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Ask HN: What to do in Portland?

61 points| rgrieselhuber | 15 years ago | reply

I'm going to be in Portland, OR for about 10 days or so, starting on 11/3.

I'd love to meet up with any hackers in the area. If you're thinking about applying (or have applied) to YC, I'm also happy to answer any questions / share my experience. (I'll buy the beer.)

Also looking for recommendations of things to do, groups to check out, etc.

97 comments

order
[+] grinich|15 years ago|reply 

    • Powell's Books (and Technical books)
    • 23rd Street and NW Portland area
    • Voodoo doughnuts
    • Rose Garden
    • OMSI
    • the Pearl district
    • Hawthorne district (around the Bagdad theatre)
    • Events in Pioneer Courthouse Sq.
    • Hit up the dozens of microbrews
    • peek in the offices of weiden+kennedy
    • shows at the doug fir lounge
    • kennedy school
    • take the OHSU tram once (weird and fun)
    • some fun stuff around Alberta St. and the Hollywood district
    • parks! (I like laurelhurst, the arboretum, and forest park)
    • washington park zoo, if you like zoos. (really great for kids)
[+] jordanlev|15 years ago|reply
Resident here: this is a great list, except I would not bother with the Rose Garden this time of year (kind of boring outside of May-July when flowers aren't in bloom), and instead would hit up the Japanese Garden (just next door), or Chinese Gardens downtown.
[+] hugh3|15 years ago|reply
I actually wasn't all that impressed by OMSI. As far as science museums go it seemed quite small and kid-oriented, without all that much in the way of actual stuff to see.

Maybe it is, as another commenter said, in the top five science museums in the country, but if it were it would have to be a very distant fifth because it's nothing like the Smithsonian or the New York Museum of Natural History or the California Academy of Sciences or the one whose name I forget in Chicago.

I also think Voodoo Donuts is overrated, but that's just me. Dinner recommendation: Andina.

[+] qwzybug|15 years ago|reply
Try to get all the way into W+K if you can. It's like an ad agency from a Valve game. Absolutely one of the craziest spaces I have ever been in.
[+] allangu|15 years ago|reply
microbrews - bridgeport, any of the mcmenamin hike at the gorge - angel's rest, wakeena fall eat at apizza scholl, pok pok
[+] docgnome|15 years ago|reply
I love Powell's. Best bookstore in the world.
[+] misstillytilly|15 years ago|reply
There are 2 things that Portland does best. Strippers and beer:

http://www.devilspointbar.com/ http://www.sassysbar.com/welcome.html http://www.luckydevillounge.com/ http://www.unionjacksclub.com/

http://www.hopworksbeer.com/ http://www.rogue.com/ http://www.mcmenamins.com/ http://www.rockbottom.com/

Have fun, and bring your umbrella

[+] softbuilder|15 years ago|reply
I was just thinking that mention of strip clubs was noticeably absent. Beer is nearly unavoidable. Strippers, less so.
[+] jbr|15 years ago|reply
Lived in Portland for 7 years (went to school in SE, Reed College). Hence, nostalgia dump:

When I left for the bay area a few years ago, NE Alberta and North Portland were picking up inertia. If you're into coffee, try Albina Press.

The lucky lab on SE Hawthorne (close in) is a Great pub and I'm not much of a pubgoer.

Eat street food. The Portland street food scene makes the mission district look behind the times.

Get some tea in the teahouse in the Chinese gardens (right downtown). It's often overlooked by Portlanders, but the Chinese gardens are really quite wonderful. The tea menu is run by the Tao of Tea, which is one of the better tea importers in America.

Check out the nickel arcade (wonderland, I think it's called) on SE Belmont.

Powells & Powell's Technical. If you're a book person, set aside at least half a day for this. Read some books in the cafe. Hang out a while - there's no better book store in America (including the strand - nyc, moe's - berkeley, serendipity, etc)

I know I'm disagreeing with other posters, but avoid the pearl like the plague. It's the least "truly portland" and is for people from other cities who are looking for shiny glass highrises and warehouses. Everything is more expensive and upscale. Similarly, NW 23rd and 21st have a distinctly "east coast haven" flavor. Go to NYC or SF for that, enjoy portland for what it does best — the quirky stuff that you can't get elsewhere, and there's plenty of that.

Speaking of quirky, get a doughnut in the middle of the night at voodoo.

Check out the saturday market (sat and sun), if it's running when you're in town. Another uniquely portland experience, but you probably won't buy anything.

Beers: Hair of the dog, rogue, lucky lab. Try something on cask or nitro if you haven't lived in a place that really geeks out on beer.

[+] jbr|15 years ago|reply
Oh: ride public transit. Notice that it runs on time, is fairly easy to understand, and is clean. There's a sky tram, a light rail, a streetcar, and an extensive bus system. Everything is free downtown in the fareless square.
[+] edj|15 years ago|reply
Regarding coffee: albina press is good but has been surpassed. Most of the original crew left to start their own shops.

Red E on N Killingsworth is my favorite. Barista, in the Pearl and also on NE Alberta, is similar and somewhat more famous. Both serve Coava a local roaster that sells single origin coffees, meaning the beans are of one type and come from one farm. Their stuff consistently wins awards in the coffee world.

[+] maxawaytoolong|15 years ago|reply
It's not so bad to hit the Pearl and NW 23/21. Portland isn't that big, so it's easy to stay a few minutes then leave if you don't like it. Plus, the Pearl is adjacent to Powell's books, anyway.

If you really want a hard core Portland experience, go check out the dudes skating the skatepark under the Burnside bridge, then go to a strip club.

[+] klodolph|15 years ago|reply
Resident here. These are off the top of my head, so I'll miss some.

Food: I recommend the following two food carts for eating lunch downtown: "Ziba's Pitas" on SW Alder and 9th Ave (try the ajvar), and "KOi Fusion", whose location is posted via twitter at http://www.twitter.com/koifusionpdx . Voodoo donuts is open 24/7 and conducts wedding ceremonies.

Tech: I second the recommendation for http://calagator.org/ . Powell's books is also a must, the technical store is now across the street from the main store which is convenient.

Science: Your timing is unlucky in a sense, you won't be able to go to OMSI after dark (Oct 27, http://www.omsi.edu/afterdark) or science pub (Nov 1, Nov 16, http://www.omsi.edu/sciencepubportland). I'd say OMSI is one of the top five science museums nationwide, and the best science museum on the west coast.

Art: On the first Thursday of every month (Nov 4), there are a bunch of art galleries and stands that open up in NW Portland starting in the afternoon and picking up in the evening. http://www.firstthursdayportland.com/ The Portland Art Museum is also excellent. http://portlandartmuseum.org/

Parks: Japanese gardens, rose gardens.

Neighborhoods: SE Hawthorne ST and NW 23RD AVE are interesting places and friendly to explorers. The vicinity of NE Alberta ST has a disproportionate number of cool parties, but good luck figuring out when / where / whether you need an invitation.

Music: The Doug Fir, Berbati's Pan, Jimmy Mak's, Someday Lounge, Backspace, Satyricon are just a few examples. The Doug Fir stands out, especially if you like indy rock. Go to Jimmy Mak's if you like jazz.

Random: "Ground Kontrol" if you like arcade games. It is also a bar. (Someone mentioned Wonderland, which is cheaper, but Ground Kontrol has the classics and I don't think they serve beer at Wonderland.)

Hmm, you've convinced me to take my precious savings (unemployed at the moment) and go out.

[+] klodolph|15 years ago|reply
Oops, I almost forgot. I'd like to mention "Japan Night" on Mon, Nov 8 at Portland State University's Smith ballroom. It's a big annual event put on by the Japanese Student Society. I think tickets are $10 for non-students. Support the local university students! (Disclosure: I am tangentially involved in the event, so I feel the need to advertise it.)
[+] cschep|15 years ago|reply
Ground Kontrol is AWESOME!
[+] lyime|15 years ago|reply
Hey come hang out at PIE. There are bunch of startups that are working there (UrbanAirship, Mugasha and Bank Simple) send me an email if you want to drop by.
[+] grahamr|15 years ago|reply
Powell's books, and don't forget the separate technical books location: http://www.yelp.com/biz/powells-city-of-books-portland-3 http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-technical-books/

Great coffee: http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffeehouse-northwest-portland http://stumptowncoffee.com/

Fun bars: http://www.dougfirlounge.com/ http://www.rontoms.net/

Cool neighborhoods to explore: - SE Hawthorne - Pearl District - Northwest

[+] comfrey|15 years ago|reply
so powells technical moved up 2 blocks (just across the main store on 10th and Couch) and is now called powells 2. as of last month.
[+] arturo|15 years ago|reply
I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet: http://dorkbotpdx.org/ It meets every other Monday at Backspace(on NW 5th Ave just north of Burnside). So, for your time window that will be at 7pm on November 8th. You will at least get a chance to meet the originator of the wiki(Ward Cunningham) who is a regular. The crowd ranges from artists, electronics & robotics enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs who have hardware and software products in all stages of development. It is a very informal beer filled atmosphere with live demonstrations of projects and discussions of topics common on HN.
[+] deltaqueue|15 years ago|reply
I just spent a week in Portland last month, and agree with everything posted so far (also agree Voodoo is overrated, but I'm a health nut so it was difficult to stomach the maple-bacon donut without dreading the aftermath).

I haven't seen anything about Multnomah falls to the east or Cannon beach on the coast -- both are beautiful places to check out if you're renting a car and like nature.

Here are some pictures I took on the trip, since they might give you a good idea of some of the places others have mentioned: http://www.jasoncazes.com/photos/portland/

[+] jcsalterego|15 years ago|reply
I visited earlier this year and here were my highlights (YMMV):

  - Fuller's Diner
  - Powell's Books and Technical books -- a few blocks from each other IIRC
  - Pearl district in general
  - Tender Loving Empire (I went to the SW 10th St one)
  - Sweet Masterpiece (awesome chocolate + wine/coffee pairings!)
  - Saturday (weekend) market
  - OMSI (first time in a planetarium since the mid-90s)
  - Portland Aeriel Tram
  - Portland Art Museum
  - Japanese and Rose Gardens, Oregon Zoo
[+] thedjpetersen|15 years ago|reply
I really enjoy going to Powell's when I am there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell%27s_Books
[+] davepeck|15 years ago|reply
+1

Powell's has a separate science and technology bookstore. Even if you don't want to buy a book, it's worth visiting this separate building to see the quite small (but entertaining) collection of vintage computers and manuals.

[+] bayareaguy|15 years ago|reply
Powell's has a great technical bookstore a block away from their main store. Budget plenty of time to take it all in.

If the weather permits I would recommend riding a bike and taking public transportation to get around. Portland is much better than the bay area in this respect.

If you are into postgres be sure and say hi to the folks at Rentrak if you can. They have some great query / analytics technology built on it.

There are some fabulous farmer's markets there too.

[+] prawn|15 years ago|reply
I was there in August (Australian, spent a month on the West Coast with my wife). Went to a great Japanese restaurant called Hiroshi, hit a few pubs/brewpubs and did a walking tour which was actually pretty interesting. Stayed at Kennedy School which was great too. With more time I would've checked out the Japanese garden and (were the timing better) got to a Blazers game.
[+] presto8|15 years ago|reply
In addition to the many great suggestions already made, here are a few more:

Rent a (road) bicycle and ride a nice 2-hour loop along the waterfront (starting at OMSI and going along the Springwater Corridor)

Rent a (mountain) bike and bike in Forest Park (near NW 23rd)

Go to Council Crest Park, the highest point in Portland. Great views of the city and, if the weather is clear, at least 4 glaciated peaks.

Attend the farmer's market at Portland State University on Saturday mornings

Walk through Washington Park (head up Burnside to NW 23rd and then enter the park). From here, you can access the rose gardens, the Japanese gardens, Hoyt Arborteum, and the zoo.

Go skiing at Timberline lodge (they open for the season this weekend).

Go surfing at the coast (you can rent everything you need, including a warm wet suit, at Cannon Beach)

Go hiking on the coast: Saddle Mountain or Neahkahnie Mountain is good

Go hiking in the Gorge: numerous options of varying difficulties, consult Google

See Multnomah Falls, and take one of many numerous hikes in the area

See a movie at the Bagdad, a neat theater, and walk around the neighborhood there

Hike in Forest Park. The Wildwood Trail goes on for 30 miles. Pittock Mansion is cool. The Audobahn Society is a convenient stop.

See Mt. St. Helens. I'm not sure if the visitor center is open.

Drive to Hood River (can be combined on a long day trip to Mt Hood)

Drive to Mt Hood and hike up to the glacier

Go wine tasting in the Willamette Valley (numerous vineyards available)

Attend free art show on First Thursday

Rent a kayak and paddle the river, or go on a river cruise

[+] zrail|15 years ago|reply
Thirding http://calagator.org/ Specifically, PDX Hackathon is a pretty good time and happens every Thursday night at the Luckly Lab on SE Hawthorne. Show up, hack on a project, talk with other hackers about whatever.
[+] mparr4|15 years ago|reply
Street food!! And if you like Thai, hit up Pok Pok in SE then hit the Mcmeniman's pubs in the area.