The bright, golden sun was shining over another beautiful October evening in Portland, where people stood in line to eat pizza on a covered garden patio, lounged on the grassy hills of Mount Tabor, and biked down the quiet neighborhood greenways that snake through the city.
Meanwhile, in one block of South Portland, a group of protesters stood in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, intermingled and at times outnumbered by members of the media (local, national and political), who were there to broadcast this one corner of the city to the world. A narrative that has emerged about Portland -- that it is a "war zone," a "wasteland" or perhaps just "hell" -- comes as a surprise to the people who live here.
After all, this is a perfect time to be in Portland.
Here in the first half of fall, the weather alternates between crisp sunny days and gentle gray skies. Fall foliage has turned our parks and city streets into colorful canvases. It can be cool enough to huddle up in one of our many wood-fired pizza places, but warm enough to enjoy a cup of gelato on the patio.
Last weekend, nearly 12,000 runners took part in the beloved Portland Marathon, which ran right by the ICE protests. Nearby, tourists were able to catch incredible views on the Portland Aerial Tram. Directly across the Willamette River, people have been lining up for the best smash burger in town.
Portland has been receiving a lot of inaccurate descriptors lately. President Trump alone has called Portland a "war-ravaged" city that is "burning to the ground," a "nightmare" where "conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem." Those haven't been accurate descriptions of the protests, according to on-the-ground reporting, and they sure aren't indicative of the rest of the city, where the people who live and work here have been going about business as usual: bopping around vintage shops, eating out at food carts and strolling around local parks.
For tourists and locals wondering whether Portland is still worth a visit, the answer is an unequivocal yes. You wouldn't want to miss another gorgeous fall in this city. Here are eight reasons to visit right now:
Leaf peepers in Oregon often travel to places like the Columbia River Gorge or Cascade Mountain trails, but there's plenty of good fall foliage to be found around Portland. The Portland Japanese Garden and Lan Su Chinese Garden are safe bets, but just about any park - from Kelly Butte to Kelley Point - will feature fall color. Even the Park Blocks downtown are beautiful this time of year.
At this point, there's no debate: Portland is one of the best food cities in the country. With places like Kann (the most decorated restaurant in the city), Astera (perfecting the art of vegan fine dining) and Ken's Artisan Pizza (considered one of the best pizzerias in the world), you can sample a wide variety of cuisines served with fresh ingredients and a flair for creativity -- the hallmark of Portland's dining scene.
Of course, Portland's dining scene is much more than its nicest restaurants. The sheer number of high-quality neighborhood pizzeries, handmade gelato shops, cheeseburger pop-ups, and food carts that are destined to become brick-and-mortar institutions is mind boggling. Pick a neighborhood, throw a dart at a map and you're bound to find something great. Or check out The Oregonian's guide to Portland's 40 Best Restaurants for sure bets.
In Portland, thrifting is a way of life. Go to any busy neighborhood on a weekend afternoon and you'll find racks buzzing with people, seeking out that perfect wool sweater or neon platform boots. There are the popular Buffalo Exchanges, which seem to have perfected the art of the thrift shop, and there are, of course, the many Goodwills (the Bins is a whole experience), but then there are the places that are actually cheap, the many boutiques and consignment shops where you might grab a vintage Pendleton top for less than a cup of coffee.
Seattle might be the best coffee city in the Pacific Northwest, but Portland is right on its heels. There are more good coffee shops in the city than any caffeine lover could ever hope to sample. And it's not all snobby minimalist cafes: Portland has cozy spots that center community (or mushrooms), which are perfect places to spend a fall day. Pull up a chair and sip a pumpkin spice latte that puts Starbucks to shame.
You don't need to be a mountain climber to enjoy some good scenery in Portland. There are greenspaces and urban trails aplenty in the city, from the short walks around the Hoyt Arboretum to the 30-mile Wildwood Trail that winds through 5,200-acre Forest Park. You can climb any number of extinct volcanic cinder cones, including Mount Tabor, which was named the first Urban Quiet Park in the U.S., or stroll through the beautiful scenery at Laurelhurst Park or the rose gardens of Peninsula Park.
Fall is when Portland's arts scene comes alive, with stage shows, modern art, dance and music taking over venues across the city. Those in search of a good show right now can see the Oregon Ballet Theatre's production of "Dracula," performances of "Paradise Blue" at Portland Playhouse or a night with the Oregon Symphony and Portland's own esperanza spalding.
Portland loves a farmers market. Head to any of the city's roughly three dozen markets to find bounties of produce (the apples! the squash!), homemade goods (beeswax candles! CBD tonics!), hot food (ever tried plant-based Puerto Rican soul food?), live music (often featuring a fiddler) and excellent people watching (farmers market fashion is a way of life). The massive PSU Farmers Market might be the best known, but good markets are found around the city. Try the Hollywood Farmers Market in Northeast Portland or the tiny Woodlawn Farmer's Market in North Portland.
Yes, you've heard of Powell's, and yes that is by far the best bookstore in Portland - less a shop and more a sprawling warehouse of books, where you can truly get lost in the fantasy section and accidentally stumble into a book ecopsychology - but those in search of something off the beaten path can poke around any of Portland's other, much smaller, bookshops, places with great names like Spoke & Word and Parallel Worlds, and at least one spot that is solely dedicated to romance.
It's these things that make Portland the place that we know and love, a city where you can climb an old volcano to get a panoramic view, where you can easily thrift a rain coat on the cheap if you forget to bring one, where you can peacefully read a book in a bar and not be the only one doing it, and where you will most certainly will spend more money on food than you had hoped - not because it's so expensive but because it's just so good.
Outside of the single city block that has everyone's attention, there is a whole vibrant city to explore. Take it from the folks who live here: It's a great time and a great place to visit.