Fresh energy, great outdoor access and sunny summers
By Teresa Bergen
Portland is one of those cities visitors fall in love with and immediately start packing to move, with or without a job in sight. Artists, musicians, bike culture enthusiasts, yoga teachers, writers and idealists all are magnetized by the Rose City. When they can’t find work, they take things into their own hands, selling art on the street or devising unusual entrepreneurial ventures, such as an organic vegan soup business delivered by bicycle.
Portland has a well-deserved reputation for rain. While it seldom pours, overcast drizzly days are abundant, averaging 154 per year. Temperatures don’t get as low as they do in much of the country, but Southern Californians visiting between November and April should pack warm layers and rain boots, if you own such exotic apparel. Because you’ll want to go outside! There’s an abundance of urban and woodland terrain to explore within the city limits, and the rain makes everything so green.
5 Cool Outdoor Adventures
Hit the Trails. Mount Tabor in southeast Portland, a dormant volcano whose cinders were utilized in surfacing the park’s roads in 1912, is one of several parks where you can get a good hike without leaving the city. There’s a picnic area, a multitude of native plants, and trees towering over narrow, forested paths. In the northwest, Forest Park’s 30-mile Wildwood Trail is part of a 40-mile loop linking it to pedestrian and trail routes along the Columbia River and back to the Marquam Trail in southwest Portland. Or, rent a bike from Pedal Bike Tours and follow the Springwater Corridor, a former railway line, for 20 miles of paved, car-safe fun, offering vistas of the glorious Willamette River.
If you visit Portland in springtime, be dazzled by nine acres of pink, white and purple rhododendron and azalea blooms at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. With paved paths and a large pond just quacking with various ducks and Canada geese, this park is beautiful even when the rhodos aren’t blooming.
Stroll through art galleries that stay open late on the First Thursday of every month in the upscale Pearl neighborhood. And don’t
miss the Urban Art Network Street Gallery; from April through October, this nonprofit arts group sets up shop along three blocks of the Pearl where you can meet local jewelry makers, painters, sculptors and other skilled artists and artisans.
Spend a day in a kayak on the broad Willamette River running through the city. Get instructions at Alder Creek or enjoy a tour adventure with Portland Kayak Company. Both companies happily rent equipment.
Even if you’re not at all religious, visit the Grotto shrine to the Virgin Mary in Northeast Portland. Ride an old elevator up the face of a cliff to explore gardens, shrines and a maze high above the city. The meditation temple has floor-to-ceiling windows for big views, including, on a clear day, the usually snow-capped, perfectly conical Mount Hood. But beware, its giant overstuffed chairs may spoil you for meditating on a humble zafu cushion. During the winter holidays, the Grotto features an over-the-top Christmas light extravaganza, petting zoo and dozens of entertaining choirs.
Rainy Day Fun
No rainboots? Portland has indoor attractions, too. Powell’s Books, one of the planet’s largest bookstores, awaits you downtown with a bazillion books and free author readings almost every evening.
Since Portland architecture features basements, and basements naturally breed bands, you’ll have plenty of chances to see live music of all types.
Portland also abounds in second-run movie theaters where tickets cost three or four bucks and you can eat pizza and drink beer while you watch the show.
Those with purer tastes can visit Portland’s other grotto, the Salt Grotto in the Pearl District. The west coast’s first artificial salt cave is full of salt blocks from Poland and Pakistan, with a layer of Dead Sea salt covering the floor. The cave’s salty air is said to have relaxing and healing powers.
Yoga & Wellness
If you enjoy beautiful singing voices leading you through compassionate vinyasa, Bhaktishop is the place for you. Most classes start with a short call-and-response chant accompanied by harmonium. Second Sundays offer two hours of kirtan-by-donation, with proceeds going to a different charity each month.
In northeast Portland, take a class at Exhale, a charming neighborhood studio that prides itself on being green.
Yoga Pearl in the northwest’s Pearl neighborhood attracts workshop teachers of international renown and offers a variety of classes, from yin to ashtanga to Forrest yoga. An in-house wellness center offers acupuncture, naturopathy and ayurveda treatments. Afterwards, relax over dinner at Prasad, an on-site organic café open daily until 8pm.
Where to Eat
Portland is famous for having many restaurants in every price range, and a plethora of food stands. With quality options around every corner, these are just a few highlights.
Bob’s Red Mill products, ubiquitous in natural food markets, have their home just south of Portland in Milwaukie. You can tour the mill, take a cooking class, choose from a jaw-dropping selection of bulk and packaged grains, and eat breakfast or lunch. Think whole-grain pancakes and thick sandwiches on freshly made bread, vegan or non.
Portobello Vegan Trattoria offers vegan fine dining with ethically sourced ingredients in southeast Portland. They’re known for their gnocchi with cashew cream sauce, and their chocolate mousse. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Bollywood Theater is a fun place in Northeast Portland featuring Bollywood memorabilia and Indian street snacks. Share pav bhaji, papri chaat and other snacks not usually found at stateside Indian restaurants.
Where to Stay
The Cherokee Rose Inn is Portland’s first vegan bed and breakfast, located in a perfect walking/biking/public transport neighborhood. The Georgia-born owner provides Southern hospitality in her antique-filled, century-old Craftsman house in southeast Portland. She’ll even make you a gluten-free or low-sodium breakfast on request.
Teresa Bergen lives in Portland and writes about health, fitness and travel. She’s also a personal trainer who teaches yoga and group fitness.
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