Portland, Oregon

Table of Contents

Story and photos by Julie Diebolt Price (unless otherwise indicated)

A Rose By Any Other Name

Portland monikers are numerous. A historic gem in the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Oregon, claims many identities.

Portland Rose City, the most recent moniker, or “The City of Roses,” was the unofficial nickname since 1888. In 1889 Georgiana Pittock, wife of the successful newspaper publisher Henry Pittock, established the Portland Rose Society. She was active in her community as a founder and fundraiser for many cultural organizations and charities in Portland. The City of Roses has been the official nickname since 2003.

Originally, Portland was known as “Stumptown” and “The Clearing” by pioneer settlers because of all the trees cut down to allow for its growth. The 1830s saw a large number of immigrants arrive in the Willamette Valley via the Oregon Trail.

Landowners at the time, Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine, and Asa Lovejoy of Boston, wanted to name the town after the cities from whence they came. A coin toss, best two out of three, settled the argument and awarded Pettygrove’s choice. The Portland Penny coin, used for this decision, is on display at the Oregon Historical Society headquarters. Portland was incorporated in 1845.

Top 10 Things to Do in Portland

With 17 Museums, the Portland Opera, over 200 parks and gardens, the arena for world-class sports, high-end shopping, quirky neighborhood specialty stores, and extraordinary dining, it’s hard to pick the best things to do. For first-timers, these are the top ten things to do in Portland.

Washington Park – located in Northwest Portland, is home to the Oregon Zoo, World Forestry Center, Portland Children’s Museum, and the notable gardens Hoyt Arboretum, Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Test Garden.
Portland Saturday Market – located under the Burnside Bridge in Downtown Portland on Saturdays and Sundays, is recognized as the largest continuously operating open-air arts and crafts market in the country.
Powell’s Books – located in Downtown Portland, this independent bookseller occupies an entire city block and boasts over one million books on offer.
Voodoo Doughnut – located in Old Town Portland, is famous for creating innovative and unique doughnut flavors and products.
Tom McCall Waterfront Park – located on the Willamette River’s west bank, features the Battleship Oregon Memorial. The Park is also host to concerts during the summer, an interactive fountain, boat docks, and a historical plaza.
Director Park – located in Downtown Portland, this unique gathering place hosts life-sized chess pieces on a sidewalk chessboard. Small tables for two players afford a quick lunchtime chess game and challenging recreation.
Chinatown – located in Old Town Portland, is home to Lan Su Chinese Gardens, an authentic Ming Dynasty style garden, and Shanghai Tunnels underground passageways tours.
Portland Aerial Tram – located at Marquam Hill and connecting the South Waterfront, the tram affords spectacular city views with Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens in the distance.
Mt. Tabor Park – located on the east side of Portland, is built on top of an extinct volcano. The gigantic reservoirs used to supply water to residents have been decommissioned and are now on the National Register of Historic Places. At the summit of Mt. Tabor, you can enjoy the magnificent views of Portland’s city skyline and West Hills in the distance.
Multnomah Falls – located about 39 miles outside Portland on Historic Route 30, this double falls is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nicknames for Portland

Other nicknames for Portland include “Bridge City” and “Bridgetown” because of the 14 bridges connecting the city to Vancouver, Washington, and spanning the Willamette River. Two of the bridges are exclusively used by trains over the Columbia River. Pedestrian and public transit only, Tilikum Crossing connects Southeast Portland with OHSU on Marquam Hill. The others are old and have served since the 1800s.

Beervana is one of the newer monikers for Portland. With 70 breweries and counting, Portland boasts more breweries than any other city on earth. Portland hosts countless beer festivals and tasting events during the year. Many of the inventive craft beers can only be tasted in Portland.

Foodie Heaven is another apt nickname. I’ve always said it’s hard to get a bad meal in Portland. Many award-winning restaurants, food carts, and farmers’ markets offer foodies and other humans some of the best meals you’ll ever have.

“PDX” is used frequently by locals and visitors using the airport code for Portland International Airport. It’s also the destination code for Amtrak trains passing through Portland. Stumptown (think of the famous coffee brand), Rip City, Soccer City, P-Town, and Portlandia make up the moniker stew of Portland, Oregon.

The Lewis and Clark Expeditions

Commander Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend, Second Lieutenant William Clark, were American pioneers commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to find a practical route across the western half of the continent after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The goal was to map an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition and Corps of Discovery Expeditions occurred between August 1803 and September 1806. President Jefferson wanted to establish an American presence in the Pacific Northwest before Britain, and other European powers tried to claim it. Economic and scientific objectives were secondary to staking the U.S. claim. These goals included establishing trade with local American Indian tribes, studying the area’s animal life, plants, and geography.

The first accurate maps of the Pacific Northwest were charted during these expeditions. Diplomatic relations were established with at least two dozen indigenous nations. They didn’t, however, find a continuous waterway to the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon Trail

Led by fur traders from 1811 to 1840, wagon trains made their way west on the Oregon Trail. This emigrant trail connected Independence, Missouri, on the Missouri River to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Four hundred thousand settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, business owners, and their families from the East – Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and the West – Idaho and Oregon, made their way west on this famous route.

The first transcontinental railroad trains replaced the use of the Oregon Trail between 1863 and 1869.

Major Shipping Port

Because of its easy access to the Pacific Ocean, Portland remained the Pacific Northwest’s principal port throughout the 19th century. The lumber industry flourished because of the vast number of Douglas fir, big leaf maple, red cedar, and western hemlock trees.

Population Growth

In the 20th century, Portland’s population grew exponentially during World War II, became a hub for criminal activities in the 1940s and 1950s, witnessed the hippie subculture’s invasion in the 1960s, and established itself as a progressive city in the 1970s.

Since the 1990s, Portland emerged as a technology setting, with Intel becoming a major employer along with Nike Inc. just doing it. Significant growth built the current population to about 655,000.

How Portland is Laid Out

Portland is 145 square miles, located at the northern end of the Willamette Valley and 60 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. The Willamette River divides the city by east and west sides.

Six city quadrants and 12 popular neighborhoods comprise Portland and have distinct personalities of their own.

Northwest

Northwest Portland – industry
Pearl District – upscale shopping and art walks

Southwest

Old Town Chinatown
Downtown
South waterfront – OHSU, which is Portland’s largest employer

North

Mississippi – live music, popular bars and restaurants
Williams – stellar shopping and dining

Northeast

Portland International Airport
Alberta Arts District
Lloyd Center

East

Central Eastside – industrial zone with mixed residential and commercial neighborhoods
OMSI – largest tourist and educational venue

Southeast

Belmont – indie and vintage shops
Hawthorne – boutiques and cafés
Division/Clinton – must-eat dining destination

Bridges over the Willamette River

Twelve bridges span the Willamette River. Hence, the monikers of Bridge City and Bridgetown.

Some of my favorite bridges include the St. Johns Bridge, a Gothic-style suspension bridge built in 1931. It’s between Cathedral Park in North Portland and the Northwest industrial neighborhoods.

Burnside Bridge is a bascule-style drawbridge constructed in 1926 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The famous Portland Saturday Market runs Saturdays and Sundays under the Burnside Bridge.

Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift built in 1910. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the U.S. and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. It is also in the National Register of Historic Places.

Tilikum Crossing, built in 2015, is a cable-stayed bridge (one or more towers/pylons with cables/stays to support the bridge with a fan-like pattern or parallel lines). Tilikum, a local Chinook word for “people,” pays homage to Native Americans. TriMet buses, Portland Streetcar, emergency services, bicycles, and pedestrians only are allowed on this bridge.

Sellwood Bridge is a deck arch (abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch, deck on top) and was built in 2016.

Weather

Summer

Portland summers are usually dry, sunny, and warm. The warmest months are August and September, with an occasional heatwave.

Winter

The average annual snowfall in Portland is just over four inches and occurs between December to March. Ice storms sometimes cripple the city and even shut down public transportation.

Spring and Fall

Variable weather brings warm fronts and plunging cold snaps with rain and many overcast days. Vigorous weather like thunder and lightning is not uncommon.

Cherry blossoms typically bloom from March to May in Portland. You can see them here.

· Tom McCall Waterfront Park

· Hoyt Arboretum

· Laurelhurst Park

· Pittock Mansion

· Portland Japanese Garden

· Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

My favorite season in Portland is fall. The leaves are vivid golds, scarlets, and purples. The air is crisp and clean.

Transportation in and around Portland

Fly into Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport, served by 13 airlines, offers nonstop domestic flights from the East Coast, the South, and the Midwest. You can fly internationally direct from The Netherlands, Canada, Germany, England, Iceland, Japan, and Mexico.

Travel + Leisure surveyed travelers from 2013-2019. Portland International Airport was named the best airport in the United States for many reasons. The TriMet light rail system, right outside the Arrivals door, connects travelers to the entire city and surrounding towns. Free Wi-Fi, food carts serving memorable meals, microbreweries, and craft spirits stalls, along with tax-free shopping, make spending time in the airport a pleasurable experience.

Shopping at PDX

You don’t have to leave the airport to shop Portland brands like Nike, Pendleton, Columbia, and Powell’s Books.

With a little more time, you can hop on the light rail line and take it to the Cascade Station Shopping Center. It’s just minutes away from the airport with big-brand favorites for shopping, dining, and lodging.

Astonishing Acoustics at PDX

My favorite experience at PDX is enjoying the remarkable acoustics. It seems the airport was designed as a symphony hall. Volunteer musicians entertain and soothe travelers with their jazz, classical and contemporary musical styles. Find the artist’s airport performance schedule here, and consider flying through PDX to relish one of these performances.

On one of my many trips through PDX, drawn by the melodic sounds of a stringed instrument, I discovered Adam Hurst perched on a stool in the middle of the concourse. The opportunity to talk to him about his art and his cello making was so captivating that I was reluctant to board my departing plane. You can follow him here.

Drive to Portland

Freeway from the north

If you drive south from Seattle, take Interstate 5 Freeway through Vancouver, Washington, directly to Downtown Portland.

Freeway from the south

If you drive north from California or Eugene, Oregon, take Interstate 5 Freeway through Salem directly to Downtown Portland.

Freeway from the east

From Boise, Idaho, take Interstate 84, which carries you through the Columbia River Gorge’s incredible beauty and straight into Portland.

From Spokane, Washington, Interstate 90 connects with Interstate 82, then Interstate 84 directly into Portland.

Train to Portland, Oregon

The Amtrak Cascades train runs from Vancouver, BC, – Seattle – Tacoma – Portland – Salem – Eugene and return.

The Amtrak Coast Starlight runs from Seattle – Tacoma – Portland – Sacramento – San Francisco area – Los Angeles. This route is purported to be the most impressive of all train routes because of the dramatic scenery that includes long stretches of Pacific Ocean shores, verdant woodlands, fertile valleys, and the mountain peaks of the Cascade Range and Mount Shasta.

How to get around in Portland

What I enjoy the most about transportation in Portland, Oregon, are the many options suited for any budget.

How to Get from PDX to Downtown

Car rental – airport or off-property locations. You will save money by renting a vehicle off the airport property – $. Car rental at Portland International Airport is directly across the access road from Arrivals at the lower level.

Taxicabs – Get into the taxi line just outside of Baggage Claim at PDX; search for taxicabs online – $

Rideshares – All the convenience of having access to a car, but none of the expense of owning or renting. Uber or Lyft are the most popular apps on your phone. Look for the “rideshare” signs on the Arrival levels at PDX – $

Carshare – Pay by the hour or day/round trip; Zipcar, Getaround are two popular transportation companies. Look for the cars in designated parking spaces around town. – $

Vehicles for hire – Rent someone else’s vehicle when they are not using it. You have to be a member of Turo. – $

Express Bus – Will take you to your downtown destination from PDX; no reservations are necessary – $

Hotel Shuttles – Just that. A free ride from the airport to your airport location hotel.

MAX Light Rail/Public Transportation – Found at the Arrivals lower level at PDX on the right side of the building – $. I find this the most convenient and cost-effective method. No airport parking fees or higher car rental costs.

Before I had my car in Portland, I would take the light rail to a station closer to my final destination near Mt. Hood. Enterprise Rent-a-Car would pick me up at the station and take me to their office, where I would handle the paperwork and be on my way.

Bikeshare – Just like sharing a car; Biketown kiosks are all around Portland – $

Pedicab – Bicycle taxi powered by a human – $

Conclusion

Portland, Oregon, the multi-monikered city, appeals to those lovers of beer, food, entertainment, sports, and environmental consciousness. Take a step in and find yourself returning again and again to learn and experience all she has to offer.

Julie Diebolt Price is an award-winning photographer, educator, travel writer, guide, and a passionate traveler. Along with extensive travel in the United States, she has many European, Mexican, and Chinese stamps in her passport. She enjoys planning, researching, creating and sharing experiences. Julie is a member of TravMedia, Professional Photographers of America, International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance, and Travel Massive.