A Critique of Portland Oregon

POLA · #1 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 5:09 AM**

redacted

Top Of The Park · #2 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 5:30 AM**

....I thought from your title, you were going to knock Portland. I was relieved. Nice city.

OhioGuy · #3 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 6:54 AM**

Looks like a great place for a vacation.

Pavlov's Dog · #4 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 7:57 AM**

Great post. Portland needs to be viewed as a work in progress. So much positive change has happened the past 20 years that if you hadn't been there previously you wouldn't know how dramatic the tranformation has been.

I agree that what Portland is really lacking is a vibrant street scene in the core of the city. While it's central city is certainly more lively than most similarly sized American cities it still has a ways to go on this front. Some things the city still is lacking are a public market and a vibrant nightlife district.

The movers and shakers as well as planers seem to have a shared vision that any city could envy. For the most part they are on the same page and realize that for everyone to prosper you have to have a safe, pedestrian oriented, human scaled environment. The all too numerous surface parking lots are slowly being developed.

Portland isn't quite "there" yet in my mind but given all these factors probably will be before too long. I look forward being able to visit the city in the future and follow it's transformation.

S_B_Russell · #5 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 12:51 PM**

^Portland might not be there, yet, but they are close and light years ahead of a lot of North American cities.

Chelsea Spy · #6 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 2:22 PM**

nice tour, good to see an American city being so accomodating to cyclists.

Coldrsx · #7 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 3:06 PM**

great tour/critique...i will be in Portland next June and cannot wait to tour.

Buckeye Native 001 · #8 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 3:29 PM**

Portland is one of my favorite cities in the country, and while its nightlife may be lacking relative to SF, NYC or Chicago, its still better than the places I've lived (Orange County, Phoenix, Cincinnati), and I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could.

10101000 · #9 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 3:32 PM**

Good show! Nice I liked it

Rusty van Reddick · #10 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 7:43 PM**

Blue Bottle is no Stumptown.

Sekkle · #11 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 7:58 PM**

Nice photos. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by POLA

One of our favorite new buildings is in the background of this photo. Anyone know the name of it?

It's a condo building called The Henry.

denveraztec · #12 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 8:59 PM**

Nice tour, I love Portland!

pdxtex · #13 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 9:34 PM**

Portland has alot of nightlife but its more neighborhoody oriented, ie, not in downtown, alas its mostly alcohol oriented so if you are on the wagon then you might be out of luck.....

Jimby · #14 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 9:46 PM**

Nice tour. I can't wait for my next visit to Portland.

aspiringArchitect · #15 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 10:09 PM**

Great work, Portland! I love all these new projects! I'm not a huge fan of modern highrises, but most of these look really nice. I too like the brick added into them. Oh, in case your interested, The Pearl was rated the number one urban renewal project (it's easy to see why!) by someone a little while back. I also heard that there were plans to construct a MLB stadium where the post office is now...

I'll have to get back there in a couple years. I'm sure alot will have changed!

SLO · #16 Posted **Sep 15, 2008, 11:22 PM**

Cant wait to visit, once I get back out west...

CapitalCity · #17 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 12:03 AM**

Nice tour; very calm and at a nice speed for me lol.

ColDayMan · #18 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 12:42 AM**

Beautiful!

Chicago3rd · #19 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 2:23 AM**

So pola...question...you don't do theater, theatre, museums, shopping, restaurants, bars, markets, galleries, ghellato, libraries, live music, parks, bookstores, fountains, city out door art, people watching, festivals...when in downtowns? That is all happening in downtown PDX....you said there wasn't anything to do...what do you do?

But thanks for the photos!

PDX City-State · #20 Posted **Sep 16, 2008, 5:15 AM**

Nob Hill has been Nob Hill for a century. Your comment that we ought to find a new name for it is frankly rather stupid. I suppose Chelsea in New York ought to find a more original name as well.

Other than that nice comments, but you didn't see that much.

Next time you're in town, you really ought to explore the East side neighborhoods. Downtown Portland is probably the most lively downtime for an American city its size, but that's not really saying much given the competition.

Hawthorne is okay, but it peaked a long time ago. Most locals find it rather scraggly, though there are some cool things happening above 39th. I'd check out the Division and Clinton Street corridors, Lower East Burnside for great nightlife, East 28th Avenue, Mississippi Avenue, North Williams Avenue bike culture, and lower Stark Street.