I just posted my photos from my recent cross country trip, but these photos are from my visit to the Willamette Valley in late June. This was my first time in PDX and it sparked my interest to come back, and eventually make plans to move. I was currently visiting my sister in Eugene and I took Amtrak's 9:30 am Cascade train and stayed until 6:30 when I took the train back.

 

Beginning of SW Stark Street at Burnside:

 

SW Market & SW 5th:

 

 

 

 

 

I was so intrigued by Portland's Transit Mall. 5th and 6th avenues are dedicated to bus and light rail. Very quick and efficient transportation along that corridor.

 

 

 

Portlandia. More than just the name of a show...

 

Multnomah County Courthouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chinatown & Old Town

 

 

Voodoo. Yeah. The line is totally worth it. But go at 2am when the line has died down...

 

Paris Theatre. Man. Was reading about this place. Portland definitely has a dirty side.

 

 

 

 

And I stumbled across the spillover from the Portland Saturday Market. It was Saturday after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I begin my walk over to the east side via the Burnside Bridge. I remember when I drove to Portland, it was so weird to drive over this bridge instead of walk...

 

 

 

 

Willamette River

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burnside Skatepark

 

 

 

Broadway Bridge

 

Pearl District

 

 

 

 

Looking down Lovejoy Street into the heart of the Pearl District

 

 

 

Very clean BRZ in the Pearl District.

 

A car barn under I-405 for the Portland Streetcar

 

Slabtown

 

Pearl

 

Broadway

 

Pioneer Square

 

 

I love this.

 

 

Portland is such a great city. It really is. Yes, it's hyped, but it's also one of the most accessible cities I have ever been in. Cannot wait to call it home.

The place has an interesting feel to it, thats for sure.  You can sort of tell you are on the West Coast ...hard to put my finger on it...maybe the quality of light

 

...impressed w. the Pearl District...those streetscape glimpses are interesting in that it "works" @ the pedestrians scale. , but looks to be all "new".

 

That big neon Portland sign with the deer on it....was that an old sign or something done up to look retro?  It's a great piece of sign art!

 

...nice set.  Getting a feel for this place.  It seems sort of quite somehow, easygoing, laid back....

The Pearl District is maybe 20 years old, if that. Lovejoy Street used to be an elevated extension of the Broadway bridge and that entire area was rail yards and old warehouses. They tore down the viaduct all the way to the bridge and that opened up dozens of blocks for redevelopment, thus, the Pearl was born.

 

As for the sign, it used to be a sign for White Stag, it was then changed to say Made in Oregon. It was eventually donated to the city and it was changed to say "Portland Oregon."

 

The city has such an energetic vibe, but yet it is very laid back. Rush hours even seem laid back. And really, downtown and the immediate east side hold just a fraction of the city's character. I have yet to explore the Northeast and Southeast sides of the city. That'll be when I move... ;)

Awesome tour sir.

Regarding the now famous "Portland Oregon" sign: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Stag_sign

 

Thanks for the photos!  This place looks familiar! ;)

Nice shots - I saw some areas I didn't get to explore when I was there. Something about it didn't quite connect with me and I'm not sure what that was, but I can appreciate what it offers. 

yeah portland never connected with me either, but i can see why it attracts. actually i dont really care for any of the big cities on the west coast. its too...opposite. ha.

 

i do like the coastal oregon towns like coos, tillamuk, cute seaside and "its not a toom-mah!" astoria. eugene was nice too.

 

anyway thanks this is an interesting thread. portland certainly seems liveable and getting better all the time.

 

good luck out there & keep posting!

 

 

Haha your comment about how they're opposite. Growing up an hour away from New York really made me appreciate the (smaller) large cities that I visited on my trip, and when I was in Portland the first time in June, when these photos were taken, I tried so hard to compare. I couldn't. It is SO different and I guess it's not for everyone.

 

I kind of wish I went to go see Astoria. That and Seattle, which is only three hours north. My parents were in both last year and they loved it. My sister lives in Eugene and that is also an absolutely beautiful town and I fell in love, but the job market there just isn't enough to get me to move there. Nice thing is, it's two hours south of Portland so I can actually go visit them instead of seeing them only once a year.