People are drawn to Portland for all kinds of reasons: Bicycle culture. City parks. Food carts. Farmers markets. Artisan coffee. Charming neighborhoods. Easy access to the ocean AND the mountains. And, of course, the beer. Whatever brings you to Portland, however, it's a good bet that you'll find a dozen other things to love (and even a few reasons why you should just stay!).
For lovers of nature and the great outdoors, Portland is a veritable paradise. Just west of downtown, accessible by bus, light rail, or a long walk, sits
Forest Park. With over 5,000 acres full of hiking and biking trails, it is the largest natural forested area within city limits in the country. Adjacent to Forest Park is the more developed
Washington Park, with the famous International Rose Test Garden, the Oregon Zoo, the Japanese Garden, and the Children's Museum.
When you want to get out of the city for a day trip, the options are endless! Just half an hour east, the gorgeous
Columbia River Gorge begins with its miles of scenic viewpoints, waterfalls, windsurfing meccas, and mountain biking trails. In just over an hour, you can be on the snow-capped peak of
Mount Hood, or in an hour and a half, sticking your toes in the Pacific Ocean along the beautiful
Oregon Coast. Wine lovers will want to head south to explore the majestic
Willamette Valley, where gorgeous vineyards bump up against humble hazelnut farms in this exceptionally idyllic slice of Oregon, all less than an hour from downtown Portland.
After all that hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, windsurfing, and wine tasting, you'll certainly have worked up an appetite. Luckily, Portland is home to an ever-increasing food scene with excellent restaurants, brewpubs, food carts, wine bars, and markets offering locally grown (and brewed) fare. From March to December, the
Portland Farmers Market is a must-taste experience every Saturday, and you can barely walk two blocks without tripping over a new
food cart carving out its own delicious niche (think specialty grilled cheeses, Surinamese noodles, gourmet pot pies, and the now-ubiquitous Korean tacos). In Portland's locavore-focused
restaurants, you're more likely to see exposed brick walls and reclaimed driftwood barstools than white tablecloths, but you certainly won't have any trouble finding a five-star meal for that special night out. Imbibers should make a point to check out the Inner Eastside neighborhood, just across the Willamette River from downtown proper, where some of the city's best
breweries,
distilleries, and
wine bars all sit within walking (or stumbling) distance of one another.
Living is good in Portland, and getting around is easy. The
public transit system makes it possible for visitors to explore the entire city without a car. Of course, if you want to really want to experience Portland like a local,
rent a bicycle and explore some of the city's charming neighborhoods full of coffee houses, boutiques, bookstores, and parks. Just be warned: you really might not want to leave!
