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Outdoorsy, Urban And Bike-Friendly
Portland’s famed Rose Garden. The city’s Rose Festival kicks off several months of events in May, celebrating the city’s ubiquitous blossom. by Hillary Larson Where Seattle is dark and misty and throbs to a nightlife beat, Portland is sort of like America’s Amsterdam — environmentally conscious, civic-minded and cheerful, with bicycles and flowers everywhere. It’s the kind of place where cars respectfully skid to a halt to make way for pedestrians and where families spend weekend afternoons picnicking in one of the many urban gardens. As the city’s hipster profile has risen nationally, prices have followed, but luxury here is a world away from Madison Avenue: a Portland shopping spree is more likely to involve a $6,000 state-of-the-art bike or a slew It has been widely observed that Portland is a bit short on must-see sights, but it’s an ideal base for a weekend or weeklong West Coast getaway. The famously mild climate — less outright rainy than frequently overcast — is at its most lovely as spring gives way to summer, sunshine becomes more frequent, and views of Mount Hood are spectacular on clear days. With everything from mountain biking to kayaking, outdoor attractions easily outnumber indoor ones in Oregon. But there are plenty of wine bars and historical attractions to satisfy the urban sophisticate as well. And within a half-hour’s drive of the city are scenic, windswept Pacific Ocean beaches that feature seals and great sunsets. Besides being bike-friendly, Portland is an enjoyable city to get around on foot. The downtown area is ideal for walking around, and public transportation — including a handy light-rail system — is convenient as well. To get a sense of the city, stroll along the Willamette River, which divides the city in two. A series of bridges crosses the water, the best of which is the Steel Bridge, which links to the city’s new East Bank Esplanade, a 1.5-mile walking and bike trail that offers splendid views of the skyline and waterfront. Just to the west, set amid the picturesque hills of Portland’s most charming residential neighborhoods, is the International Rose Test Garden. This is the largest such facility in the world, where avid botanists test sweet-smelling new hybrids, and thousands of visitors stroll annually through the fragrant hillside gardens. Portland doesn’t call itself “The Rose City” for nothing. The annual and beloved Portland Rose Festival kicks off several months of events in May, celebrating the city’s most ubiquitous blossom. Throughout June, the festival will offer a program of guided “rose walks,” fireworks displays, rose parades, concerts in parks and other events celebrating roses. The highlight is the 120th annual Spring Rose Show on June 5-6, when the Lloyd Center Ice Rink is transformed by a cornucopia of more than 2,000 blooms in what has become the country’s largest and longest-running rose show. For a bit more variety, one of Portland’s most enjoyable attractions is the Japanese Garden. It’s really five separate gardens, each with its own personality and distinct aesthetic. There’s the Flat Garden, a highly stylized moonscape of wavy sand and topiary “islands” laced with sculptural evergreens; the Strolling Pond Garden, a lush, paradise-like oasis featuring footbridges and dragonfly-buzzing pools; the meditative Tea Garden, with its ritual tea house; the Natural Garden, a verdant, rainy forest of ferns, mosses and trees in their “natural” state; and the Sand and Stone Garden, whose cryptic rock sculptures feel more like a sprawling work of abstract art than a garden per se. In May and June, the gardens are abloom with irises and wisteria, and a visitor could easily spend a day here. Greater Portland has one of the West Coast’s largest and most diverse Jewish communities, with more than a dozen congregations just in the city alone. The Web site JewishPortland.com contains a full listing of area synagogues, community centers and Jewish-oriented (though not necessarily kosher) dining options in Portland. The Oregon Jewish Museum is the only such institution in the Northwest. Founded 20 years ago and housed in Portland’s Old Town historic district since 2000, the museum displays artifacts, photographs, and miscellaneous Judaica that reflect the region’s quirky, pioneering Jewish history and culture. Through May 25, the museum is presenting an exhibit entitled “Chaim Gross: Modernist Drawings,” a retrospective of that New York sculptor’s works on paper. Before or after the museum, take a walk and admire the distinctive cast-iron architecture of this historic district, or stroll through nearby Chinatown for a multicultural outing. There’s a lot more to Portland than rivers and roses; as any savvy oenophile will tell you, there’s also the Pinot Noir (not to mention the Riesling). A drive out of Portland, south on Route 99, takes you through an unpromising suburban landscape of strip malls before ushering you into the Willamette Valley, a scenic landscape of rolling hills, fields of wildflowers, covered bridges and quaint small towns. Wineries dot Route 99 from just south of the city; most offer tours and tastings for enthusiastic passers-by. Resources: Portland Tourism: www.travelportland.com International Rose Test Garden: www.rosegardenstore.org/thegardens.cfm Portland Rose Festival: www.rosefestival.org Portland Japanese Garden: www.japanesegarden.com Portland Area Jewish Organizations: www.jewishportland.com Portland Area Wineries: www.oregonwine.org Oregon Jewish Museum: www.ojm.org. |
  
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