by Charles Siskin
posted June 19, 2009
We, my wife, youngest daughter, our seven-year-old granddaughter and myself, boarded an Amtrak train out of Seattle bound for Portland on a sunny morning in early spring so that we could catch a glimpse of the countryside and give my granddaughter the experience of traveling by train.
I read recently in the Wall Street Journal that Portland, Oregon, voted the “Greenest City in America,” is going through a “Midlife Crisis.” Just when I fell in love with the city on my first visit I discover that this awesome city nestled along the banks of the Willamette River is having an identity crisis. Well who hasn’t?
Enviromentally Portland is way ahead of the curve. For example, when it comes to earning the Green Seal, Portland boasts more LEED (Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design) than any other city in the nation. This is true, whether it is their Convention Center, hotels or their Armory which is the only building on the National Register of Historic Places to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.
Furthermore, what makes Portland a magnet for young people today is the “green lifestyle” that Portland has nurtured for a number of decades.
When it comes to transportation, Portland leads the nation in the number of bicycle commuters. There are almost 300 miles of developed bikeways including bike lanes, off-street paths and shared bicycle boulevards.
Portland’s public transportation system (TriMet) sports one of the coolest forms of transportation- their streetcars. These modern reproductions of the old-fashioned streetcars are part of a system similar to Bay Area Regional Transportation System (BART) in San Francisco which runs both on the street and underground trams.
And while on the subject of transportation, Portland also has a car-sharing service called the “Zipcar” where members enjoy access to a fleet of more than 200 cars and estimates that one car replaces 15 privately owned ones.
The list goes on and on with Portland being recognized for green building innovation as well as the top recycler of the nation’s 30 largest cities. And recently Portland launched the nation’s first Twisitor Center. It is a virtual visitor center to which people can twitter travel questions. Whoa to those still trying to figure out texting or making friends on Facebook.
Even though we had prepared for the notorious rain and mist that everyone associates with the northwest, the gods of travel shined down on us during our visit. Consequently we were able to enjoy Portland even more because walking in the downtown area was one of the great joys of the trip.
Downtown Portland, much like downtown Chattanooga, is designed for people to work, play, shop, dine or at the very least catch public transportation and hang your bicycle on a rack fitted to the front of the bus or bring it inside as the case may be.
Having a wife who spent so many years writing travel that she had scoped out the “things to do with a seven-year-old” in advance of our arrival, we quickly got to it.
First stop the USS Blueback Submarine.
In February 1994, after being decommissioned, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) moved the Blueback to Portland where she now rests as an interactive part of the museum and a memorial. The Blueback's propeller was removed and installed outside the museum as a National Submarine Memorial. OMSI currently offers guided tours of the submarine several times a day so we queued up and after a short wait found ourselves below deck scoping out the inner workings of the sub. Tight quarters is an understatement of how the men on the Blueback lived for many months at a time. It was a fascinating and educational experience and not just for seven-year-olds.
Once back on dry land we headed inside the Museum to view their current exhibit, Da Vinci: The Genius. Dan Brown and repeat showings on television of the “ DaVinci Code” aside, this is a totally mind-expanding exhibit of what this man acomplished in his lifetime-from city planning to military inventions to designing costumes and sets for plays and parties.
Another day we headed to the Oregon Zoo. The zoo is home to endangered species of animals that are bred there, as well as Asian elephants, Peruvian penguins and Arctic polar bears. While my daughter and I were totally enchanted by the new-born baby elephant guarded over by her mother who stood motionless; my granddaugher, Molly found the bird exhibit the absolute best.
The birds are inside an enclosure and the object is to get a small paper cup full of seeds to feed them. If you hold out the cup the birds will fly up to you and perch on your arm or shoulder, or even your hand, while nibbling on the food inside the cup.
Molly thought that was the high spot of her zoo experience so much so we had to go back for a second round of feeding. Try coaxing a seven-year-old away from that much interactive fun.
Personally the only crisis I encountered in Portland was not having set aside enough time to explore all the options available there in one too short visit. Reason enough to go back? Absolutely and besides I am an incurable romantic when it comes to cities. I’ve rarely met one I didn’t like.
Where To Stay
The Nines Hotel is very well located in downtown Portland across from Pioneer Courthouse Square where some 300 public events are held each year. The Square is also a great place to grab a cup of coffee before starting out in the morning.
The hotel is located within walking distance of the Pearl District with chic boutiques and stores such as Nordstorm and Macy’s. But what is really exceptional about the hotel are the over 400 pieces of art, many of which are by local artists.
There is also a library with more than 3000 books on loan from Powell’s, the iconic book emporium that is a must on any visitor’s “must see” list. There is also a small but well outfitted Fitness Center next to the Business Center on the sixth floor.
The Nines, 525 Southwest Morrison Street (877) 229-9995. www.thenines.com
Highly recommended:
The Ace Hotel, 1022 Southwest Stark Street. (503) 228-2277. www. acehotel.com
A first cousin to the Ace in New York, where we recently had a great stay, this hotel can also be classified as another of the “hip” boutique hotels that are reimagining the hospitality industry with “too cool” lobbies, “techie” outfitted sleeping quarters and really great staffs who honestly spoil their guests.
Where To Dine
Portland is all about food carts and we’re not talking soft pretzels and hot dogs. These are sophisticated food vendors, many are start-ups by classically trained chefs who are shy of the needed cash to open a restaurant but savvy enough to put together a moveable feast on wheels.
The options are amazing from Mexican to Thai, Korean or Belgian food. There are close to 400 carts in Portland and growing. (Carts are also finding their way to other cities such as Austin and of course New York). To learn more about food carts check out www.foodcartsportland.com.
Mother’s Bistro. 212 SW Stark Street (503) 464-1122.
We celebrated my daugther’s birthday at Lisa Schroeder’s wonderful restaurant. Warm and totally inviting, the setting was perfect as was the food and service. Best described as comfort food, Mother’s specializes in “slow cooking” which is currently in vogue but reminded me of how my mother always cooked her food. Lisa’s food is just plain scrumptious from the pot roast, to the meat loaf and the matzo ball soup as well. And for the grand finale of our meal Ms. Schroeder brought over the most outrageous piece of chocolate cake I think I’ve ever tasted. It was dense and irresistable. The perfect ending to a great evening.
Transportation
Portland is a really natural city to use a bike. The town is made for bicycling and you need to set aside at least one day to bike. There are a number of bicycle stands to park and lock up downtown, and plenty of places to fill your water bottle at so named, Benson Bubblers.
Check out the four bicycle friendly bridges and with the bike culture in full bloom in Portland there are miles and miles of bike lanes plus signs that are posted on streets that indicate the distance between points and estimated biking time.
Best bet is to check out www.bycycle.org or bikeportland.org Arranging a bicycle at your hotel will be no problem at all. The Ace keeps them on hand for their guests.
(Charles Siskin is a former Chattanoogan now living in Florida with his wife, Diane "Cookie" Siskin. Charles can be reached at
charlessiskin@embarqmail.com)
View Photo: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Photo by Diane Siskin
Tribute to all submariners nearby the entrance to the USS Blueback Submarine at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
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