Tuesday, October 22, 2013

From Place To Space: Going to Hipsterville - Portland, Oregon



Due to yesterday's blog birthday and book giveaway, this week's 'From Place To Space' post makes its appearance on an unusual Tuesday. But nonetheless I will make sure this yet another inspiring virtual trip to a new city. Today you are very welcome to join me to Hipsterville, the capital of hipsters, tattoos, moustaches and beards: Welcome to Portland, Oregon!



The City of Roses
Portland was my second stop on my Canada & USA trip mid September and early October. Since I was traveling the Pacific Northwest it was a must to go and visit Portland, the vibrant and cool city on the northern tip of Oregon. Some bare facts first: Portland is a rather small city. Very walkable or better yet easy to discover by bikes. It is also THE most bike-friendly city in the United States. The Willamette river divides the city into two parts which are interconnected with numerous bridges. Portland is also supposed to be one of the most optimistic places in the world with a very cool and relaxed lifestyle. It also is the hometown of the inimitable Kinfolk Magazine. It also is a foodie's heaven with a thriving food scene and great restaurants tucked away in various corners of the city and many food carts serving yummy food to-go. It is known for its numberless microbrews, so beer fans will feel like in heaven too, as will coffee lovers. It is nicknamed 'The City of Roses' and features one of the oldest open parks in the US with a fabulous International Rose Test Garden with more than 7.500 different roses. Sounds good, right?






Portland's Aces
I settled in Portland for four nights in the highly hyped Ace Hotel. The hotel is perfectly located in the city center and features a very Portlandian cool vibe - it feels almost like a hipster youth hostel for the cool crowd. Moreover it holds two more aces - the epitomized coffee place 'Stumptown Coffee' and a fabulous restaurant named 'Clyde Common'. Both highly recommendable. Coffee places are paramount in town so make sure you roam around and try all the different coffees as well. Opposite of the hotel is a brand new shopping passage called 'Union Way' with some very cool shops for fashion, interiors, food and sweets. I visited another very cool store at Union Way, but I will share it in a separate blogpost soon. Next doors to the hotel is also the delicious 'Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen' with luscious Jewish delicatessen and famed for its cured meats - make sure you're really hungry when you go there! Even book lovers just need to take a one minute walk to arrive at the fantastic 'Powell's City of Book', the largest independent store for new and used books worldwide. I spent like an entire evening there and left loaded with new and vintage books!




Keep Portland Weird
What attracted me most to Portland? I think it's the lifestyle in general. It was the first American city where I experienced such a relaxed, urban lifestyle, impromptu gatherings and performances on the streets, and an honest and refreshing friendliness of its people. A typical Pacific Northwest phenomenon is how the city liaises urban life with the vast surrounding nature. It is a short drive away from the wild Oregon Pacific coast as well as from the high, densly-wooded peaks of the Cascade Range. Go and see both! I will share more on the surroundings later on the blog. And when people say 'keep Portland weird' I will strongly agree if it means that the city stays as cool as it is. Or weird for that matter.

More Good Places
The problem with cities where you feel like almost every place you visited is recommendable, is how to break it down in one blogpost. Anyways, here are just a few more recommendable places if you ever happen to be in Portland: Mother's Bistro, Olympic Provisions, Barista, Voodoo Doughnuts (be prepared for queuing), Canoe for interior design lovers, Quin for the sweet thooths among you. If you have more recommendations, share them in the comment section.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Photography by Igor Josifovic


17 comments :

  1. This city has just shot to the top of my must-visit list for the US. A wonderful write up and accompanied by inspiring snapshots, not least that first one which is incredibly evocative; I almost felt as though I was right there.

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  2. Glad you liked it, Will! And yes, Portland is definitely worth a visit! Great vibe, you'd love it, too!

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  3. I've never even thought Portland as a city worth a visit and I was definitely wrong! Your pictures are amazing (the fog on the forest made me doubt I'm an "urban animal" ;-), colorful (your picture is blue and green is stunning!) and inspiring (I loved the owl on top of the bed). I look forward to see your forthcoming posts about this trip. xx

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    1. Ilaria, it is definitely worth a visit if you travel to the Pacific Northwest. It is way smaller than the other big cities and thus very relaxed and cool. And the food scene is just fabulous.

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  4. I love the bedroom! <3 And the picture of you in front of the green-white wall. :-D

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  5. Portland is on my list of places to go. The weather looked gorgeous. And somehow I totally missed your blog birthday yesterday - so happy happy birthday Igor! I always love coming to your space on the internet!

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    1. Thank you, Alecia! But today is your day - congrats to you:-)

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  6. Portland has been on my list of 'places I really want to visit' for years and your lovely post and images have just convinced me I definitely have to make it happen! ;-) x

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  7. Again - great and amazing photos - I never thought about Portland before, now I do :-)

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  8. What a great recount.. thank you.. never been so glad to see your recommendations. You know already you would find me at 'Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen':-))

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  9. What a fun trip!! I love that room at the Ace Hotel .. did they have sliding door as window treatment? love it!

    The picture of you handsome Mr ... Priceless! I have never been to Portland and I think I will need to start planning my next trip to the US!

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  10. Another city for my must-visit-list ;) That book store must be a real treause cheast! I love books and I buy mostly 2nd hand so I really envy your evening there ;)

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  11. Portland has been on my "places I have to see" list for a while now, and - telling from your images here - I'm sure I'd love it. An american friend of mine just recommended to me the TV show "Portlandia" (tag line: "The place where young people go to retire"), a comedy about the Portland lifestyle. It's hilarious, you should have a look at it, if you haven't already.

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  12. This post is bookmarked! We are going to Portland in November! :) Yay!

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