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Your Visit to Portland
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 The
purpose of this section, Visit Portland, is to help you with
your stay in Portland. It assumes you are visiting Portland because
you are considering relocating to Portland and want to know what to
see, what to do, and what neighborhoods to visit.
First piece of advice. Stay in the downtown area.
If you want to understand Portlandia, you have to mingle with the Portlanders
and downtown is the best spot to see the good as well as the bad.
Unlike most USA cities, Portland is one of a handful of cities to increase
its core density population according to the 2000 US Census. It
is a thriving city, not a decaying city.
Maps Get a map of Portland and if you're
planning to visit areas outside of Portland, get a map of Oregon.
Best source of maps is the
American Automobile Association. If you going to travel
outside of Portland, request travel publications from the
Oregon Tourist Commission.
Guide Book Last piece of advice.
Get a basic guide book. We recommend
Portland's Best Places or the
Insiders Guide To Portland Oregon. Both are available
at Powell's Books
right here in Portland. If you're going to explore beyond Portland consider
the Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest: Oregon & Washington
2nd Edition.
Transportation It's possible to get by
without a car as public transportation is available in most sections
of the city. If you're exploring neighborhoods, it's best to have
a automobile.
MAX (light
rail) has 43-miles of rail line and covers a east/west route as well
as a line to the Portland International Airport.
Portland
streetcars started operation on July 20, 2001. The streetcars
link downtown with the Northwest area, Downtown to the Portland State
University campus, and South Waterfront.
Driver Warning on Intersections
Intersections are a real problem in Portland because the city allows
cars to park very close to the intersection thereby obstructing the driver's view
of traffic. You have to pull well into the crosswalk in order
to determine if any cars are coming from your left or right. This
action causes problem for vehicles turning into the street where you
are stopped as well as pedestrians. So approach intersections
with caution.
Watch for Bikers Portland is arguably
the most bike-friendly big city in America, which makes it a crucial
laboratory for laws that encourage cycling over driving. The
city has more bike lanes than any other city in America. This
translates to thousands of cyclists on the street of Portland.
In 2007, there were six fatalities from biking accidents. Most were
the result from bike lanes laid adjacent to car lanes: the gruesome
"right hook," in which a car turns right, crossing over a bike lane,
the driver often unaware of cyclists riding up in a blind spot.
Make certain your vehicle's mirrors are adjusted so you can see
bikers. And when turning right, look in the mirror and over
your right shoulder.
Driver Warning on Walkers Oregon law
treats all non-motorized crosswalk users as if they were
pedestrians, even bicyclists. The Oregon Pedestrian Crosswalk Law of
2006 requires that vehicles allow pedestrians to exercise the right
of way in a marked, or unmarked crosswalk or with a walk signal if
the pedestrian is in the lane or next to the lane of travel.
Further, if the intersection has a traffic control device, the
vehicle must yield if the pedestrian is less than six feet from the
lane into which the vehicle is turning. If the roadway has a safety
island, then the vehicle must only yield when the pedestrian is on
the vehicle’s side of the island.
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Getting to Portland - Staying in Portland
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 Airlines
PDX is the Portland airport code.
There are a number of ways to get to and from the Portland
International Airport and downtown. The airport is 12 miles from downtown
Portland, but the travel time may vary depending on time of day and
the method of transportation. The airport's
Ground Transportation page on their Web site is helpful.
Car Rental The airport maintains a list
of
Rental Agencies available at Portland International Airport.
Gray Line Shuttle One of the most economical
options is the Gray Line Shuttle Service. Pick up service takes place
24 hours a day, with service during peak periods of the day every half
hour. One way fare for adults is $15. Tickets are discounted for seniors
60 and older as well as for children 12 and under. Gray Line has two
different shuttle routes serving various hotels and convention locations.
Please check the schedule and use Shuttle #2.
Taxi A taxi ride may also appeal to you.
The fare is more expensive at roughly $25-$30 (not including tip) but
the trip is faster. Limo service is also available.
Public Transportation - Airport For those
preferring to use public transportation, Portland's
MAX light-rail Red Line service runs from Portland International
Airport to downtown Portland every 15 minutes from 4:37 a.m. until 11:35
p.m. MAX operates every day of the year and a one-way trip from
the airport to downtown takes about 40 minutes. Tickets may be
purchased at an automated ticket machine, conveniently located near
the Airport MAX station or at a MAX station stop in the Portland area.
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Portland Hotels |
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 Downtown
Portland has all the major chains (e.g., Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites,
etc.) plus a handful of independents. Try the
Portland Oregon
Visitor Association reservation system - book a hotel online via
the POVA Big Deal system.
Downtown Historical Hotels
Boutique Hotel in Downtown Portland
In January 2005,
Travel &
Leisure magazine reinforced something many travelers already know
about Portland: It’s a great boutique hotel town. In the hospitality
business, “boutique hotel” is a term used to describe a smaller hotel,
often not part of a chain, where the emphasis is on personal service
and unique, often luxurious décor — all aimed at creating a memorable
stay.
Four local hotels earned a place on Travel & Leisure
magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Hotels in the World. Seattle, by
contrast, had only three hotels on the list; Denver had two. The 5th
Avenue Suites Hotel, ranked No. 1 in Portland, got a higher score than
any of the Seattle hotels. The Heathman Hotel, the Hotel Lucia, and
the Hotel Vintage Plaza also made the list, the Lucia for the first
time.
Our Hotel Choices
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Ace Hotel
A great place to absorb Portland's artful vibe and green
sensibility. The Ace features artwork painted directly on the
walls and a fleet of bicycles so guests can traverse the city
like natives.
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Mark Spencer
A good choice for downtown. Its reasonable and all rooms feature
fully equipped kitchens for convenient in-room dining. Walk
out the front door of the Mark Spencer and you can catch a streetcar.
A 3-minute walk to Powell Books. Just across the street
is Kenny & Zuke's Deli - they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Their pastrami sandwiches are famous along with Grandma Zukin's
goulash.
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Jupiter Hotel
Conde Nast Traveler magazine called it, "One of the 116 best new
hotels in the world.” The hotel is eight blocks east of the
Burnside Bridge at 800 E. Burnside. The hotel's Doug Fir restaurant
has also received good reviews.
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Hotel
deLuxe Former the Mallory, this hotel has been remodeled
and reopened for business in May 2006. The hotel’s restaurant
— called Gracie’s after comedian Gracie Allen — serves breakfast,
lunch and dinner in a handsome room that brings to mind a classic
Brown Derby restaurant. The deLuxe accepts pets. It is located in the Goose Hollow
neighborhood at 729 SW 15th Avenue.
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Park Lane
Suites Located in the historic King's Hill District -
just blocks from Northwest 21st and 23rd Avenues (Nob Hill).
The Park Lane offers one and two bedroom suites, kitchenettes, and
complimentary parking.
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Avalon Hotel + Spa Located at the edge of the new South
Waterfront District on the Willamette River.
Hotels Accepting Pets
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Visit
Pets Welcome,
the internet's largest pet/travel resource. They list over
25,000 hotels, B&Bs, ski resorts, campgrounds, and beaches that
are pet-friendly.
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Eating in the Rose City |
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Restaurants
This excerpt from a September 2007 story in the New York Times Dining Out section entitled "Portland: Chefs Flock
to a City Where Food Stars," says a lot about restayrants in Portland.
They come but they don’t go.
In the way New York drew artists in the ’50s, this city at the confluence
of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers seems to exert a magnetic
lure on talented chefs who come from almost anywhere else and decide
to stay right here. About the hardest thing to find in Portland
these days is a homegrown chef.
Portland may seem an unlikely place for such status, a city destined
to play second string on the West Coast to San Francisco and Seattle.
But in the last five years or so Portland has grown and evolved.
At first it was a sort of underground stop for food and wine lovers
who had heard word of small, fascinating restaurants run by young,
talented chefs serving a bounty of local produce. It’s underground
no more. Portland has emerged from its chrysalis as a full-fledged
dining destination.
The Portland Tribune's
Annual Dining Guide is both entertaining and honest. The Tribune's
categories are fun like Bang for the Buck, Steal a Kiss,
etc. Another source of reviews is the Willamette Week's
Food Finder
where you select the location, meal, and cuisine and they're bring up
a list of matches online. Their annual
Cheap Eats should also be considered.
Thirsty and hungry? Visit one of the many brewpubs
in Portland. Make sure you eat Bento (i.e., Japanese box lunch)
for one of your lunches.
The Pacific Northwest climate is a food grower's paradise.
Lots of hot weather in the summer and cool/damp springs and falls.
Seafood is fresh since Portland is 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean and
Oregon has thousands of acres of ranches devoted to beef. Below
our some of our favorite eating places. We like small animated
cafes so you are forewarned.
Eating Downtown
Bijou (breakfast and lunch), Higgins Restaurant & Bar,
Jake's Famous Crawfish, Mother's Bistro, and Pazzo Ristorante. Visit
Portland Grill at 111 SW 5th Avenue (refer to as "Big Pink" by Portlanders)
on a clear day for lunch, dinner, or a late night snack. It on
the 30th floor and offers great views of the city and mountains.
Other eating places:
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Park
Kitchen Chef-owner Scott Dolich is so dedicated to
locally grown food that he's on the board of directors for the
Portland Farmers' Market. His passion for all things local
continues at his restaurant, in the chic Pearl District, where
the menu changes daily based on ingredients procured from as few
miles away as possible. The Park Kitchen is located in the
Pearl District.
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Kenny &
Zuke's Deli They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Their pastrami sandwiches are famous along with Grandma Zukin's
goulash.
Eating in Northwest/Nob Hill
Our favorite eating places in the Northwest area of
Portland (take the streetcar from downtown): Cafe Mingo (Italian),
Le Bouchon (French), Pauley Place (American/Northwest and Gourmet
Magazine 2006 America's Top 50 Restaurants), Ringside
Steakhouse, Typhoon (Thai), and Wildwood (Gourmet Magazine America's
Top 50 Restaurants).
Eating in Southeast Portland
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3 Doors Down Café Located at 429
SE 37th Street (Hawthorne neighborhood) serving American/Mediterranean
cuisine.
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Cafe Castagana 1758 SE Hawthorne
Blvd. - Some of the city's best pizza, fat burgers, great Caesar
salad, roasted chicken. It's being called "Comfort Food Central".
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Caprial's Bistro Serving Pacific
Northwest cuisine, is located in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood
on 7015 SE Milwaukie Avenue. It is popular with Portland residents
so make sure you have reservations. Call 503.236.6457.
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ClarkLewis
The Oregonian's 2004 Restaurant of the year. Order their
three course $30 meal and be surprised. Located at 1001 SE
Water Avenue in the eastside industrial area. Telephone: (503)
235-2294.
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Down on the Farm What a bargain!
You can get two entrees, share a salad and dessert, and enjoy a
decent bottle of French wine for about $50. It's in a gingerbread
house just one block off East Burnside Street. No reservations.
Location at 10 SE 7th Avenue. Dinner and Saturday/Sunday brunch.
Telephone: (503) 736-3276.
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Esparza's Tex Mex Cafe An upscale
Mexican with a festive atmosphere. The tequila list rivals some
wine lists. Located at 2725 SE Ankeny Street.
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Lauro Kitchen Located at 3377 SE
Division Street, Lauro Kitchen was the Willamette Week's 2004 Restaurant
of the Year. Lauro Kitchen is a 54-seat neighborhood restaurant
and bar that offers moderately priced dishes inspired by the cuisine
of Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Italy and Greece. Telephone:
(503) 239-7000.
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Le Pigeon The NY Times called
Le Pigeon an informal slightly manic spot with seasonally changing,
nonconformist dishes like braised port belly with creamed corn."
Located at 738 East Burnside Street, just across the river from
downtown. Telephone (503) 546-8796.
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Pok Pok Andy Ricker opened Pok Pok
in 2005 as a takeout Thai shack but now has a small dining room
as well. Located at 3226 SE Division Street. Telephone
(503) 232-1387.
Eating in North and Northeast Portland
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Fife Located at 4440 NE Fremont Street.
Uncomplicated American cuisine to include everything from crab cakes
to rib-eye steaks. Be prepare for a noisy atmosphere.
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Gotham Building Coffee Shop Located
at 2240 N. Interstate Avenue, the low-budget decor may fool you
but once you try the food, you'll be back for more.
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Laurelwood Public house & Brewery
1728 NE 40th Street. Solid pub fare to include burgers, sandwiches,
salads, and appetizers. Plus a play area for kids and large
beer tanks behind glass walls to entertain them.
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Peanut Butter & Ellie's 1325 NE Fremont
Street Another good kids spot with a menu consisting of half-a-dozen
variations of peanut butter and jelly. For dad and mom; grill
cheese, BLTs, and tuna melts.
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Winterborne If you're looking for
a cozy romantic place to dine, head for 3520 NE 42nd and Fremont.
It is a great conversation place and easy on the budget. Seafood
only, dinners only, Wednesdays to Saturday only. Telephone: 503.249.8486
Upscale
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Genoa
at 2832 S.E. Belmont and for almost 30 years is the Italian restaurant
in Portland. With fewer than a dozen tables, it's also one
of the smallest. Everything is made fresh in the kitchen with
the best of locally available seasonal ingredients, from the breads
to the luscious desserts.
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The Heathman at 1001 SW Broadway (downtown) is fundamentally
French, with influences from the Northwest to Asia to Italy. The
Heathman In Portland's big-deal, big-celebrity hotel, Chef Philippe
Boulot, the French-trained former head chef at New York's Mark Hotel,
revels in the fresh fish, game, wild mushrooms, and other ingredients
of the Northwest.
Fun Places to Eat
 Lunch
with Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark As mayor, "Bud" Clark
created the nationally recognized 12 Point Homeless Plan, supported
the growth of mass transit, including the MAX Light Rail line to
Hillsboro, Oregon, aided downtown development, and initiated and led
the campaign to build the Oregon Convention Center. Clark also
sanctioned The Mayor's Ball, an annual charity event featuring
independent musicians from all over the Northwest. It could be
argued that The Mayor's Ball was instrumental in building a music
scene that helped to fuel the Nineties' grunge movement. The tavern
owner served eight years (1985 - 1992) and now has
returned to running his tavern called Goose Hollow Inn. It has
a pleasant deck where you can drink away your frustrations with the rest
of the City Hall roustabouts. The Hollow Reuben sandwich is always
a winner. The Goose Hollow is located at 1927 SW Jefferson Street, telephone
503-228-7010.
 Dockside
Saloon Located at 2047 NW Front Avenue (Industrial
area), you can get a good lunch or breakfast (they open at 5 AM).
Try their hash browns! The Dockside gave 63 interviews to various newspapers,
magazines, and TV shows in January 1994. All because of their
garbage. On January 30, 1994, Kathy Peterson (waitress, dishwasher,
bookkeeper, and owner along with her husband Terry Peterson) was emptying
the garbage when she came upon several bags of trash that somebody had
left in the dumpster. Kathy examined the garbage and among the
items found was an envelope with information concerning Nancy Kerrigan's
practice schedule at her home rink (Tony Kent Arena). The handwriting
was that of Portland's Olympic skater
Tonya Harding.
She had earlier denied any involvement in the "club" incident when her
husband (now former) and a friend did the 'knee-cap job' on Nancy.
The Dockside garbage proved otherwise. Neither Tonya Harding nor
any of her cohorts had ever visited the Dockside - they most likely
found the dumpster convenient as they drove by and unloaded the evidence.
To quote from the backside of the menu at the Dockside,
"Please remember this... be careful where you dump your trash, you never
know who will find it."
 Stanich's
This is the place to eat if you dying for a burger. You can repent
tomorrow. Billed as the "The World's Greatest Hamburger," the Special
has beef, cheese, egg, ham, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. As you
savor every bite, cast your eyes on the walls plastered with old newspaper
clippings and the pennants of bygone sporting seasons. Stanich's
is located at 4915 NE Fremont Street and at
5627 SW Kelly Avenue.
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Driving in the Portland Metro Area |
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Red-light Camera in Portland
Red-light camera are underground sensors at the crosswalk or stop line
that are activated when a car crosses over them while the light is red.
Drivers caught by the automatic cameras receive a $245 ticket. It
is not the same as a photo radar where you see a trailer you see parked
along the curb that catches speeders. They are posted at the
following locations in Portland:
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W. Burnside at N.W. 19th Ave.
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S.W. 4th at S.W. Jefferson St.
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N.E. Broadway at N.E. Grand Ave.
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E.
Burnside at S.E. Grand Ave.
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S.E. Grand Ave. at S.E. Madison St.
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N.E. Sandy Blvd. at N.E. 39th Ave.
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S.E. Washington at 0 2 S.E. 103rd Ave.
Be aware that the City of Beaverton also used
red-light camera at about 5-6 locations.
Bike Safety for Motor Vehicle Drivers
Portland, which has a higher percentage of people who
bike to work than any other large American city, is already considered
one of the country’s most bike-friendly urban centers. We have
almost 300 miles of marked bike lanes.
A number of deaths have occurred in recent years - six
in 2007. Most are caused by what is known as the "right hook" turn
in which a car turning right fails to see a bicyclist riding along the
street's right side. The biker hasn't
much of a chance when a car turns into them.
So when you are about to turn right (especially if you
are driving next to a marked bike lane), it is important to check your
right outside mirror as well as to look over your right shoulder to
ascertain if any bike riders are in the path of your turn. You
must yield to the biker!
 The
colorful green boxes reserve a spot for cyclists in front of cars when
all are stopped at red lights. When the light changes, bicyclists are
able to move ahead of cars, whether they continue straight or make a
right turn. The city installed 14 of the boxes in 2008. The
photo on the left is a city crew installing a box in March, 2008.
The photo was taken by Doug Beghtel, a photographer with The
Oregonian.
Here are the rules:
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When traffic signals are red, only bicyclists are
allowed in the 14-foot-long green boxes painted across traffic
lanes. Cars and trucks must line up behind the boxes.
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Motorists at the intersections can no longer turn
right on red, even if bicyclists aren't in the boxes or in
green-painted bike lanes leading to and from the boxes.
Motorists who enter the boxes at a red light or turn
right on red could face a fine of $242. |
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