Portland Travel Tips
Put a bird on it!
- Travel Info – Tipping, public transport, smoking, and no sales tax!
- Local Recommended eats near Downtown
- Really good coffee
- Really good drinks
- Good drinks – divey-ish bars
- Things to do, things to see, exhibits & 16mm
- Go to Powell’s Bookstore. You won’t regret it.
Downtown Eats
- Stretch the Noodle Food Cart << local favorite
- Boxer Ramen – veggie currry Ramen is great. Also nice shops in the covered corridor. – SW Harvey Milk (Stark) btwn 10th & 11th
- Clyde Common (at Ace Hotel) – can also just get drinks there. – SW Harvey Milk (Stark) btwn 10th & 11th
- Fuller’s – counter seating old school diner. Cheap and yummy. Great burgers with house-made buns. – NW 9th & Davis
- Food carts on SW 10th between Washington and Alder – tons of variety, just outside w/o seating
- Pine Street Market – indoor food hall on SW 2nd and Pine.
- Kure – bowls and smoothies, quick and healthy – SW Taylor btwn 5th & 6th
- Little Bird – good late night happy hour! – SW 6th & Pine
- Los Gorditos in the Pearl (near Fuller’s) – good Mexican with lots of vegan/veggie options- NW Davis btwn 9th/10th
- Lauretta Jean’s – best biscuits in town. Downtown location is just to-go / housed in a parking structure – SW 6th & Pine
- Duck House – an rating of ok from the locals
- Tienda Santa Cruz is good Mexican but across the river and north in St. Johns
- Shigezo is tasty Japanese ramen and small plates near hotel. They have a couple other spots on the east side as well.
Really good Coffee
- Water Ave Coffee – SW 6th & Yamhill
- Heart – SW 10th & Alder
Really good Drinks
- Bailey’s Tap Room – lots of yummy beer – SW Broadway & Ankeny
- Pepe le Moko – nice cocktails, classy atmosphere, best for small groups, literally underground. – SW 10th & Harvey Milk (Stark)
- Ground Kontrol – beer and video games – NW 5th & Couch
Good drinks, divey bars
- Virginia Café
- Momo
- Yamhill Pub
- Higgins (not as divey)
Shopping
- Floating World Comics – NW 4th & Couch
- Powell’s Books (of course!) 10th & Burnside
Things to see & do
- Sun Ra + Jodz Ghetto photo + more exhibits at PAM.
https://portlandartmuseum.org/ - Beer, 16mm news film and Psychedelic Posters at the Oregon Historical Society https://ohs.org/museum/exhibits/index.cfm
- Marisa Anderson and the Space Lady are at the Hollywood on Friday the 30th
https://hollywoodtheatre.org/events/the-space-lady-cometh/ - 5th Ave. Cinema is doing a night of 16mm projection also the night of the 30th (Friday): http://www.5thavecinema.com/16mm
- Abigail DeVille has a new exhibit up at PICA – including archival materials from OHS:http://pica.org/event/the-american-future/
- Go check out the (somewhat) new PNCA building; they tend to have interesting exhibits on their main floor open to the public:https://events.pnca.edu/e/t/category/f/Exhibition
- You might be able to catch the end of the fall colors at the Japanese Gardens
- Pittock Mansion is an interesting historic site that has views of the city (on a clear day) and also access to trails from their parking lot in to Forest Park.
- Kayak Museum: http://www.traditionalkayaks.com/museum.html
Travel Info
Public Transit
Portland’s public transit system, TriMet (https://trimet.org/) include bus, MAX line rail, streetcar | Fares: Adult ($2.50 USD / $5 Day Pass), Honored Citizen (Age 65+, Low Income, Disabled) ($1.25 USD / $2.50 Day Pass) / Hop FastPass (Pay by Phone or Card).
- More here: https://myhopcard.com/home/save-as-you-ride.
- Rideshare: Lyft, Uber. More here: https://www.travelportland.com/
Restaurants/Dining/Hotels/Tipping
From food carts to farm-to-table to craft beer, you can find a variety of local versions of various cuisines/food easily. US tipping standards are 10%-15% for fast food (delivery), 15%-20% for higher end dining/bars (or whatever you deem fair but do tip if you get good service). $2-$5 USD per day for housekeeping suggested.
Smoking Rules
You can possess, buy, and use recreational marijuana if you are 21 or older. Otherwise, it is illegal. You can use on private property or at home. Public space usage is not allowed. General cigarette smoking rules apply.
For more info: http://whatslegaloregon.com/.
Popular Culture (TV & Media)
“The dream of the 90s” is very much in vogue right now.” “Put a Bird on It.” “Portland is a city where young people go to retire.”
More here: https://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2016/06/25_best_movies_filmed_in_orego.html
Regional Slang/Terms
“Spendy”(expensive), “full on/rad” (cool, awesome), “soda” or “pop” (Coke, soft drink), “the mountain” (Mount Hood), “the gorge” (Columbia Gorge), “the coast” (Oregon Coast)
Souvenirs/Shopping
NO SALES TAX!
For more: https://www.travelportland.com/collection/tax-free-shopping/.