Portland, Oregon
Alphabet District (Nob Hill - N 23rd Ave)
The constant nagging of the greenery surrounding this business city can cause Portland locals to feel the need to escape to Oregon’s dense green forests. Fortunately, for busy workers who have obligations in the city, Forest Park is the closest outlet for the friendliest bikers, hikers and runners who greet each bypasser.
Forest Park has a couple loop-around trails through lush greenery as short as 2.5 miles and a one-way trail as long as five miles to the Pittock Mansion, home of who is believed to be the starters of Portland, the Pittock family. Thankfully, there is also a road that leads to the mansion’s parking lot so those who wish to see it don’t have to hike ten miles.
This historic monument’s tours and great view overlooking the city is what started attracting people to what can be referred to as Nob Hill, and it is essentially what led to the development of Alphabet District. Located in a neighborhood of beautifully designed houses on a steep hill, similar to something in Philadelphia or San Francisco, this district is considered to be one of the more upscale of the area.
Pearl District
Due to its location right in the heart of the city, Pearl District is probably the most popular neighborhood. Not to mention, it is home to Powell’s Books, a highly talked about bookstore that stretches over an entire block--a reader’s Heaven or Hell depending on how easily overwhelmed they can become.
With tourists comes big franchises, so it’s no surprise that Pearl District is home to many of the well-known upscale retail shops and restaurants; even the local grocery store is a Whole Foods. And although travelers can find them all throughout Portland, tourists also bring Portland’s famous food trucks to the neighborhood. Because of the city’s diversity, I found that the best way to get a taste for all the culture’s cuisines was at the Alder Pod, two blocks lined with international food trucks covering anything from Polish to Thai and even grilled cheese sandwiches.
As mentioned, Pearl District is in the heart of the city, which means immediate access to the Willamette River. Take a stroll, run, bike ride or boat tour along this river and discover the high-end seafood restaurants and cafes that attract Portland’s upper class and business men and women. One may even witness Portland State University’s rowing team in their colorful dragon canoes.
Division District (SE Division Street)
Out of the four districts I visited during my stay, SE Division Street, sometimes referred to as Portlandia Hipster, met and exceeded my expectations of Portland’s hipster scene. Located on the north side of the river, SE Division Street is a long stretch of activities from boutique shopping to locally owned restaurants to thriving nightlife that is determined to make goers feel young and “hip.”
Portland is known for being big one of the eco-friendliest cities in the U.S. if not the world; not only do they emphasize on recycling trash, the city’s thrift stores have experienced much success recycling apparel and
decor. After driving in circles for ten minutes in search of a parking spot in the vibrant surrounding neighborhoods, I stopped in at Artifact, where I had the most successful thrift shopping experience--3 stylish jackets, a sweater and a shirt for less than 50 dollars!
Cutting myself off there, the rest of the boutiques only got the window shopper despite my eagerness to browse inside. Instead, I wandered into The American Local, a rustic restaurant with a unique seasonal menu of tapas-style seafood, veggies, skewers and American comfort foods. For travelers looking to experience the culture of the city and the restaurant, always take a seat at the bar if it overlooks the kitchen. This allows thebartenders, chefs and waiters to engage with customers, allowing for conversation about the food preparation as well as advice and recommendations on touring the city.
After looking over the menu multiple times, I was able to narrow it down to four flavor-filled dishes: sashimi-style sea bass, Oregon Dungeness Crab toast, strawberry and arugula salad, and french fries served with a special house sauce. After watching dish after dish move from the kitchen to the tables, I would’ve substituted the strawberry salad for a broccoli tahini salad and squid fried rice.
Also on SE Division Street is Portland’s famous Salt and Straw ice cream parlor, often talked about in travel and food magazines for its distinct flavors, such as Pear and Blue Cheese or Coconut Mint Chip Whoopie Pie. Although I didn’t save room to stop in and test the oddly delicious sounding flavors, the line out the door and powerful smell of freshly made waffle cones was enough to understand how popular the place really is.
Mississippi District (N Mississippi Ave)
Also referred to as the Vintage District, Mississippi can be easily compared to Division, the only difference being the locals’ personalities and styles in these areas really fit into either the vintage or hipster theme.
Unfortanetly it was a short trip to the Mississippi District and all the boutiques were closed, but Samurai Blue Sushi and Sake was not. Sitting at the bar again, the chefs talked about popular nightlife in Portland for young adults, mentioning the Old Town Chinatown district.
The Wakame (seaweed) Salad was a delicious and light appetizer, followed by one roll of Mango Tango and one roll of Hot Night. The Mango Tango is stuffed with tempura shrimp, crab and avocado, and it’s topped with the a slice of mango, sprinkled with coconut and drizzled in balsamic vinegar. The Hot Night consisted of fried shrimp, avocado and spicy tuna rolled together and topped with tempura flakes, tare sauce and mayo.
Afterwards, the smell of homemade waffle cones at the neighboring ice cream parlor, Ruby Jewel Scoops, was too tempting to ignore. The flavors are not as bizarre as Salt & Straw’s on Division, but don’t lack creativity. After watching a worker press waffle cones, I ordered a waffle cone with a scoop of butterscotch ice cream with oatmeal chocolate chip cookie chunks topped with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream with dark chocolate chunks.
The scooper was very engaging, complimenting on fashion pieces and talking up Portland’s amazing food and retail scenes in the area.
View of Portland from Pittock Mansion
The greenery in Forest Park
Thrift store on SE Division Street
Food preperation at the bar in The Amerian Local