The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Portland, Oregon Now
BY TRIPVEEL EDITORIAL STAFF | December 2019
Portland is pretty unique, literally. With world-renowned chefs and public art on nearly every street corner, a huge urban forest and a bridge reserved for bicyclists—this isn’t your typical city. A little bit creative, a little bit counter-culture, Portland is home to a mindful community dedicated to keeping it sustainable, innovative and accessible. The city is packed with so much character you’ll almost forget to explore its great outdoors. If Portland wasn’t so different, it simply wouldn’t be Portland.
Image courtesy of Travel Portland
1. THE HIKING
Portland, Oregon is a hiker’s paradise. Forest Park, one of the largest urban forests in the United States, stretches more than seven miles of Northwest Portland along the eastern slope of the Tualatin Mountains and overlooks Northwest Portland and the convergence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
Image courtesy of Travel Portland
The Wildwood Trail has been designated as a National Recreation Trail. The Pittock Mansion is a short walk off the Wildwood Trail’s second leg and provides a tremendous view of Portland and Mount Hood.
2. THE ART
Portland’s art is everywhere. Some of the murals were made by world-renowned artists, some by local creatives. Some are realistic and some abstract, but they are all worth contemplating.
Portland's walls, trees and sidewalks are white walls of a gallery that's accessible to everyone. To download the map app, click here.
3. THE COCKTAILS
Wood-fired South American cuisine in Portland, Oregon comes naturally at LeChon. With a diverse collection of tantalizing handcrafted cocktails, we recommend trying the Mal Humorado—concocted with reposado tequila, orange liqueur, habanero syrup, passionfruit and lime for your artisanal cocktail fix.
LeChon Restaurant in Portland, Oregon
For a one-of-a-kind Latin dining experience, LeChon seamlessly combines the fiery cooking of Argentina, Chile and Patagonia. Chef favorites include Peruvian Roasted Chicken with grilled corn and roasted sweet potato, King Salmon Tiradito with artichoke and avocado, as well as Pork Anticucho with sweet potato purée, soy-sesame bbq glaze and aji verde. Hungry yet?
Be sure to soak in the immersive atmosphere while enjoying the unique jellyfish aquarium behind the bar or the dining room’s life-size coral reef tank teeming with color and the living art of tropical fish.
4. THE GARDENS
Portland has long had a love affair with roses. In 1888, Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of publisher Henry Pittock, invited her friends and neighbors to exhibit their roses in a tent set up in her garden. In 1915 a rose hobbyist convinced city officials to institute a rose test garden to serve as a safe haven during World War I for hybrid roses grown in Europe.
Rose lovers feared that these unique plants would be destroyed in the bombings. The International Rose Test Garden was dedicated in June 1924.
Image courtesy of Travel Portland
Designed by Ruth Hansen, a landscape architect, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden was originally developed as a test garden. The rocks used to build the waterfalls and other features were gathered from Mount Hood and Mount Adams. Beginning in early spring and continuing into summer, more than 2,500 rhododendrons and azaleas provide a magnificent display of color, giving visitors the opportunity to view many varieties rarely seen in the Pacific Northwest.
5. THE ARCHITECTURE
Built in 1914, Pittock Mansion tells the story of Portland’s transformation from pioneer town to a modern, industrialized metropolis through the history and legacy of one its most influential families.
Image courtesy of Travel Portland
