Chillin’ in Portland
Oregon city revels in quirky shops, civic engagement, natural beauty
Portland, Ore., may have a reputation for putting birds on things and performative quirkiness, but, as with most things, the reality is a lot more complicated. That's a good thing, and it should be the guiding principle for your next visit to the city.
Since the advent of a certain IFC show, Portland has been mythologized as a town built on nothing but whimsy and underemployment. But like any city, the reality is more complicated — and a lot more enjoyable.
Portland's the kind of city where you can learn to commute by bike without fear, where bookstores rule and indie publishing thrives. It's also the home of the Decemberists, Cheryl Strayed, Chuck Klosterman, Stephen Malkmus and, when it comes right down to it, some pretty fascinating city politics.
Add in its laid-back pace of life, its slowly disappearing dive bars, its casually gorgeous riverfront bike trail and its transit-friendly navigability, and there's much to love about Portland. And Portland will love you back, if you let it.
It's home to iconic public art such as the Portlandia statue. Few commutes are prettier than the ride over the Broadway Bridge on a clear day when Mount Hood is visible, or biking down the Eastbank Esplanade at sunset. But many of the photos I have from my time in Portland were taken at protests.
This is partly circumstantial — covering protests was part of my job when I lived there — but it's also just Portland. Portland is a city that can always be relied upon to show up in the face of injustice (or perceived injustice) with civic-minded, contrarian panache and an undying streak of creativity.
Portlanders have protested everything from a Shell Oil icebreaker ship bound for the Arctic in 2015 (savvy demonstrators rappelled gracefully off the St. Johns Bridge) to vaccines (see: the city's recent measles outbreak).
Perhaps most famously, Portland mounted one of several protests nationwide the day after the 2016 presidential election. Property damage incurred by a splinter group of anarchists made headlines. What was less publicized was the peaceful rally beforehand, and that in the same week one of the protest's organizing groups raised $32,000 to repair the damage they hadn't caused.
Two months later, the city's Women's March drew
100,000 attendees, according to estimates reported to The Oregonian. Not bad for a city whose population numbers less than 650,000, and not surprising for Portland.
Portland’s culture of resistance is indicative of a rare level of civic engagement you don’t find everywhere. For better or for worse, it’s part of the city’s DNA, a messy, ongoing element to life in Portland.
Skip downtown’s Saturday Market, which manages to be simultaneously underwhelming and kind of a madhouse. If you want locally designed clothing, you can get it from Portland lines such as Bridge & Burn (1122 S.W. Morrison St.) and Poler (413 S.W. 10th St.), and if handicrafts are your thing (or you really need a Nikki McClure print), try Tender Loving Empire, Land Gallery and Crafty Wonderland.
If you’ve got a predilection for vintage, go digging for thrifted treasures at Magpie (1960 S.E. Hawthorne), which will impress even your coolest vintage connoisseur friend, and where I found a red cocktail dress from the ’60s with an actual chiffon cape the last time I was in town. It set me back all of $18.
Powell’s City of Books (1005 W. Burnside St.) is legendary for a reason, and it’s one of Portland’s touristy stops you absolutely must not skip. The small-press section is great for scoping out books from local indie publishers (Portland has a bounty of these; try Future Tense, Tin House or Perfect Day for a starter kit). The kids and YA sections are a massive treat for children and anyone who was once a child, the true crime section has rubberneckers covered, and the best-seller wall is always a fun glimpse into what the city’s reading and thinking about. (Hate crowds? Visit Powell’s second, smaller store in the Hawthorne District at 3723 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. It’s also great.)
And that’s not the only good news Portland has for physical-media-loving Luddites. Portland is home to a wide array of excellent, cheap movie theaters that almost all sell pizza and beer (the Laurelhurst Theater, at 2735 E. Burnside St., even has mimosas). Living Room (341 S.W. 10th St.), down the street from Powell’s, has extremely comfy armchair-style seats and a full-service menu. And the Hollywood Theatre (4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd.), the only theater in Oregon equipped to show movies in 70mm, is kind of an institution. It’s where I’ve gone to see everything from Agnes Varda’s “Faces Places” to David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” with a guest appearance from Barry Gifford, whose novel the film is based on.
One of the best things about Portland is that you can actually go on a full-blown hike without leaving the city. Northwest Portland’s Forest Park is a sprawling, urban-adjacent gem. In Southeast Portland, smaller but no less impressive Mount Tabor is home to an extinct volcano, huge cedars, oddly grand outdoor reservoirs and, at the summit, a beautiful view of the city. If you’re in the mood for a bike ride, the Springwater Trail, along the Willamette in the Sellwood neighborhood, is the most picturesque stretch I’ve ever ridden — you’ll cruise down a flat, paved trail that passes a wildlife refuge and an amusement park.