One of the things I noticed about Portland is that cannabis is legal here. I was sitting on a bench opposite a police station checking a map, when someone sat beside me smoking what was clearly a 'funny cigarette'. My first thought was that was a bit bold right opposite the police station, but then I remembered that there would be no inherent issue with this. The visitor centre provides maps with details of where to get the best weed, and there are several pharmaceutical outlets which proudly advertise Oregon's Finest Cannabis. On a short trip I noticed that Portland has a few problems (as does any city), but cannabis use did not particularly seem to be one of them.
Another thing one notices is the prevalence of public bikes. This appears to be a common feature of most civilised cities. The bikes here are bright orange and sponsored by Nike. Nike is one of the many sports brands which were founded here in Portland. It's a sporty kind of town.
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| Nike town: bike town |
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| Animals in pools by Georgia Gerber |
Food caravans pop up all over the place in Portland - there is a whole block of them in the district I walked through. I thought this one was particularly appealing.
A must-see destination is Powell's Bookshop - it covers an entire block and has its own map to guide shoppers to the correct sections, by way of all the other sections, which are also intriguing. The staff are helpful and friendly, and the selection is superb. It claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world and, according to Wikipedia, it contains over 68,000 square feet (6,300 square metres) and about 1.6 acres of retail floor space.
I spent five hours in there and managed to restrain myself to only spending USD100 - this is more due to considerations of space and weight in my suitcase than rationality in my mind about the number of books I can fit on my bookshelves when I get home.
The Rare Book Room is 1,000 square feet of dark wood shelving, ambient lighting, antique furniture, and carefully selected works of art. It is home to several thousand rare and beautiful books. It is also the setting of a scene in a local crime novel. I bought that one. I did not buy the oldest book in the collection - a book about the history of the Jewish people from the time of the Maccabbees to the insurrections against the Romans ending in 73 AD - published in Verona in 1480.
Nor did I buy the most expensive book, which is the two-volume History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark to the Sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Snappy title, huh? Perhaps the author was being paid by the word; the price is $350,000.
On the four sides of the base of the pillar is written in Latin the philosophy that drives Powell's; coeme librum, lege librum, carpe librum, vende librum (Buy the book, read the book, enjoy the book, sell the book).
After an entire day of mental nourishment, I popped next door to the Wholefood Market. Delicious vegetables are laid out like a pick n mix for punters to pile up a bowl of healthy goodness and reflect on their purchases from the bookshop.
Also, in very close range, is a corner of breweries: Deschutes, Von Eberts, Back Pedal, 10 Barrel and Rogue are all within touching distance (if you have long arms).
We began with afternoon drinks at Deschutes. Our 'server' was delightful - we talked about the beer and the books I'd just bought; I showed her my subversive cross-stitch patterns and she loved them so much I have promised to make her one. I have forgotten her name, however, so wonder if there will be outcry when I send it to 'the cute waitress at Deschutes'.
My favourite beers were the Botanic Ale (earthy, woody and floral) and the Black Butte Porter (coffee, dark cherries, prunes, and slight roasty notes).
Apparently 53% of all draught beer consumed in Oregon is brewed in Oregon. It's a prime example of the 'drink local' phenomenon, and they are justifiably proud of it.
And then to Von Ebert Brewing for a pint of Wagon for the Band (refreshing beer - supposedly a NEIPA, it is neither overly juicy or hoppy) and one of The Great Successor (big and malty with low-level hops). We sat outside and watched the city go about its business - one of my favourite ways to spend a day on holiday.
Next stop was Back Pedal Brewing. This is a great little spot with a range of fabulous beers. They also like to take in the vibe of the town and they have one of those mobile bars which are powered by the people pedalling - there must be a sober driver, which looked increasingly unlikely as the evening wore on.
Back at the Home Brewing Conference, we went to the Club Night, and made some new friends - as you can see.
The next day while Him Outdoors did more conference stuff, I went to the Portland Art Museum. There will be entire posts on this place in time, but (for now) here are some images of the artwork outside. The orchids are supposedly a comment on 'the homogenizing effects of global trade', while I'm not sure what those big blobs of colourful chemical byproducts are meant to represent, but I like them lurking and leeching their way across the courtyard.
I also like the public pianos, which are renovated in vibrant colours and encourage people to sit and play. I arrived at the art museum before it opened so I sat outside with a coffee and listened to someone make beautiful music.
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| Orchids by Isa Genzken |
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| Arlee by Lee Kelly |
After Him Outdoors had done his beer seminars for the day, he met me for lunch and a walk around town. I'm not entirely sure what this mural means, but I like it.
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| Healthy options lunch |
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| And just to prove that it's not all about the beer... |
This was an entertaining mural in a shop that sold hemp clothing and other variants. The wording is 'I have a gun but my gun is not like yours. It fires giant spiders & golden ninja stars.'
There are plinths around Portland describing the Green Man. This is he.
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| The Green Man atop his plinth |
This is one of the Nepenthe sculptures by Dan Corson. The structures are made from fibreglass with a solar panel on top to energise the batteries, so they glow in the dark. They are beautiful and odd - that seems a fitting description of this place.
That evening we popped to a couple more breweries, including Upright Brewing, which specialises in farmhouse-inspired beers originating from France and Belgium. The beers were actually all delicious, but my favourites were Four Play; a wheat-based saison with sour cherries aged in oak - tart but not acerbic - and Pathways Saison; a blend of barrels from different vintages enhancing the mixed fermentation - tart and sour with flavours of hay, leather, lime and pomegranate.
Ex Novo was a great place - one of my favourites of the trip. We walked there through a very hot afternoon and so were practically melting by the time we arrived. The Bootlegging Citra (a sour IPA with Citra hops) provided the perfect refreshment when we arrived. I also really enjoyed the Not Too Brite, which was clean tasting although hazy in appearance, and redolent of citrus and pineapple juice.
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| Ex Novo Bootlegging Citra |
Our final stop of the night was Ecliptic Brewing. We walked through the back streets to get here and stopped outside a hospital to ask some nurses for directions. They were very pleasant and tried to be helpful, although they didn't actually know where the brewery was. They also warned us about walking around at night.
Portland feels like quite a friendly place and I don't feel threatened at all or in any danger. I am concerned, however, by the apparent number of homeless people. Under every bridge and archway, and in every park or patch of green, there are tents in which they seem to live. In 2015 the city of Portland declared a housing and homelessness emergency. At last count 4,177 people recorded homeless on a single night last year. This is not a situation unique to Portland, and it is a deepening crisis on the streets of America.
And yet Portland has fewer people experiencing homelessness than other large cities. It operates a 'Housing First' philosophy, which holds that moving people into permanent, independent housing as quickly as possible is the best solution for homelessness. The government is dramatically increasing support for programs that follow that approach, and cutting support for traditional shelters. The lack of shelter availability for those in need, however, makes the issue more visible.
Meanwhile, back at the brewery, I liked the Algol Belgian triple - super sweet and fruity - and I loved the Capella Porter - chocolately, smooth and superb. That was a fantastic way to finish off the day, and we caught an Uber home, ready for the next day's explorations.
This day we walked around Portland, from one end to the next, along the river, through the markets and past the many bridges.
From pottery toothbrush holders (we bought one of those) to catnip carrots for spoiled cats (we didn't buy one of those), there are plenty of things on stalls to tempt and distract. We wandered through the Portland Saturday Market for hours. On a Sunday.
I love the woodwork items - cribbage boards and chopping boards in the shape of different states (mainly Oregon, of course).
I like the way the market seems organic, springing up around the archways and trees that are already here. And the beautiful Skidmore Fountain creates a lively focal point for street performers, activists, and a general meeting point for lost souls.
Designed by sculptor Olin Levi Warner and dedicated in 1888 in memory of Stephen G. Skidmore (a wealthy Portland druggist who died in 1883), the fountain is Portland's oldest piece of public art. It is styled after the fountains that Skidmore had admired at Versailles, and the base has various inscriptions on its different faces including 'Good citizens are the riches of a city'.
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| Skidmore Fountain |
These artworks are quirky and clever, with the images comprised of mathematical equations. The artist, Sienna Morris, describes her technique as 'numberism': she brings artistic and creative life to a subject many find dry and academic. If you zoom into the image of Einstein, for example, you will find his field equations curling out of the smoke from his pipe.
From Monty Python to Dr Who, Harry Potter and Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes and The I.T. Crowd, there are so many gift ideas here!
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| Outnerdme |
Refreshment stalls offer pots of sliced fruits and mangoes on sticks. You can get your hair braided, your hands hennaed, and a leather bag for your yoga mat. This is Portland. My favourite thing, however, is and always will be Dresses with Pockets!
Portland is known as the City of Roses. The Portland Rose Society was founded in 1889 and promoted the planting of 20 miles of Portland's streets with roses in advance of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Major Harry Lane suggested that the city needed a festival of roses. The first Portland Rose Festival was held in 1907 and remains the city's major annual festival more than a century later.
According to Wikipedia, the nickname is often attributed to Leo Samuel who founded the Oregon Life Insurance Company in 1906 (known today as Standard Insurance Company). Samuel, who moved to Portland in 1871, grew roses outside his home and placed a pair of shears outside his garden so people could snip a rose from his garden to take for themselves. This encouraged other people to plant their own roses outside their homes and businesses. Today, roses are still planted outside the Standard Insurance Company's home office building in downtown Portland.
One of things I knew about Portland was that it was the home of Voodoo Doughnuts. I'm not a big fan of doughnuts, but clearly many people are as there were queues around the block to get into the shop and we saw many happy customers walking down the street taking away their sugary goodies in the prized pink box.
We were more interested in beer and football, and happily our interests combined at a pub called The Senate. We had lunch and watched Russia defeat Spain on penalties while I drank a Black Raspberry Sour Ale by Deschutes Brewery (light and refreshing with a great purple colour and an excellent level of sourness). It was a fun break in the middle of the day, although I note with amusement that the Portland Food and Drink website notes that the building is 'just on the edge of where the neighborhood gets a bit sketchy'.
We continued our waterfront walk into what was possibly the 'sketchy neighborhood' [sic]. I love the bridges, the boats and the buildings that line the river.
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| Not quite a lighthouse |
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| An abundance of bridges |
Near the end of the walk, at the Marquam Bridge, we came across Poet's Beach. It's an urban 'pop-up' beach established, along with a kayak launch point, in 2000. In 2014 the volunteer organisation Human Access Projects collaborated with Honoring Our Rivers (who provided 30 excerpts of children's poetry about the Willamette River) and the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde (who provided Chinook jargon with phonetics and English translation). These contributions were engraved into rocks on the path leading to the beach.
In July 2017 Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler swam at the beach with a group of other supporters to draw attention to the addition of lifeguards and to encourage residents to swim at the beach. I quite liked it, but Him Outdoors wasn't as impressed.
In July 2017 Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler swam at the beach with a group of other supporters to draw attention to the addition of lifeguards and to encourage residents to swim at the beach. I quite liked it, but Him Outdoors wasn't as impressed.
At the Southeast corner of the waterfront at Tilikum Crossing is a sculpture by Christian Moeller inspired by apples and molecules. He says, 'The three-dimensional arrangements of colorful balls interconnected by cylindrical sticks, which represent the atoms that constitute a molecule, are very similar to how I would build an apple tree if I could.' The sculpture cost about $300,000 and is part of Oregon's 'one percent for art program', which requires one percent of direct construction costs to be spent on art.
We then walked across The Bridge of the People, which is the largest car-free bridge in the United States. It is accessible to everything but: the Portland Streetcar; the MAX Orange Line, TriMet buses, cyclists and pedestrians.
We then caught the Light Rail to the Nob Hill Alphabet District, partly because we are puerile and still find this funny, and partly because it was listed as a highlight with interesting architecture, boutique shops and plenty of restaurants and cafes. We did a lot of walking and window shopping, but the prices were a bit steep for our budget.
Poplandia artisan popcorn is a local producer of hand-crafted small-batch popcorn owned and operated by local Portland women. The flavours include: Belgian chocolate; black truffle sea salt; Bulleit Bourbon maple pecan; butter beer; cinnamon apple churro; hickory smoked gouda; jalapeno pepper jack; Madagascar vanilla bean; Mayan hot cocoa; North West raspberry; sharp white cheddar and Thai PBJ (peanut butter jelly). I'm not sure if that makes me feel hungry or sick.
Will Leather Goods was just a beautiful spot with wooden floors and designer leather goods including the most stunning overnight/ Doctor's bag I have ever seen. It was over USD 1,000 so I didn't buy it. The staff were fantastically friendly and offered us coffee while we browsed. There is a tree-covered deck out the back where we sat sipping our long blacks and I failed to justify buying a memento to assuage my guilt at not giving them a sale after they had treated us so well.
In my defence, the wallets were about $300, and even the key-chains were $50. It is all exquisite gear, but I just haven't got that sort of cash. If you have, I heartily recommend you spend it here.
The buildings are all pretty special, made all the more so by the stirring words on a plaque erected by The People of Northwest Portland and the Northwest District Association in 1991, which states:
'On May 23, 1989, twenty-three people were arrested as they rallied with others to save seven historic and affordable homes from demolition. In the hours and weeks that followed, demonstrations continued. Some protesters took up residence in one of the threatened houses to protect it. They felt, as did others, that their own homes and their neighborhood were in real danger of being diminished by insensitive development. Their actions led to negotiations with the developer, which saved three houses.
On May 24, the day after the demolition of four of the houses, The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission declared that all seven sites and the three remaining houses were worthy of designation as Portland landmarks. The Commission stated that the events of the previous day and the architectural and historic value of the properties constituted an important part of Portland's history...
Today these houses serve as offices and homes for part of the community that was displaced by the rowhouses on Northwest Overton and Pettygrove Streets.
We place this plaque in commemoration of our loss and in support of historic preservation. We continue to hope for a more equitable future with an end to homelessness and an assurance of decent, secure and affordable housing for all.'
We ended our day by walking back through town to the Bridgeport Brew Pub, Oregon's oldest craft brewery. By now were tired and hungry, so we drank beer and ate food. It was all good.
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| House-made bratwurst burger topped with 'beerkraut', melted Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on a pretzel bun |
But the Old Knucklehead was an absolute favourite and knock-out: a barleywine with caramel and dark roasted malts and prominent Chinook hops, all aged in American White Oak to pick up notes of vanilla and caramel. After that it was definitely time to call it a day and head home on the Light Rail, catching glimpses of bridges in the early evening.
The Silicon Forest sculpture by Brian Borrello is part of the public art on the MAX Yellow Line. Apparently there is art at every stop along this line, which 'draws from the history and culture of the area to create a unique identity for each station'. As I have said before, I love public art and I feel the inclusion of it in a town planner's design represents an acknowledgment of community.
Silicon Forest (2003) is an abstract sculpture made from stainless steel and LED lights, depicting a series of trees with thin trunks and cone-shaped foliage. At night the metal trees are illuminated by electricity generated from their own solar panels. There used to be a forest on this land.
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| Silicon Forest by Brian Borrello |
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