Blogs from Portland, Oregon, United States, North America - page 5

When my mom asked if I wanted to tag along, my response was "I forgot it was a state." (My apologies Oregon.) However, I am always ready for an adventure so of course I agreed to go and packed my bags a few days later. With some Pinterest research and set out where exactly I wanted to go in the short amount of time that I had available. Portland: You are wonderful. There is so much culture in such a small area and I am really sorry that I couldn't explore every block of your city.I would have loved to do all of the cool hikes in the area, or check out the more hipster part of town, but there simple wasn't enough time. The first thing we did was take a city bus, and a ... read more

Long perceived as a "hipster" city, this preconception of Portland is in reality, not too far-fetched. That is, if hipster entails liberal politics, environmental consciousness, temperate climate, food carts, and fervor for beer and coffee. This city prides itself on being different, as evidenced by their slogan, "Keep Portland Weird," and if strange is good, then Portland is great. But as unique as this town is, other city governments around the country are taking note and following suit; renown for their dedication to public transportation, high walkability, and large bike-share program, Portland's city council is setting an example for running a sustainable town. Sustainability is also dependent on natural resources, which is quite abundant in the Pacific Northwest. As Seattle is flanked by Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Portland is also surrounded by water; the Willamette ... read more

Back in Portland for the second time and about to head south. We are hiring a car in a few hours and spending two days slowly winding our way down I-5 and 101 towards the Bay Area, California. The time we've spent in the Pacific NW has been varied but wonderful, matching easily the expectations in my mind built on a month-long visit here in 2006. Portland has changed a lot in the ensuing nine years, or so most people we have met here have said. The city is bigger, busier, more corporate. Its unofficial motto, "Keep Portland Weird", bares less relevance now than it did a decade ago or twenty or thirty years ago. Honestly I can't be 100% sure as my memories are hazy but certainly the skyline is a lot more jagged with ... read more

By the time we reach Portland we are tired and stressed from our battle to get the damaged tire repaired. The satnav is a saving grace to get us safely to our next airbnb house, which is a turn of the century wooden house in a street full of similarly bohemian homes. Every garden (and every stretch of what would be grass verge in a UK road) is full of mixed flowers and vegetables, and maybe the odd pot plant thrown in for good measure. Portland feels a bit like San Francisco in the 60s, mixed with 2014 eco-consciousness. Sandals, bikes, recycling, organic food, an outdoor lifestyle and a lot of weird people. Our home for the next 5 nights is quirky but homely - bare wooden floors, sash windows that mostly don't open and lots ... read more

We took the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Seattle to Portland, OR today. This train goes from Vancouver, B.C. to California which includes bi-level coaches and sleeping cars if you are making the journey to CA. Travel speeds are slow compared to the Northeast Corridor. The scenery along the coast was beautiful and we crossed over the Columbia River along the way. Both Union Stations were quite pretty and very clean as compared to what we are used to on the East Coast. We've not been to Portland before and we were pleasantly surprised at the vibrance of the town. We took one of those hop on hop off trolleys for a 2 hour tour of the town, the expansive parks, and the waterfront area where there was a Brewfest event. On the way back to ... read more