Northwestern Fun! (Portland)

Member Name: Waikie

Product:	Portland
Date:	04/04/01 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxed, picturesque

Disadvantages: None

Portland - often ignored and hidden behind the attention that Seattle gets (a very cool place also) - is a charming and fun place to visit.

When I went in Summer 1999 I got a bunk at the youth hostel across the willamette river in a trendy neighbourhood - from where I walked out to the city centre.

The town is quite compact by american standards - and the efficient transit system buzzes you round the free-zone cuty centre in no time.

Highlights inclide Nike Town - the flagship store of the sportswear giant (it's the local company), also the "world's largest bookstore" - now I've been in a few worlds largest bookstores - but this one is huge, an entire city block of bookshelves, right next to a giant microbrew pub (thats real ale to us Brits), where I spent hours looking for old books.

There's a big building in the downtown, with a huge statue of Portlandia on the roof of the entrance. Erm it's a sort of historical woman like a greek goddess in suitably historic pose - and at about 30ft high it's a very cool photo opportunity.

The setting of the town with the river on one side and a huge urban park on the other is very low-key compared to the hustle and bustle of say New York, and sits favourably with the European visitor as similar to a few cities back home.

All in all, well worth a visit.

Summary: