Portland: The Land of Weird; Warm People, Unforgettable Experience
Revised
4/2021
Dear
Polite Traveler,
Portland
is the land of youth, ageless old folks, LGBTQIA, non-binary, Goth, ink, and
full sleeves. It’s the land of smiles, hugs, friendship, kindness, and generosity. It’s the land of the pure water, coffee and finely
crafted beer, and a variety of delicious ethnic food. It’s the land
of rivers, street art, parks, and more specifically, the smallest park in the
states. Most importantly, Portland is keeping it weird and it feels
like home to me.
Note:
Follow CDC and county guidelines when visiting.
Always wear your face mask when in public. Also, during the pandemic, some amenities
may not be available. Please remember,
this is only temporary.
The People
To
be honest, and why not be honest, we didn’t plan to do much besides acquainting
ourselves with the city. And I believe we did. This is
one of the only cities we’ve visited where strangers approached us with a smile
and greeting. If we stopped to check our map, someone would
inevitably stop and offer assistance. Complete strangers shared
their lives with us, like the young waiter whose fiancé was recently in a car
accident. Overcome with motherly feelings,
I gave him a warm hug and asked him to share it with her.
Unfortunately,
not all were warm and cuddly. Portland, like so many large cities,
has a large homeless population. Evidence of drug use is on
display as well. It’s very sad to see, especially since most are
young people. A former mayor, Bud Clark, had created a 12-
Point Homeless Plan. I sincerely hope the city continues to act on
this plan and create new plans that work well in this current time.
Portland Art Museum
A
mixture of the new and old, this museum is
the oldest in Portland and the reason we planned our trip for this
time. The Paris of 1900, City of Enlightenment exhibition was about
to end, and I so dearly wanted to see it. I was not
disappointed.
For
those of you who don’t know about this time period or the art, it was called
the Belle Époque which means “beautiful time”. Prosperity, fashion,
art, and entertainment flourished with people from all over the globe visiting
the International Exposition of 1900. Here in the museum, we found
the entire story laid out before us in six sections profiling the art, film,
textiles, fans, furniture, and more. I was a bit overwhelmed
and felt as if I had traveled through time.
Nevertheless,
this exhibit isn’t the only draw to the museum. Please check out the
Portland Art Museum website for more information. And note, they do
have a coffee shop and an excellent store.
Portland Walking Tour
My husband and I chose to spend a few days in this land of weird—our first visit and decidedly, not our last. We began our first day with a city tour. In this tour, our guide Kat, taught us quite a bit about Portland’s history and the city’s values, such as environmental sustainability plans and publicly funded art. I wholeheartedly recommend a city tour, as it gives the tourist a better understanding of the city. (Please read my post about this tour)
Portland’s Living Room
We
learned the history of this piece of land—directly in the center of downtown —
from Kat, our tour guide. Originally called “Pioneer Courthouse
Square,” this 1875 federal building east of the square, remains a working 9th district
courthouse. (please tour it; it’s full of fun history)
The
square had many uses throughout the years but was finally purchased by the city
in the mid ‘70s. It took nearly a decade to build this lovely square
into what is truly a well-used living room. While we were there, we
noticed a man in a suit meditating while sitting in a chair, a large populating
enjoying the—always on site—food trucks, numerous visitors to Oregon’s flagship
Starbucks, and the “Standard Volunteer Expo”
that filled the entire square. We felt very much at home here
and feel you may as well. During our time, there were no homeless
here.
Please view the pictures of the “Portland’s Living Room” brochure.
Not
that we were surprised, but many were. We found one of Portland’s
seven “All-User-Restrooms” right here in Portland’s Living
Room. Basically, it is exactly what the name implies: all users may
use this one large room full of bathrooms and sinks. There is a
public restroom attendant on-site just in case of an emergency or if
anyone...well, fill in that blank with your imagination.
Please
share your experiences! Happy traveling!
Continue with a Tour of Portland
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