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Discovering Portland, Oregon

MexiKen | Sep 9, 2009 |

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If there ever was a relatively under rated city to fall in love with for many reasons, it would have to be Portland, Oregon. The downtown is small enough to explore easily by foot and even bump into people you recognize or know, yet offers enough to make it feel like a real down town.

Sitting on the banks of the Willamette River, the River Walk is usually busy with all kinds of people enjoying the outdoors. In the winter and Spring, when the grey, rainy days can seem to go on forever, when the sun finally does decide to break through the clouds, you will find the waterfront absolutely buzzing with people on foot, on bikes, on roller blades, pushing strollers or playing Frisbee in the grass, or even just sitting on a bench watching all the activity. The wonderful part is that everyone seems to have a genuine smile on their face, soaking up the sun and the beauty that is all around them.

And this is also where Portland gets a kind of a bad rap; people think it always rains and is always gloomy. The truth of the matter is two fold (actually, three) First, it's simply not true. While it is often grey, and some people would consider it gloomy, it often doesn't rain all that much. Certainly not enough to prevent you from going outside if you really want to. It certainly doesn't rain the way some people think of it; like a torrential downpour. It's more often a gentle mist.

And this is the second part; today's outerwear (a lot of it is made in the Pacific Northwest, and Portland specifically in some cases) consisting of Gortex or similar type of light, waterproof, breathable material, makes going outside totally feasible. When it gets a little cold, adding more of today's outdoor clothing in the form of polar fleece will keep you nice and warm under the shell which is keeping you nice and dry and protected from the wind.

And if this sounds like a lot to do and wear to go out it's really not. A few layers of good quality clothing designed with the latest technology makes is light and not bulky at all. It really allows you to enjoy a beautiful city like Portland in all the different kinds of weather it serves up.

And the final part of the "rainy Portland" myth is this Portlanders like that their city stays under the radar of many people. So much so in fact that many will encourage the idea that it's a gloomy place in an effort to dissuade people from coming, exploring and moving there.

Actually, that's only partially true. Portlanders are warm and gracious hosts and they welcome visitors with open arms. They hope everyone who visits has a wonderful time, and then goes back home.

One of my favorite parts of the 'city' of Portland is Forest Park. One of the biggest (if not THE biggest) parks within city limits in the United States, it's a wonderful place to get away from it all, only moments from down town. Many people will ride their bikes to the park, while others will simply load up their roof racks or spare tire bike rack (and most of them are Yakima bike racks, of course!), drive to the top of Thurman Road, and head off into the miles of dirt road and some single track, covered by trees and thick vegetation, knowing that when they get done they'll only be a short distance from a great cup of coffee or a pint of the best micro brewed beer.

Man do I love that city!