Portland's official slogan is “Keep Portland Weird”. Photo / 123rf
Portland's official slogan is “Keep Portland Weird”. Photo / 123rf
Cassie Tannenberg checks Portland’s hipster highlights, which will appeal to coffee-drinking, craft beer-swilling, cycling and recycling-loving Kiwi travellers.
Portland is considered the most hipster of US cities, a polarising claim that will either attract or repel certain travellers. Yet with an official slogan of “Keep Portland Weird”, Oregon’s largest city never takes itself too seriously.
But if you love barista-made coffee, food trucks, certain recreational herbs (cannabis is legal in Oregon) and independent shops, you’ll find yourself drawn to Portland’s classic hipster attributes and attractions.
The relaxed liberal lifestyle attracts interesting folk who are busy making their mark on creative industries from furniture design to inventive dining and everything in between.
It’s also a compact city on the edge of nature that’s easy to get around on foot, by public transport or cycling.
Bike culture is ingrained in Portland: it’s a town that hosts the world’s largest Naked Bike Ride annually. The city’s Biketown bike-share cycles are easy to spot – sponsored by homegrown sports brand Nike, the bikes are the colour of the bright-orange shoeboxes.
Sponsored by Nike, Portland's bike share uses the brand's orange shoebox colour to distinguish the bikes.
Photo / Getty Images
Cycling can also offset your calorific intake in this foodie city. Hop aboard Around Portland Tours’ Food Carts of Portland Bike Tour for a guided exploration of global street eats in the city’s dedicated food cart pods, which often include bars and beer gardens.
Around Portland Tours founder Sarah Gilbert estimates the city has 750-plus food trucks, purveying everything from fusion Mexican, Thai and Peruvian cuisines to Mormon menus and vegan fare.
Portland is, coincidentally, one of the world’s top veg-friendly cities with its own vegan mini-strip mall that includes everything you need for a plant-based lifestyle. From tattoo parlours to strip clubs (another Portland quirk – it’s home to more strip clubs per capita than any other US city), you’ll find a vegan version here.
Portland also has many independent boutiques that include local brands and one-of-a-kind interests. Where else would you find the world’s biggest independent bookstore, Powell’s Books, which takes up an entire city block or Vivienne, a charming bookshop in the Hollywood District that specialises in cookbooks?
Portland has many independent boutiques. Photo / Getty Images
Base yourself at The Benson historic hotel to embark on a DIY walking tour of the Pearl warehouse district, a lively neighbourhood of boutique shopping, craft breweries, outdoor outfitters and cultural venues.
The Pearl District is where you’ll find Powell’s Books with its inventory of more than a million new and used titles, colour-coded by genre; you can easily spend hours perusing the thoughtfully curated displays.
Portland's eclectic Pearl District. Photo / 123rf
Across the road is Wildfang, a boutique dedicated to tomboy-chic fashion; locally sourced gift shops MadeHere and Tender Loving Empire; upcycled Japanese fashion brand Kiriko Made; Pendleton blankets and woollen wear and the Everyday Music record store. Top tip: Oregon is sales tax-free so you’ll get more bang for your New Zealand dollar.
On the other side of the Willamette River, SE Portland has several more edgy neighbourhoods.
Check-in to The Jupiter Hotel in the Buckman neighbourhood. The Jupiter Original retro motor lodge contains underground live music venue Doug Fir Lounge on site while the upscale Jupiter NEXT’s lobby is home to the stylish Hey Love bar and restaurant.
Retail offerings are also geared for hipsters: wander the overstuffed aisles of Hippo Hardware & Trading Co. – a treasure trove of antique, salvaged and reproduction hardware; peruse the witchy provisions at Dark Star Magick; and shop the many vintage boutiques.
To really enjoy a taste of Portlander life, check out the local bar scene. The Sports Bra is a sports bar dedicated to women’s sports; visit the haunted manor-themed Raven’s Manor cocktail lounge, or enjoy alcohol-free libations at the Suckerpunch pop-up.
Portland takes craft brewing seriously, whether that’s coffee, beer or kombucha. Beer lovers can join the City Brew Tours’ Pacific Northwest is Best guided tour for a behind-the-scenes tasting at three local craft breweries complete with a pretzel necklace to refresh your palate.
Looking for a kombucha taproom? Portland’s got that too. Visit Soma Kombucha and Te Chai Té for locally brewed brands and effervescent flavours.
Caffeine addicts can get among the beans at Proud Mary Cafe (a Melbourne-based roaster), and try Korean cold brew at Snow Bunny Coffee, Vietnamese specialty coffee house Portland Cà Phê Roasters and the basketball and sneaker-themed Deadstock Coffee.
If you must pair your pour-over, you can’t go past one of Portland’s many donut purveyors. From the famous – Voodoo Doughnuts and Blue Star Donuts – to vegan specialty Doe Donuts, this sweet snack has become synonymous with Portland’s artisanal foodie finds.
Voodoo doughnuts are famous in Portland.
Photo / 123rf
Doe Donuts is a local fave – hard to find but worth the effort. Try the Portland Fog, an Earl Grey-glazed round with vanilla-infused cream, or a savoury flavour such as the popular Green Chile Mac and Cheese.
It’s just one of myriad ways Portland is living up to its hipster rep – and keeping it weird.
