowest prices
A bit of history
Once the Indians inhabited this place, and non-native Americans got here only in the 19th century. The first significant piece of land was acquired by a couple of colonists, natives of Boston and Portland, Maine. Both wanted to name the settlement after their homeland, and the outcome of the dispute was decided by a coin. This happened in 1845. Portland’s excellent location on two navigable rivers near the ocean gave impetus to the rapid growth and development of its port: it remained the largest on the coast until the end of the century, when Seattle took over.
The coin, which determined the name of the future city, is exhibited as an exhibit of the Museum of the Oregon History Society under the name “Portland Penny”.
4 things to do in Portland
- Visit the International Rose Research Park and other rose gardens in the city. The climate of Portland is perfect for growing these flowers.
- Ride all types of city trains: the fast MAX light rail, the more traditional streetcar, the Westside WES, or the aerial cable car from the South Shore to the Health University on Mt. It is especially pleasant to ride, being in the free travel zone in the city center. And sometimes real steam locomotives (the only ones operating in the USA) drive around the city.
- Inspect the food courts: have a bagel breakfast at Fifth Avenue Brunch Bock, mahi-mahi lunch at Alder’s Roast Scotch, dine on Norwegian lefse at Viking Soul at Good Food.
- Be sure to find the iconic donut Voodoo donut, the most famous on the coast and in all of America. Here they bake donuts with monstrous additives (for example, bacon) and the most breathtaking forms (for example, donuts-phalluses), here you can officially get married, and here the US president himself orders donuts.
Attractions and attractions in Portland, Oregon
For obvious reasons, you can’t see buildings older than a hundred years in this Portland. But when planning it, they carefully took into account the natural features of the landscape, trying not to disturb the natural harmony. This is how the eastern esplanade on the Willamette coast appeared, diving under picturesque bridges. By the way, bridges are an important part of the city panorama and obligatory objects, if not for visiting, then at least for taking pictures. This is primarily the St. John Suspension Bridge, recognizable thanks to the pair of sharp spiers of the pillars, and the Hawthorne Bridge, through which it is easy to get to the science museum. Both bridges have walkways.
The oldest urban area is located on the West Side, and its center is a large building of the Italianate station made of marble, built in 1890. An Italian quarter was formed nearby with many eateries. Nearby stands the most, perhaps, the famous building of the city – the Portland Building with a statue of Portland installed on it. This is a huge copper sculpture, inferior in size from all North American only to the Statue of Liberty. The height of a crouched woman with a trident is 10 m (and if a woman stood up, she would be 15 meters high). The sculpture was made in parts near Washington and only then brought to the city and assembled here in 1985.
The Portland Art Museum is one of the 25 largest museums in the country, and every year it opens temporary exhibitions from other museums. Many art galleries are located in the center, in the Pearl District and Alberta Arts. And on the banks of the Willamette there is an interesting museum of science and industry, where you can study the objects exhibited as exhibits that had real use in these industries. The museum includes halls for earth and life sciences, a turbine hall, a planetarium, and a hall for temporary, frequently updated exhibitions. Also of interest is Powell’s City of Books, a huge multi-storey bookstore that occupies a block on the corner of Burnside. In addition, Portland has a maritime museum where you can get a closer look at the life of fishermen. And also a slightly funny little museum of hats.
It was in Portland, in the famous Satyricon nightclub, that Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) met his future wife, Courtney Love, who grew up and lived here for a long time. Unfortunately, the club no longer exists.
In the heart of Downtown, near Chinatown, there is Akeni Plaza, where a market is open on Saturdays. Also on the square is the bronze and granite Skidmore Fountain, which appeared here in 1888 and is today considered one of the oldest objects of public art. Very beautiful is the white Old Church on 11th Avenue, a Presbyterian church built in 1883 in the Victorian style. In its interior, many carefully executed wooden carvings, vaulted ceilings and columns of the Corinthian order have been preserved. Today, events and concerts are held within the walls of the church, and the concert on Wednesdays at noon is free.
Walking around the city, you should also look into the southern districts – built up with Victorian houses Sellwood and Hawthorne, where many shops are located. Be sure to also visit the Grotto in the northeast, a modern Catholic chapel built next to the Grotto of the Sorrowing Mother. The chapel is surrounded by beautiful sculptures, and on the territory around there is a picturesque and quiet botanical garden with a wonderful view of Mount St. Helen. And not far from the Hawthorne Bridge in the southwest are two central squares of the city – Lawnsdale and Chapman. Initially, in 1900, the first of them was intended for men, and the second for women and children, so the squares are officially separated from each other. Here stands the figure of a white elk – the unofficial emblem of the city, and in the heat it is shady and cool.
Portland is full of small breweries: about 40. That’s more than any other city in the world.
In the “greenest city” you can not ignore the city gardens and parks. For example, Tom McCall Park by the water with a 3 km long walking area or the famous Washington Park on the West Hills. On the territory of this park there is a forest center, a zoo, a Japanese garden and an arboretum. In addition, the city has a classical Chinese garden in the style of Suzhou. Beautiful old wooded park Laurelhurst in the city center. And near Crystal Springs Lake in the park there is a rhododendron garden with two thousand plants. In Hillside West Park, in the hills, you can see the beautiful Pittock Mansion, which today houses a museum. Moreover, Portland in Oregon is one of three North American cities that stand on extinct volcanoes (not counting the island territories). In Portland, this is Mount Tabor, which is a natural park with amazing views.
The city also has the tiniest park in the world, Mill Ends. The park is located on the corner of Taylor Street and Southwest Front Avenue. To be honest, it’s just a flower bed with one small Christmas tree.
In recent decades, Portland has experienced a rapid growth in food service, and the city has been named the best in the world by CNN for its street food. There are already more than 600 small eateries with or without their own kitchens in the city. And these are by no means some crappy eateries in the Russian imagination: sanitary standards are strictly observed here, and very tasty and not at all simple dishes are prepared even in the smallest kitchens. Food courts are grouped by district; the largest is Alder, not far from Powell’s bookstore. Those who wish can even take part in one of the various (thematic) group tours of the food courts in the company of a guide.
It is believed that Portlanders are complete coffee lovers.
Every year, Portland hosts the June Rose Festival with a host of events as part of its program, including a carnival. And the Hollywood Theater in Portland hosts a regular festival of films based on Lovecraft’s books.
