Great spot to get a photo and have a donut as across the street from Vodoo Donuts. There is also…read moreone of the world famous painted Portland Crows.

I tried to avoid coming to "Keep Portland Weird" because I'd heard it is overrated since it's just…read morea wall in a parking lot, but honestly, I just couldn't resist not checking it out. FOMO, here :) It's basically just that phrase (haha) on its own without any fancy graphics, but I wanted to share my reviews and be part of the Yelp community. So, I added a little twist by including a collage of interesting trash bins. I guess this is one way to keep Portland clean, too. I have never seen so many trash cans throughout the city. Hahahah :)) Classic tourist trap move, but honestly, you cannot be in Portland without acknowledging this area.

Fantastic Fun! Free walking around seeing Art Galleries u would normally have to pay…read morefor.Complimentry beverages.Peds only

If you are into fun times then First Thursday is not something you want to miss whether you are a…read moreseasoned Oregonian, a pretentious Portlander or just here for a visit. The numerous art galleries in the Pearl District open their doors so anyone can venture in and view the art for free. Many of the cool shops and salons also stay open late to welcome visitors. There's usually a complimentary glass of wine and some hors d'œuvres involved with all these visits as well. One of my favorite artists Buzz Siler recently moved his studio to NW 20th and Vaughn...a little off the beaten path but worth visiting because he's awesome. Prem Group Property Management always participates by having a party in its basement. For a $5.00 donation that goes to a local charity you get to enjoy free wine, beer, food and a DJ. Party-on Prem! And if you don't know about the parties at the stately and gorgeous US Customs Building hosted by WeWork, you've really been missing out. You have to RSVP for free entry but access to this amazing building is a privilege and did I mention open bar and a variety of food? Just don't forget to tip the folks serving you. 13th Avenue between NW Hoyt and NW Kearney are closed to vehicle traffic so you can wander from various artists booths that are set up on each side of the street. I've seen some incredibly talented artists and amazingly affordable art along this route. First Thursday is a tradition in its 31st year and just keeps getting better. 2015 - Review # 50

There's definately some sketch-tastings people and things in this area of Portland. The further…read moreyou travel east, the worse it gets. 52nd: My friend lived on 51st, and while his house wasn't to be confused with a time-share in Palm Springs, I didn't have a bad vibe parking my truck there, and I didn't get any bad vibes of Felony Flats beings it was a block away. 72nd: I forget the cross strett here (Flavel?), but I'm thinking an off-brand grocery store. Right across is a laundromat that looks supplanted from Bronx or Brooklyn, and a video store with a promo poster for that Samuel L. Jackson/Eugene Levy movie from a few years ago. I wouldn't be inclinded to visit any 3 of those establishments, I'm sure if we Yelped them, they'd be a 2/5 stars. 82nd: Tweakers galore. Afraid to be outside the comfort of my car when it's late and/or dark out.

I'm gonna give this area a whopping 2 stars as well. It's trying to gentrify, but it's just not…read moremaking it. It's still ghetto. Way ghetto. Fortunately, I spend most of my time hanging out on the Avenue of the Roses, which has a whopping 1- extra star's worth of ghetto-tainment.

Super nice that the owners of this house allow thus to be in front of their house and I assume…read morefoster the idea by supplying gthr gift tags and markers. It's simple: make a wish, read someone else wish and hope theirs comes true. We left wishes. We read wishes. Thank you for allowing us to experience the Wishing Tree. Only question, what are people leaving in those bags? They look too funky...

The Wishing Tree was such a neat little find on one of our adventures around Portland! Someone has…read moreturned the tree outside their home into this sweet little spot, complete with a cute sitting area and wishes hanging all over the tree from people near and far. It's such a simple idea, but there's something really special about stopping to read everyone's wishes and adding a little hope of your own. Such a cute and thoughtful thing to create for the neighborhood and for random wanderers like us who happen to find it. Definitely one of those little bits of everyday magic that makes exploring a city fun.

A hidden little gem…read more.. err...long, high GEM Definitely a local secret. The Skybridge connects OHSU University South Hospital and the VA Hospital. One of the best spots in PDX to get a brilliant view of the surrounding area and Mt. Hood as well. I definitely spilled the beans on this one...damn tourists! ;-) Hitch a ride on the Portland Aerial Tram for $5 to the top while enjoying the scenery and peaking into peoples backyards...lol, then take a walk across the bridge and enjoy all the beady of PDX! As of this review, there is no cost to walk across the VA Skybridge nor to enter OHSU or the VA Hospital. Just remember, not a whole lot to see on a cloudy day... You won't regret it!

The Skybridge between OHSU University South Hospital and the VA Hospital is a godsend for patient…read morecare. There are tunnels in the basement once used for patient transportation dating back to 1919, but one wrong turn and who knows where you could end up. I once ended up in the old psych ward after a wrong turn. The old whirlpool baths (with the arm restraints and canvas covers) would have worked quite nicely in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I beat cleats to get back out of there - nightmarish enough to make the hairs on my arms stand up. Yikes. The "new" VA Hospital was built in 1988 followed by the Skybridge in 1993. The Skybridge is really very nicely done, but I don't have words to describe it, so I've attached a picture from the VA website to give you an idea. There are house phones at frequent intervals throughout the Skybridge (super handy if you walk over from the VA to the main campus and have to sign in to the OHSU Payroll Time system and not be counted as late to work). There are also benches throughout in case the walk is too long (660 feet). I really hope you wouldn't have to use them,, but if so there are first aid stations available up and down the length of the Skybridge. What's fun, if you will, is how much employees and visitors use it for recreation. Patients are wheeled across in wheelchairs or just cruise along getting exercise after surgery or prolonged bedrest. They want you up and out of bed as soon as possible to regain strength and to prevent DVTs, and of course it's far nicer to walk in a light-filled space with a dynamite view of Portland. I walked with my stepmom back and forth across the Skybridge while she was in the hospital for three months after her liver transplant. If you walk across when it's cloudy or foggy, it looks like the Emerald City from Wizard of Oz (and spectacular when it snows). Employees come and use it in bad weather to "mall walk" for exercise. I once thought it would be a great idea to sit on one of the benches and eat lunch and take in the view. I do not recommend this. The Skybridge is essentially a suspension bridge that sways back and forth during wind and any other movement and is probably one of the most secure places anywhere here in Earthquake Country. I myself did not fare well because the bridge is in almost constant movement; my stomach did not appreciate the constant movement whilst eating lunch, so I had to get the hell out of dodge before lunch and I parted ways. I never ate there again. OHSU and VAMC are so lucky to have a link like this for patient transportation and even recreation. It's faster to be sure and so much more cheerful and attractive. It makes all the difference in the world for everybody. Now all I have left to do is ride the aerial tram between the Old Campus and the newer South Waterfront and my OHSU experience will be pretty complete!

Our family are huge fans of the TV show Grimm! During our recent trip to Portland, we made sure to…read morevisit a few of the show's iconic spots-- Nick and Juliet's house and Monroe's house. Monroe's place has been repainted since filming, so it looks a bit different now, but it was still so fun to see it in person and snap a photo of our little one in front of it. My husband even recognized the wooded park area where Nick ran through to get to Monroe's house. Such a cool experience for Grimm fans.

This is a nice little bungalow up near the entrance to OHSU off Terwilliger, Built in 1930 it is in…read morethe Homestead neighborhood. it is on a nice street, The bungalow is kind of nondescript. It is painted grey with little landscaping. Its claim to fame is that it is the home of Monroe and in the latest seasons Rosalee. Unlike Nick's house there hasn't been a lot of violence and I don't remember any killings here. That is probably because it is the residence of a Blutbad and who wants to mess with that? It also seems to be where Monroe runs his clock repair business. The house does see a lot of visitors, Nick (the Grimm) and others often drop by for Wesen advice and or help. Nick even stayed for a while while he and Juliet were having problems.

I lived near this street for more decades than I care to admit (not in terms of living nearby, but…read moremore in terms of my own age). The best part of it was my grandparents lived one block down on 83rd and Flavel. It was a beautiful residential neighborhood at the time, and they kept an immaculate yard full of roses and dahlias. We even got to do the classic American thing of walking to the ice cream store with grandpa for cones. Memories like that can't be beat. After my grandparents died, my mom sold the house. The new owner rented it out and let it go to hell, and the surrounding neighborhood got pretty rough. I got to where I couldn't bear to drive by and see it. And that's pretty much the story of 82nd to me; rough and rougher and too much to make fun of. I haven't spent a lot of time over there for many years, but recently I've had to be out there for several reasons, and I've seen promising signs of change. PCC has built a new-ish campus on 82nd & Division that is very handsome. A lot of young couples have bought homes there as well, the most promising sign of all. There has been a lot of business development also. 82nd is never going to be anybody's idea of beautiful, but there's a lot of pride of ownership that can be felt. I was very sorry to hear that their Rose-Festival-sanctioned community parade was canceled because the Oregon Republican Party members were threatened with harm by opposing groups. That's so wrong. However, I think with all the changes I've seen lately that this is a community that has the strength to rise above. As for me, I got brave enough to drive by my grandparents' old house. One of those young couples (I would guess) had bought it and brought it back to its old glory. For all the good and bad and all the history, I had a good cry. The young woman in the front yard probably wwondered who that strange woman was, but I hope she somehow understood how pleased my grandparents would be to see all their hopes and dreams still being worked on just a block from 82nd.

But where are the Roses?…read more Last Monday, I was southbound on the #72 bus, after transferring from the Max Red Line at the NE 82nd Ave Station. And when I saw the sign for the "Hung Far Low" Chinese restaurant, it was time to get off at Division and transfer to the #4 bus. After this experience, I take it all back about occasionally needing a cab in Portland. I can really do public transit here! When I visit Portland, I try to explore a "cute" new neighbourhood each time. On this trip, that was NE Alberta, Nob Hill, and a huge chunk of Division (between 25th and my bus stop). On the other hand, the "Avenue of the Roses" is Portland's longest continual commercial strip (from the Clackamas County line to PDX). Every City has one, and even Sustainable Portland is no exception. Judging by my fellow bus travelers and the scenery going by, there's a lot going on here. And it's probably best that I was just passing through....

A homeless village in Portland? Apparently there are several. This particular ones been here about…read more15 years. There are roughly 43 tiny homes with gardens, common shower area, porta potties and a community room. What a brilliant concept.

Dignity Village is an encampment for homeless people in Portland close to the airport. This…read morecontroversial little shanty town was established in 2000 and is currently recognized by the city as a campground. Dignity Village elects community officials and has cooking, electric, and sanitary facilities. They've received national media attention for being on the cutting edge of homeless activism.