This is one of the better neighborhoods to explore, well at least in Portland. Lots of small shops…read moreand restaurants. And of course the Bagdad theater. One of the things I like is that, at least so far, there arn't many big chain stores. It has a reputation as home to Portland's hippie population. It does but there are a lot of great businesses here.

Man, is this about a halo effect or what? Look at all these 5s, meaning "as good as it gets." Is…read morethe major street, Hawthorne Boulevard, and its side streets, running through a trendy, counterculture, and hip close-in neighborhood really "as good as it gets?" I will admit that, coming from Los Angeles, the very name Hawthorne makes for a knee jerk reaction toward the negative. In SoCal, there is also a Hawthorne Boulevard. However, it is very different. That Hawthorne begins near the airport and works its way down through Hawthorne, Lawndale, an actually banal dogleg of Redondo Beach, Torrance, and then up into Palos Verdes. Only the southernmost reaches of that wide boulevard, when in South Torrance and Palos Verdes, are nice. North of there, it is strip mall hell and blight. Even an indoor mall named Hawthorne Plaza in the city of Hawthorne didn't thrive and was abandoned. Visit YouTube. Now, I'm not that narrow minded about the Hawthorne label since there are Hawthornes everywhere, being that it's a name like Springfield and Bloomington. There's a Hawthorne in New Jersey, for example, which is a ho hum town west of and across the Hudson River from Manhattan. However, Portland's Hawthorne neighborhood causes some people's eyes to widen, almost if they're sweeping the pros and cons under the rug, because they're in love! Basically, it's a little hub of culture and, in this case, culture means indie restaurants, diners, coffeehouses, brewpubs, doughnut stores, book stores, thrift stores, and the like. To me, culture would imply museums, theater, art galleries, and, yes, some, but not as many, of the things listed above. The main landmarks are the Bagdad Theater, a branch of Powell's bookstore, Blue Star Doughnuts, eateries like Bread and Ink, and similar venues. But there are really two Hawthorne neighborhoods ... one west of 39th, and one east of 39th. The aforementioned businesses are west of 39th. The only corporate venue is the Fred Meyer store there, on the very corner of 39th. (Good luck finding a parking spot there.) East of 39th, it's quieter and less hyped while still containing indie eateries, bars, and coffeehouses. Not only that, that part of Hawthorne sort of melds with the Mount Tabor area, which is topographically interesting. Hawthorne is in demand and thus priced accordingly. Most of the housing stock is older and newer housing is either infill homes or boxy and trendy San Francisco type new condos like the ones you will find going up on the Eastbank and in the Alphabet District. Another thing about Hawthorne is that it might be cool, but it's not very diverse. If diversity means guys with beards and stocking caps and women who look like Carole King as she did on the cover of "Tapestry," then it's diverse alright. But almost everyone you will see partaking in its offerings is white, young, educated, and progressive, though they can run the gamut from being put together to being frumpy. And there sure are a lot of Subarus ... a lot of them! And it's hard to find a parking spot for that Subaru or whatever type of sled you may have. And you can even still "feel the Bern." In my mind, diversity would mean that enough different types of people and points of view are represented. That's not the case here. I need to cool my jets. However, an in-flight magazine that once featured an article on the City of Roses corroborated the hip and cool enclaves in Portland, showcasing three of them: Hawthorne, Multnomah Village, and NAAD (North Alberta Arts District), so I'm not off base here. To sum it up, I am giving Hawthorne 2 stars: 1 for existing and housing some of Portland's residents and 1 for how conveniently located it is to downtown and not being too distant from the freeways. Stars are missing because of (1) the prices, (2) not enough (of what I think is) culture along with a somewhat ample supply of "groupthink," and (3) the aloof and even surly service and attitude that you may encounter in many of the places you might step into because they seem to believe they have a captive audience. Of these hip and cool villages, I'd go with 3 stars for Multnomah Village on the West Side for being near the ethnic diversity surrounding PCC, lacking a rigid gridded street pattern, and having more topography and trees, 2 stars for the Hawthorne neighborhood, and 1 star for the NAAD, as in "not my cup of tea" ... at all. O.k., I'm done being an ass.

I saw a tiktok about this place and it just so happened to be on route when I was driving back to…read morePortland. Parking was scary because there is only one spot and it felt like we were going to fall off the edge of the woods, so beware! lol It was very easy to find on both Apple Maps and in general due to the colorful appearance of the trolls. I thought it was really cool and random which is exactly what I wanted to experience. Overall, totally recommend if you happen to be in these neck of the woods. Not sure if it is worth going out of your way to visit, but it totally cures some boredom if you want something to do right outside of the city.

It's different - nothing to go out your way for but if you wanting to explore then go a head. It's…read morestill there. If you use the coordinates from here please note you'll need to go a little pass the called out spot because at first I don't I missed it. Only two vehicles can successfully park on the side. Happy traveling!!!

If you ever wondered where to rent the yellow canopy bikes for 4 or a Tandem bike for 2 or those…read morecool chopper bikes, Kerr Bikes on the Eastbank Esplanade is the place! Their bright red building located at mile 3 between the Hawthorne Bridge and OMSI, is easy to find. There are a multitude of styles and you can rent by the hour, half or full day, so options for singles, couples, groups and families. Now that warmer weather is here, I pass those yellow canopy bikes everywhere along the loop and it's nothing but smiles from those peddling away. If you are driving to this part of town, park at OMSI or in the street under the Hawthorne Bridge. If walking the loop, You can't miss the red building between OMSI and the Hawthorne Bridge. Fun and unique way to enjoy the outdoors and see some of the most beautiful vistas of the city and our many beautiful bridges! While supporting a local business and being socially distanced. It's a winning combination!

Good service with good employees. With good selection of non alcohol beverages, ice cream, boats…read moreand bikes to rent at fair price. In beautiful outdoor scenery on river , with many good tourists spots at restaurants, food courts. Lovely wild life and festivals happen here at the Japanese Historical Park Portland OR :). Well worth it:)

It was silly but I stopped to get this photo, though on a busy intersection. On our way to other…read moreesoteric places. Cute!

I had this place bookmarked as a must to go. I haven't ever seen a Paul Bunyan statue before but…read morethere is a song that says they are everywhere. So I wanted to see how this one was. There isn't really parking here. It is literally on a corner. I'm not sure if I would recommend coming here but if you do it is probably only for a few minutes to snap a photo and that's it.

We headed out to Alberta Street last night having no idea what we were getting ourselves into…read more When I think of a "Last/First (insert day of the week)" I think of local artists getting a chance to display their art showcase at various locally owned stores, usually galleries or art related stores. The "Art Walk" was more like a combination of Saturday Market, street fair, with a smattering of legitimate artists. We were actually there with a purpose: find art by a local artist for our living room. I was pleased to see a wide variety of art styles and enjoyed examining what was on display in the stores. I was less impressed with the displays on the street, although many made me chuckle while others were just puzzling. In the end, it wasn't what we thought it was going to be, but it was still a fun time. Lots of unique people with unique talents and I think it is fabulous that they have a place to display them (even if I don't want to take any of it home and hang it on my living room wall). :)

My friends who live in the SW section of Portland invited me up recently to Portland and said, "You…read morehave to come check out Alberta Street with us, it's the last thursday of the month" And I'm like, 'What's Alberta Street?" The last thursday of each month, this section of Alberta Street attracts all kinds of people who walk, ride bikes, skate, sometimes arrive on stilts to check out all the art and restaurants in the area. When I was there it seems like the whole neighborhood opens up and everyone is having a good time. This is a slice of Portland worth checking out. Certainly not something you find very often in LA. The trains don't go to Alberta street is my understanding, but you can take a cab part of the way, or if you have access to a bicycle, there are a ton of bike lanes in Portland. I wouldn't advise driving there as there are a ton of people in the streets at this regular event. Saw a few people drive by in cars that were having heckuva time given the number of people in the streets. However you get there, it's worth checking out. It happens from i believe 6 - 9PM on the last thursday of each month.

Enjoying a staycation day in Portland with a PDX live concert - Modest Mouse! The square is…read moreclean, full and energized! It's great to see the food carts busy and the city full of life!

Great sound, decent bar setup, plenty of restrooms. Only…read moreissue, clearly sold out means over capacity. Get there early, bring a butt pad for the steps.

Many Portlanders know the Pittock Mansion https://www.yelp.com/biz/pittock-mansion-portland and the…read moreHoyt Arboretum https://www.yelp.com/biz/hoyt-arboretum-portland. They are connected by the Wildwood Trail https://www.yelp.com/biz/wildwood-trail-portland. The Barbara Walker Crossing is a foot bridge between Pittock Mansion and Hoyt Arboretum on the Wildwood Trail. Before this bridge, walkers had to cross busy Burnside. That was dangerous for the walkers and dangerous for the drivers expecting a smooth commute. This bridge has two beauties, its design, and its funding. Portlander Ed Carpenter https://www.edcarpenter.net/ is an architectural artist-designer. He has done a lot of work in glass. Bridges need artists too, boring bridges are a loss of possible beauty. This bridge has a triangular truss for structure, with the triangular structure extending upward to support the railings artfully. The visible materials are a mix of Cor-Ten steel, which develops a protective rust, and painted steel. The overall bridge mimics a fir frond with its green needles. This project was innovative because the funding was by a public-private partnership enabled by the Portland Parks Foundation. Private donors and nonprofit foundations contributed tax deductible monies to make the bridge and make a beautiful one. We are looking forward to more of these public-private partnerships making Portland infrastructure. For now, any Portlander or Portland visitor can walk this bridge on the Wildwood Trail!

This trail offers a hike and not much else. Because of the the dense forest/underbrush, there are…read moreno views to take in, no creeks or water features, the wildlife stays deep within the brush to avoid human contact. Be sure to apply insect repellant in the summertime. The trail is fairly steep until reaching the saddle. Access from Regner Road may be easier than other access points. Metro is supposed to add parking and bathrooms, but not sure when that's scheduled. If you are interested in big leaf maples and scrub brush, this is your place.

Fairly easy loop that's about 4 miles in distance if you follow the route outlined here:…read morehttp://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/walk_there_gresham_butte_saddle_trail.pdf We took it in a counterclockwise direction starting from the Main City Park. The Springwater Corridor section was paved, flat, exposed, and popular with bicyclists while heading up on Towle and 19th and to the summit is quite a workout! Didn't see anyone else on the trail while up in the Natural Area, which is completely shaded by big trees. There's an old abandoned bus somewhere up near the top of Gabbert Hill (you can follow a trail offshoot toward the south when you hit the 4-way intersection).