Portland Up Close

By Amy Vanderwall

Portland is a phenomenal city that offers a multitude of things to do. Explore the city and its surrounding communities by using the clean and efficient public transportation system. You can find anything to suit your taste here, from elegant gourmet dining to street-cart vendors, cute artsy districts to cheap entertainment. What follows is a brief guide to the area. I’ve included some of my favorite spots as well as those where you’re likely to bump into fellow Lewis & Clark students.

Downtown/Pearl District/ Nob Hill

Portland is divided into quadrants by the Willamette River (east and west) and Burnside Street (north and south). Downtown is in Southwest. Nob Hill and the Pearl District are located in Northwest. Downtown is a great place for people watching and entertainment. Portland’s skyscrapers are a backdrop for beautiful fountains, parks, and squares. L&C provides a free shuttle to Portland, dropping off near Pioneer Square, which is often referred to as Portland’s living room. From there you can connect with any bus, lightrail MAX line, or streetcar to head to a different part of the Portland area.

To the north of downtown is the artsy Pearl District. This neighborhood, once home to industry and warehouses, is now better known for its trendy lofts, bistros, and boutiques. The Pearl District hosts First Thursday, a monthly event that provides an opportunity to explore art galleries while munching free goodies and rubbing shoulders with the “Who’s Who” of Portland. Another great place to check out is Nob Hill, to the northwest of downtown. This friendly neighborhood offers hip shopping and noshing by day and sophisticated restaurants and theatre by night.

Things to Do

• The Crystal Ballroom—This great downtown music venue offers a variety of shows at attractive prices. Springs in the floor make dancing a whole new experience!
• Fox Tower—First-run art films are the specialty of this 10-screen downtown theater.
• Cost Plus World Market—Inexpensive food, furniture, and home fashions from around the world are packed into this large Nob Hill shop.
• Cinema 21—This independent theater in Nob Hill frequently runs film festivals and draws an eclectic crowd to its showings of foreign and art movies.

Places to Eat

• Food carts—Offering some of the best deals in downtown, these scattered gems offer a variety of cheap and delicious food.
• Sisters of the Road Café—This nonprofit restaurant is dedicated to providing a safe haven for the downtown homeless. Immerse yourself in this loving community and get to know another side of Portland.
• Java Vivace—This N.W. 23rd Avenue hotspot, located in a former home, is a multiroom coffee shop that makes the best crepes in town!
• Papa Haydn—Indulge your sweet tooth at these twin restaurants in Nob Hill and Southeast’s Sellwood neighborhood. Both locations also serve delicious dinners of tasty salads and gourmet pastas.
• Escape From New York Pizza—Nob Hill’s hole-in-the-wall pizzeria serves up delicious food at even more palatable prices.
• Coffee Time—Coffee meets conversation at this hip and comfortable Nob Hill hangout. Also downtown are many fancy steakhouses and seafood restaurants ideal for fine dining.

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Northeast

The Northeast has an intriguing collection of cultural neighborhoods and grocery stores. Traveling on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, near the border of Northeast and Southeast, you can find some especially fabulous restaurants.

Things to Do

• Lloyd Center—At the biggest mall in Oregon, not only can you shop ‘til you drop, but you can also watch a first-run movie, get a bite to eat, and go ice skating on the indoor rink.
• Last Thursday—Northeast’s less commercial version of Northwest’s First Thursday, this funky street-art event presents the work of some of Portland’s hippest artists.

Places to Eat

• Horn of Africa—Find all-organic offerings from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya at this restaurant. The lunch buffet is worth a visit, and the dinner portions are huge. The menu includes vegan options.
• Frank’s Noodle House—This Korean- Chinese fusion restaurant serves authentic homemade Chinese noodle dishes at inexpensive prices. The dumplings and kim chee fried rice are also customer favorites.
• Black Sheep Bakery—Both a bakery and coffee shop complete with a bikethrough window, this is the place to go for vegan sweets. The baked goods are both delicious and dairy free. Black Sheep even sells vegan artisan chocolates!
• Screen Door—Craving home cooking? Screen Door serves Southern comfort food, such as macaroni and cheese and an amazingly good chicken and waffles. They have a great brunch menu and use fresh, locally grown produce and meat.

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Southeast

Hawthorne Boulevard and Belmont Street, both located in Southeast, offer great shopping and can keep you entertained for days with charming restaurants, funky shops, and fantastic residential architecture. Sellwood, an adorable neighborhood full of antique shops and famous breakfast spots, is just across the river from L&C. A number of off-campus students live in this neighborhood.

Things to Do

• Red Light—Buy or sell awesome vintage clothing at this institution in the heart of the happening Hawthorne District.
• Buffalo Exchange—You’ll find the Eastside location of this Portland favorite just off Hawthorne Boulevard. (There’s another downtown across from Powell’s.) Find (or unload) slightly used hip clothing and accessories.
• Movie Madness Video—Hands down, this Belmont store is the best movie source in Portland. Rent or purchase anything from out-of-print movies to foreign films, music documentaries to Sundance Film Festival winners. The store is decorated with famous movie costumes from the owner’s personal collection.
• New Seasons—At these fabulous organic food stores, you can buy healthy groceries or order a build-your-own sandwich.
• Next Adventure—Featuring great deals on used outdoor gear, this store is the best place to check out snow-boarding, climbing, backpacking, and biking equipment and accessories.
• Moreland Theater—This one-screen theater is a gem of old movie-house architecture, and one of the closest to campus. It offers new commercial releases and the best popcorn and service in town!

Places to Eat

• Le Bistro Montage—Known for its great ambience and surreal decor, this restaurant serves up an awesome gumbo. If you prefer something a little homier, choose from an array of macaroni and cheese dishes!
• Nicholas’—Homemade pita bread and hummus are among the delicious and inexpensive options at this Lebanese restaurant. The varied menu will make everyone happy, from vegans to meat-eaters.
• Cup and Saucer—With funky art hanging on the walls and large windows looking out onto Hawthorne Boulevard, this café hits the spot! Breakfast, which is available all day, is definitely the best bet here.
• Laughing Planet Café—This Belmont burrito restaurant has an open and welcoming atmosphere. Options are numerous, and all are quick, healthy, filling, and delicious!
• Hawthorne Food Carts—These wellknown food carts deserve all the hype they get! With a variety of options— including gourmet Italian pizzas, specialty crepes and shakes, burritos, and Belgian-style fries—these carts offer something delicious no matter what you’re craving.
• Pied Cow Coffeehouse—The Victorian architecture and quirky interior decorating of this Belmont landmark make it one of the more original places to stop in for a hot drink and something sweet. Candlelight, gardens, and outdoor seating add to the appeal of this popular and busy hangout.
• Fat Albert’s—This Sellwood establishment is one of the best breakfast holesin- the-wall in town, where your mug of coffee is always full and the food is always great. Squish together at the counter, pair up with strangers at tables, or come in deuces because this place packs them in tight!
• Saburo’s Sushi House—Voted one of the best sushi restaurants in Portland, this very busy Sellwood spot serves a wide variety of inexpensive sushi. The place is small and there is always a line, so make sure you aren’t ravenous before you head over there.
• Delta Café—You’ll likely have to deal with crowds at this funky soul-food eatery, but they have great lunch and dinner menus.

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L&C Area

Capitol Highway, Macadam Avenue, historic Multnomah Village, and Lake Oswego are some of the major thoroughfares and communities near L&C, which is located in a residential section of the wooded hills of Southwest. You’ll find it easy (not to mention a good idea) to familiarize yourself with this area early in the year.

Things to Do

• Fred Meyer—This regional chain is likely where you’ll get everything your first year or so on campus. Groceries, medicine, school supplies, kitchen utensils, blank CDs, and plants for your room— Freddie’s has it all.
• Market of Choice—This easily accessible grocery store offers organic foods close to home. Zupan’s—This specialty grocery store has a great deli.
• Lake Twin Cinema—If you’re looking for a charming lobby and slightly cheaper tickets, then Lake Twin is your place. Located in Lake Oswego, it generally features new commercial releases on two screens, but the cinema also shows the occasional art film or second-run flick.
• Tigard Cinemas—For a large selection of popular current movies, jump on the #12 bus and head down Barbur Boulevard to this huge theater with great seats.

Places to Eat

• Chez José—The closest place to eat off campus, this Mexican restaurant offers taco salads, burrito supremes, chimichangas, and freshly made chips and salsa. Although the meals are slightly spendy, the portions are filling and you’ll have leftovers to spare!
• Flying Pie Pizzeria—At this friendly Lake Oswego pizza shop, you’ll receive a special surprise if you tip! The service is fast, the pizza is great, and the prices are good.
• Marco’s Café and Espresso Bar—Located near campus in historic Multnomah Village, Marco’s is an L&C tradition, famous for its breakfasts. Be sure to try the omelets, French toast, home fries, and freshly baked pastries. Add a cup of espresso and a fresh-squeezed orange juice, and there’s no better place to start your day.
• Bannings Restaurant and Pie House— This 24-hour joint features pots and pots of coffee, good French fries, and, of course, an assortment of pies. This place is great in the wee hours of the morning when you need another jolt before tackling yet another draft of that term paper!
• Thai Orchid—Craving Pad Thai? This is the restaurant to hit. The prices are decent and the food is a good bet.

 

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