A selection of popular ideas and places for spending time alone in Portland, Oregon.
Whether you like strolling outdoors or hanging out inside, Portland will give you some options even if you don't have anyone around to enjoy them with, initially. It's a friendly town, so you may end up meeting a few friendly faces along the way.
If you want to take in some of the ubiquitous greenery and gather your thoughts, visit one of Portland's many beautiful parks. The city that traces a 40-mile loop trail for so hikers can enjoy circling various arcs and greenways also provides hiking/walking options from the most modest stroll to the all-out backpacking tour.
Kick around Forest Hills Park
Sporting nearly 5,150 acres and threaded by 74 miles of trails, Forest Hills Park affords a vast natural wooded canopy to get away and collect your thoughts - on foot, bicycle or even on horseback if you are so inclined. Located in the city's hilly west side, the park weaves in and around many other attractions and sites, such as the Oregon Zoo, Washington Park and its Rose and Japanese Gardens, Pittock Mansion and the Hoyt Arboretum. Wildwood Trail is the hikers' mainline in this park, which is home to more than 112 bird and 62 mammal species.
Check out Mt. Tabor
On the east side atop the only extinct volcano located inside the boundaries of a major city, Mt. Tabor Park, southeast just beyond the Hawthorne District, furnishes a smaller version of Forest Hills, but with some attractive features of its own. Circled with a variety of trails, paved ways and dirt paths, the west slope reveals a pleasant view of downtown from a distance while the east slope (on clear days) delivers the scenic Mt. Hood. There is also an off-leash area for dogs; if you enjoy watching energetic canines play, you'll be treated with a show.
Go to Powell or Rocky Butte
In northeast Portland, the steep Rocky Butte provides an incredible 360 degree view of the city, including a perfect perch for watching aircraft take off and land and Portland International Airport.
Mt. Tabor's southeast cousin, Powell Butte, is Portland's second largest park behind the mammoth Forest Hills. Slightly farther south and east than Tabor, the nature area provides nine miles of trails with a summit orchard picnic area.
Other pleasant hiking or strolling options include:
Tryon Creek State Park - A southwest Portland gem near Lewis & Clark College on the north and bordering Lake Oswego to the south, Tryon provides an array of trails accommodating hikers, cyclists and wheelchair accessible visitors.
Gabriel Park - In the southwest just beyond Hillsdale and near Multnomah Village, Gabriel has varied features and uses, including a small wooded area with a stream, off-leash areas for dogs, tennis courts, softball fields, a sand volleyball pit and some easy-going paved paths.
Laurelhurst Park - A classic city park in the southeast, Laurelhurst is perfect for a nice, short stroll with towering venerable trees, a pond and open areas suited to sit back with a sandwich or people watch.
Peninsula Park - A community park in northeast Portland, Peninsula has open easy areas for strolling and a fine, fragrant rose garden.
Park Street - Right in the heart of things downtown is a green strip stretching from Portland State University into the Pearl District. Kick along and enjoy the trees, statues and fountains without ever leaving downtown.
Terwilliger Blvd. - A pleasant, tree-lined walk on a relatively busy street just beneath Oregon Health Science University, Terwilliger's sidewalk is an easy stroll over a hill, connected by other trails in spots, and affords an aesthetic skyline view on the north side.
Waterfront Park - On the banks of the Willamette River, Waterfront has a recently refurbished east-bank promenade to complement its west side. Strollers and cyclists alike can enjoy a round trip crossing the Steel Bridge on the north and Hawthorne Bridge to the south.
For a more subtle, yet picturesque outdoor experience, enjoy the Rhododendron and Leach Gardens or the Grotto.
The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, SE 28th near Woodstock, not far from Reed College, is a colorful collection of over 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas and appropriate strands of similar vegetation arranged to please the eye with quiescent surroundings.
Leach Botanical Garden, 6704 SE 122nd, features a mix of native and exotic plants in abundance. Dedicated to education and conservation, the Leach Gardens also feature a museum and horticultural library.
Meditate at the Grotto
Portland's National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother (known locally as simply "The Grotto") is the perfect place to get away and gather one's thoughts. A relaxing 62-acre sanctuary not far from the Portland International Airport at NE Sandy and 85th, the Grotto features gardens, statues, foliage shaded paths, a meditation chapel and a splendid elevated view of the city.
Ride a Bike
There are a number of bike shops around the Portland area that provide rentals. The newly opened Springwater Corridor yields a long stretch for the vigorous cyclist, extending from the east-bank river promenade to the remote town of Boring. The Portland Parks Bureau provides maps of designated bike routes with weave through this bicycle-friendly city to all corners.
Go to the Lloyd Center
A metropolitan mall in the shallow northeast section of town, not far from the Rose Garden and Convention Center, Lloyd Center is not just noted for vast shopping alternatives but for its ice-skating rink as well.
Take in a movie at Laurelhurst Theatre
One of a handful of theatre/pubs located in Portland, if you want to just relax with a bite and a beer while watching a featured show, depending on your location you can try either Laurelhurst on east Burnside, Mission on NW Glisan, Bagdad or Tabor on SE Hawthorne or in the heart of the far-north St. Johns District, the St. Johns Movie Theatre and Pub on Ivanhoe.
Check out a brew pub
No matter where you are in Portland, there is likely a brewpub within a walk's distance. At the very least, there's a friendly pub serving a variety of micro/craft beers and a television or two or three"¦ If you want to just hang, watch a game and maybe bend a bartender's ear, it's something Portlander's enjoy enough that the opportunity abounds throughout the city. Look for a copy of Barfly Magazine - found laying around many watering holes as well as online -- if you want to get the specifics of any given pub or search for a pub that suits you.
Saturday Market
From the first weekend in March through Christmas Eve an eclectic array of artisans and entertainers gather near Old Town/Chinatown Districts, close to the Burnside Bridge, and display their wares and skills every Saturday and Sunday. A unique combination of creative new-age flavor and international market setting, Saturday Market attracts an estimated 750,000 visitors annually. Visitors brows about and snack on a variety of cuisines ranging from vegetarian foods from the Himalayas to British pub grub.
Farmer's Market
Similar to Saturday Market, other leisurely Saturday morning (also Wednesday and Thursdays in some places) outdoor gatherings are the Farmers Markets where area sodbusters haul in their produce while food vendors and entertainers complete the ambiance. Depending on what's in season, each farmers market features dozens of vendors with a wide variety of produce, seafood and craft goods. The biggest one is downtown in the Portland park blocks between SW Montgomery and Harrison Streets. Other Portland markets are Alberta, NE 15th and Alberta Street; Cedar Mill Sunset, NW Cornell Rd., 1 block west of Murray; Eastbank, SE 20th and Salmon; Hillsdale, SW Capitol Hwy. and Sunset; Hollywood, NE Hancock between 44th and 45th; Interstate, N Freemont and Interstate Boulevard and Peoples, SE 21st, 1 block north of Powell.
Concerts in the Park
During the summer months the Portland Parks and Recreation sponsors free concerts in the parks. Most are early evening concerts with bands ranging from bluegrass and folk to jazz dance bands to rock. Times and locations vary, but one popular and busy location is the Washington Park Amphitheatre near the Rose Garden.
Check out the Rose Garden while you are there. Officially named the International Rose Test Garden, over 8,000 rose bushes of tremendous variety and hybrids grow here, with a backdrop of the city's skyline and snow-capped Mt. Hood on the horizon.
Trip through the zoo
Just on the other side of the hill from Washington Park is the Oregon Zoo, which exhibits everything from obscure insects to grizzly bears to winged wonders to tree kangaroos to Asian elephants. A Noah's ark selection fit for a full day. From mid-March through mid-May, and again from mid-September through mid-October, the zoo also runs a train loop where visitors can enjoy a one-mile loop around the grounds.
Knock around the Pearl District
The most celebrated gentrification project in Portland over the past couple of decades took place through the Pearl District in the city's northwest, near Chinatown and just above the city's core downtown. This area transformed from its industrial roots, replete with dilapidated buildings and abandoned warehouses, into a chic, polished section of town where art connoisseurs, restaurant frequenters and upscale shoppers enjoy the day.
Nearby Powell Bookstore, 1005 W Burnside St., is another place where a person can spend hours just browsing the store's immense inventory, including new, used, rare, out-of-print volumes along with vast selections of technical books, cookbooks - you name it! If you like books, you'll love this place. Powell also has a slightly more modest eastside location at 3723 SE Hawthorne.
Intrigue yourself at OMSI
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave., is popular with groups, kids and individuals alike. Entice your scientific curiosity in one of the science museums, interactive exhibits, at the planetarium or in the phenomenal Omnimax theatre. You can also board a U.S. Navy submarine - not to travel, of course, but just observe the intricacies of such a curious vessel.
