Portland's a breeze
By Nancy Miller
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
11/11/2007
PORTLAND, ORE. — Breathe deeply, now. You don't have to rush anymore. Really.
This city of fresh air, fresh ingredients and a refreshing way of living may be full of caffeine, steeped as it is in coffee shops, but the general demeanor is dialed way back. You'll see this as you watch the people pass by — on foot, on the streetcar or on one of the bicycles seen everywhere.
LAY OF THE LAND
The blue-jean city is laid out in quadrants, with the Willamette River dividing the eastern two from the western two. It's highly walkable: Blocks are short, and street names may be alphabetical, as in the northwest quadrant, or numbered. Certain districts — the Cultural District, the Pearl District, Chinatown, among them — are clearly marked. And the public transportation is highly evolved. You could probably get by without a car, except for excursions to the nearby Columbia River Gorge, the wine country or the Pacific Ocean, all about an hour or so away. Check out the user-friendly
www.trimet.org/max for information on public transit, including Fareless Square, a large area with free rides. Advertisement
ABOUT THE WEATHER
The wet season extends generally from September until May, and residents say that means lots of drizzling and an overcast sky. Portland averages 36.3 inches a year (similar to St. Louis), with the worst of it in November through March. The optimum time to visit is summer, where even in early August the temperature was in the 50s at night and 70s in the daytime. The precipitation, plus Portland's sheltered position between the coastal range and the Cascade Mountains and its rich volcanic soil, keeps things green and grows a stunning variety of plants: Southern magnolias alongside majestic Douglas firs, for one. Even some of the flowers seem bionic.
WHAT ELSE?
— Portland, like the rest of Oregon, has no sales tax — great for figuring tips.
— Communal tables is a new restaurant trend, and restaurants revel in using locally grown ingredients.
— Polite Portlanders seem to show a real "after you" mindset, to pedestrians and to motorists.
— But perplexingly, they pronounce Couch Street "Cooch."
NORTHWEST QUADRANT
My first evening began at Meriwether's, a northwest quadrant restaurant said to have one of the best patios in town. You could believe this as you sit in a flower-filled garden with 6-foot phlox and giant, rustic birdhouses set on tall poles. Enjoy your glass of pinot noir, an Oregon specialty, and your pappardelle with duck.
One good thing about the northwest quadrant is NW 23rd Avenue, blocks and blocks of funky shops, good restaurants and coffee options, including the popular Stumptown Coffee Roasters brand. Buy a bag of Stumptown Hair Bender to bring home.
Just off NW 23rd, on Thurman Street, is St. Honoré Boulangerie, a French bakery that's a great place to start your day with Normandy Apple Toast — similar to bread pudding — and a big cup of cafe au lait. Or buy a bag of chouquettes — sugared puff-pastry rounds — to carry with you as you walk past the pistachio, lavender and pale yellow-golde houses in the neighborhood.
Also nearby, at NW 23rd and Marshall Street, is the northern end of the streetcar loop, which goes all the way through downtown to the South Waterfront and the Portland Aerial Tram. There, you can ride in a Swiss-built cabin on a cable that ascends 500 feet to the Oregon Health & Science University on Marquam Hill. The $4 admission and a clear day will get you some great aerial shots.
www.portlandtram.org
PEARL DISTRICT
Parking in Portland can be a problem, especially in popular areas such as the Pearl District, at the bottom of the northwest quadrant. Once you're in this revamped industrial area, though, you can find shops exclusive to Portland, including Oblation on NW 12th Avenue. It prints note cards, invitations and business cards by hand on letter-press machines in the back. And Oblation is very near Andina, on NW Glisan Street, a Peruvian restaurant where two $6.50 small plates and some quinoa rolls will fill you up for lunch and dazzle you with their artistry. Try the piquillo peppers stuffed with cheese, quinoa and Serrano ham. Happy-hour visitors might want to check out the habañero-infused vodka martini shaken with passion fruit purée and cane sugar with a sugar rim.
Also in the Pearl District is Powell's City of Books, a block-size building of tall shelves filled with more than a million books, including out-of-print tomes. It's color-coded and easy to navigate.
www.powells.com
New to the district is the relocated Museum of Contemporary Craft on NW Davis Street, which was featuring the impressive traveling exhibit, "Craft in America." Free admission.
www.contemporarycrafts.org
ASIAN RESPITE
Just east of the Pearl District, in Chinatown/Old Town, is the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, an urban and symbolism-filled paradise filling a city block with plantings, Chinese structures and the lovely Zither Lake. Tune out the incongruous sounds of city traffic from just beyond the walls by stepping into the teahouse for some subtle Chinese gong music and a metal cup of sweet winter melon juice — a gourd drink reminiscent of hazelnuts and served icy cold. Or try one of the interesting hot teas, some served in handleless cups with a porcelain lid you tilt up in back while you sip from the front.
www.portlandchinesegarden.org
SOUTH TO CULTURE
The Cultural District is nearby, in the southwest quadrant. Check out the Portland Art Museum, which was featuring "Rembrandt and the "Golden Age of Dutch Art."
www.portlandartmuseum.org Then walk directly across SW Park Avenue to the Oregon Historical Society Museum. It'll give you a good intro to Oregon, including a furnished tent to show how Scottish naturalist David Douglas lived, as he traveled about 7,000 miles exploring Oregon botany. His name lives on in the majestic and ubiquitous Douglas fir.
www.ohs.org
ON THE WATERFRONT
Portland loves green space and a good example is Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, covering an old highway downtown. A paved path along the Willamette River is perfect for exercisers. The park is a popular venue for outdoor festivals, including Bite of Oregon, a three-day food and music fest in August — and a great way to try Marionberry Pie, made from a darker, sweeter version of the raspberry.
WASHINGTON PARK
Just a short light-rail ride west of downtown is lush and massive Washington Park, home to the Japanese Garden, Oregon Zoo and Hoyt Arboretum. The garden truly is gorgeous, covering 5½ acres. It's hillier than ours in St. Louis and lush with tall trees. Part of the path descends to a large sand and stone garden and then moves gently upward, with spots to rest and contemplate, often to the sound of water. Just across the street is the International Rose Test Garden. The heavy rose scent will lure you in, and on a clear day Mount Hood is visible from the gift shop patio. The garden, with its bed after bed of roses in all colors, about 7,000 plantings in all, is one of 24 official testing sites for the All-America Rose Selection organization.
SOUTHEAST FOR
ASIAN FOOD
I had one more must during my two days in the city: a visit to Pok Pok, which the Portland Oregonian named restaurant of the year. On SE Division Street, this casual Thai place serves complex and delicious Southeast Asian street food and interesting cocktails, including a Tamarind Whiskey Sour. You can conjure up a feast from fare including green papaya salad, dishes with marinated catfish and boar, and coconut jack fruit ice cream.
AND WEST FOR
THE GORGE
Don't miss a 45-minute, early morning drive out Interstate 84 East to Multnomah Falls, Oregon's most visited natural site. It's in the Columbia River Gorge, and you can walk a mile to the top of the falls on a paved trail or stop on the picturesque bridge part way up. I got there about 8:30 a.m., and not long after, visitors were beginning to multiply. You'll enjoy it more if you have some quiet time.
NEXT TIME, I'LL ...
— Spend more time in the bohemian Hawthorne District to check out the restored Bagdad Theater, a 1920s Arabian-style movie palace where you can enjoy pizza and craft ales during the show.
— Try one of the kayak options on the waterfront.
www.portlandkayak.com
— Pencil in more time for outings outside Portland, including the charming town Hood River in the Columbia Gorge, the Pacific Ocean and, if I'm there Jan. 25-27, the Truffle Festival in Eugene, about 110 miles south of Portland.
www.oregontrufflefestival.com