Portland National/International News

[tworivers]

Don't forget Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho. When I moved here in '96 I remember both of those movies as being very much in my mind. Also, Portland's reputation as being a hotbed of leftwing radicalism. When I ended up in Olympia a couple years later, a lot of people in the music scene were moving down here (as opposed to Seattle), as I ended up doing, again, myself. There was maybe less self-awareness of being cool in anyone else's eyes outside of the NW back then -- the craft beer world was maybe 1/4 the size it is now, I remember Higgins and Genoa as being the "good" restaurants in town, there were art collectives like Red76, great all-ages venues like Meow Meow... I could go on. I actually think things are much better now, overall. I always laugh when I hear people, many of whom I suspect may have moved here a few years ago, bemoaning how they no longer recognize "their" town.

[2oh1]

I think Portlandia, the show, made Portland a mainstream destination, whereas before the show came along, this was a place specific groups flocked too but most people were relatively unaware of.

I moved here in the late 90s. I was recruited for a job, and at the time, the name Portland meant no more to me than a name like Providence RI, Pueblo CO, or Portsmouth NH. It was a name. I had to find a map to figure out where exactly it was. I knew nothing about it, but I'd bet that people interested in hippie culture or leftie radicalism were familiar with it. This was the first place I'd ever lived where hippie wasn't a bad word. As the beer culture here exploded, I'm sure that people who are into microbrews and home brewing became more aware of Portland - but in the rest of the country, most people think Bud and Coors are real beer.

I think the show Portlandia made a huge difference in terms of putting Portland on the national map, in a mainstream sense, similar to how grunge, Frasier and Sleepless In Seattle put Seattle in the national consciousness - so to speak.

[tworivers]

I think the show Portlandia made a huge difference in terms of putting Portland on the national map, in a mainstream sense, similar to how grunge, Frasier and Sleepless In Seattle put Seattle in the national consciousness - so to speak.

Definitely, only we're the butt of a joke. I've been trying to think of it in the context of "there is no such thing as bad publicity", but I had to cringe when I was in Europe last month. There were way fewer "it's between SF and Seattle" moments this time around -- at the same time almost everyone I ran into mentioned or asked about Portlandia.

[riterpdx]

I will admit I'm a fan of the show, it's funny in my opinion and I enjoy seeing local business and streets that I walk in/on/around, on tv! Pretty cool. But I don't feel the show really shows anything that would apeal to the mainstream, it highlights some of Portlands most specific and peculiar small business, and some of our more ehhh eccentric? Kind of People. Not sure why that would make people be like "wow Portland looks like an amazing city it's the next big thing screw SF I'm moving there!" Know what I mean?

I noticed we've been at the top of many lists for the past few years.. Most greenest, best public transportation, food carts,microbrews, and a few others. I feel like people are finally starting to connect the dots and see all that pdx has to offer. I think we were named best US city of 2013 on some travel blog too.

[Derek]

I mainly moved here for the weather and the politics.



While Portlandia is extremely popular, we can't discount Grimm from being an important factor in Portland's popularity.

[bvpcvm]

I don't think we're the butt of Portlandia's jokes; I feel like they're laughing with us, not at us. SFO has long been known for its weirdos; that's just part of its appeal. If boring is more your style, well, then it's not for you, but apparently even in Nashville there are enough who like it to support "Portland-style" businesses. I like the show.

[zilfondel]

When I visited Vancouver BC last spring, we stayed in a "hip hotel" that had copies of the Willamette Week finder magazine on the table in the lounge and served stumptown coffee. Was a strange contrast; we only saw 2 hipsters the ENTIRE duration of our stay!!!

[zilfondel]

Originally Posted by tworivers

Definitely, only we're the butt of a joke. I've been trying to think of it in the context of "there is no such thing as bad publicity", but I had to cringe when I was in Europe last month. There were way fewer "it's between SF and Seattle" moments this time around -- at the same time almost everyone I ran into mentioned or asked about Portlandia.

Just tell them the truth - its exactly like the show!

[downtownpdx]

I thought in light of the past 18 horrible months, this is a nice vote of confidence in our fair city - Portland lands at #8 for Conde Naste Traveler's 2021 Readers Poll for favorite large American cities.

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-cities-us

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

I thought in light of the past 18 horrible months, this is a nice vote of confidence in our fair city - Portland lands at #8 for Conde Naste Traveler's 2021 Readers Poll for favorite large American cities.

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-cities-us

I've been coming into the office downtown 3-4 days a week since Oregon reach 70% vaccination and most of the time it seems like there's more tourists than locals wandering around during the day.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

I've been coming into the office downtown 3-4 days a week since Oregon reach 70% vaccination and most of the time it seems like there's more tourists than locals wandering around during the day.

Yeah, things are slowly starting to come back. Hotels are nowhere near what they used to be, but they are seeing tourists coming to the city daily which is a really promising sign.

[CorbinWarrick]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Yeah, things are slowly starting to come back. Hotels are nowhere near what they used to be, but they are seeing tourists coming to the city daily which is a really promising sign.

Where do you see that at?

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

Where do you see that at?

The last few times I was at Saturday Market is was jammed, as was the waterfront in general. Powell's Books and the surrounding area have been busy on weekends also. Hotels, from what I've heard, are running at like 80/90% on weekends but it drops quite a bit during the week, since business travel is still very low.

[eric cantona]

interesting piece on where we've been, and where we are going:
https://www.thenation.com/article/so...tter-protests/

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

Where do you see that at?

One of my jobs is working at one of the hotels downtown, I recently came back to that job because they were finally starting to need extra help again. Compared to last year, it is definitely much more active, especially on weekends.