MAX Station has many hubs ( https://trimet.org/max/stations.htm ) and services by three types of…read moretransit systems. I started at the South Waterfront/SW Moody Station (part of the City Center). I recently used TriMet for travel around Portland (to Hillsboro and Beaverton), and overall, it was a good and convenient experience. REMINDER: To "tap" at each green station pole before boarding. Each station features a ticket booth where you can easily purchase a transit card or add funds to your app. The$3 card pass gives you 2.5 hours of unlimited use. The process quick but I don't like tickets need to purchase one per transaction. I was also was surprised by the visible presence of Portland Police (or Transit Security ) on board during certain rides, which added a sense of security and safety while traveling. The trains were clean and well-maintained. The station benches also very clean. Additionally, the train schedules were clearly posted on the marquee, making it easy to know when to expect the next departure. Along the way, I got to enjoy beautiful views of Portland's parks and bridges as we made our way to various destinations. Needless to say, in 3 hours I crammed a lot of suggestions of "hot spots" to explore each day!!!

This is a great place to walk around throughout all the four seasons and I enjoy going…read moreback-and-forth from here from South waterfront or from South waterfront to the cell Woodbridge and back. I love these walks and it's always a joy to see the change of seasons, and to have a little snack here and there along the way. A nice spot to just sit and relax.

With a gorgeous view of the Willamette River and the boats docked at RiverPlace Marina, this…read morequarter mile paved walkway is dotted with a few casual coffee/sandwich/ice cream shops, a Sushi restaurant, a fabulous Italian restaurant (Il Terrazzo), a few boutiques (Mia's, a new CBD shop) and a pop-up Taco Bar in the summer. Anchored by McCormick & Schmick's on the south end and King Tide's Seafood on the North, there is something for everyone's palette and budget. In warm and sunny weather, Portlanders and out of town visitors flock to our gorgeous parks and Rivers to walk and enjoy nature. The RiverPlace Esplanade gets crowded with people walking - and although not allowed and clearly marked, lots of cyclists and people on scooters - as they take in the sights from the Marina up to Tom McCall Park. Some choose to cross over the Hawthorne, Steel or Broadway Bridges making the loop along the Eastbank Esplanade and make their way back via the Tilikum Crossing. It's a beautiful walk/ride with gorgeous vistas of the City, the Williamette River, and the Marina from many points along the way. Start and finish your walk from the RiverPlace Esplanade! There are several public parking garages and when you've completed your walk, enjoy coffee, ice cream, a casual meal or a more sophisticated dinner at one of the venues along theesplanade. The cafes and restaurants have tables and chairs for outside dining in the warmer months. And there are plenty of benches if you just want to sit and relax, read a book or take in the views. Sunset is a particularly gorgeous time to be here. While I love this tiny esplanade, it can be, it should be, so much more! The challenge has always been the location. It's more of a destination since it's just far enough away from the daily commuters and walking crowds of downtown Portland. Therefore, businesses struggle during the cold and rainy months when the volumes of people drop substantially. Warmer weather brings the crowds and lots of business, but it is hard for businesses to thrive with such drastic seasonal fluctuations. I say, give the people a reason to come! Look no further than Vancouver to see how they have transformed their Waterfront making it a year round place for people to venture. The RiverPlace Esplanade was built before there were a lot of residents in this area. Now there are with The Dougla, The RiverPlace Condos and The Strand - give them a reason to eat, drink and shop in their own neighborhood! It's walking distance to so many of us. Even though I walk this esplanade daily and patron the local businesses, I often leave the neighborhood to dine and shop because I crave variety. There are several recently vacated shops; please fill them with the type of stores and restaurants that will round out this area and give people a reason to make the RiverPlace Esplanade an actual destination.

One of the best train systems in the country. Why the best?…read more You can ride the MAX Light Rail and Portland Streetcar within downtown Portland, the Rose Quarter and the Lloyd District for FREE--all day, every day. Just look at the free rail zones.

I like the trains in Portland. They are much easier, cleaner and nicer than the ones we have in the…read moreBay Area. I easily got from the Airport to my hotel downtown for $2.50, as compared to a $45.00 cab ride. It was almost just as fast as it was smart to save that money and take the train. It was literally a non-issue ride and I was there in about 30 minutes. Another day we took the train over to Widmer Brewing Company. It was easy to find a schedule, this station and get over there. Last time we also took a cab, so the train was fun and we had a great day.

One of my favorite annual events in Portland. This year was even better than the last. First of…read moreall, the organizers do a great job of setting up the course and there are plenty of volunteers (including bike mechanics) every step of the way to cheer you on and keep you safe. There are also several rest stops with food, drinks and entertainment if you want to take a break. I love this event because you get to do a few things that you'd never be able to do otherwise (legally)... bike the top span of the Marquam Bridge with a stop at the top to drink some Widmer rootbeer and rock out to a Black Sabbath cover band, Rat Salad. Later you bike the top span of Fremont Bridge with a stop for an iced mocha from Nossa Familia and a drum performance. It is really important to note that this is a ride, not a race. I found myself stressed out a bit last year on the family ride. Too many people, many with bike trailers and young kids on bikes weaving around and others just oblivious to basic biking etiquette. This year I did the longer 8-bridge ride and it made a world of difference. The fun factor was much higher this year. My favorite stretch of the course (which is also part of the Portland Marathon) is on the eastside from St. John's Bridge on N. Willamette Blvd., past Adidas to Interstate Avenue. Everyone should bike or walk that stretch at least once. After the race, your bib gets you a reduced entry to The Bite of Portland, but that event leaves a lot to be desired. Hope to see more Yeeps on the road next year.

This was my first year doing the Bridge Pedal, but I can promise you, it will not be my last. My…read moregroup and I opted for the intro 5-bridge tour, and it was totally fun. So to answer your questions: YES, they close down big hunks of bridge, including two pieces of freeway for this event, so you get to see the city from angles you've only glimpsed before. YES, there are a ton of people and it can be pretty slow going in sections. But that works really well for a slow hill-climber/stop-to-take-a-picture-r like me. Along those lines, YES you can walk up a bridge if the incline is too brutal. YES, at least on the 5-bridge route, you're dodging and weaving between and jamming up behind many families and wee kids. This can be a little scary on some of the more narrow bridges, but you'll make it. NO, nobody wiped out in front of me. Although YES, I did lose and have to go back for a shoe. YES a group of 4 or more gets a discount, and you can wait til the very last minute to register. NO, I didn't have to get up super early. The 5-Bridge route started between 8:30 and 9:30. I was convinced, however, to bike from home down to the event, so I did end up rising a little earlier than I might have preferred. YES, you get free snacks and entertainment and places to stop if you'd like along the way. I was pretty stoked about my free banana, until I saw my friends munching on cookies. What? Cookies? This was about the same time I saw a lady outside of the porta-potties lighting up a ciggie before the next leg. So the answer is YES. If I can, YES, you can, too.

The red line runs east-west and goes all the way from Portland International Airport to Hillsboro…read more Easy and convenient with the green tap pylons to get your ticket.

I'm not a max rider but picked up a friend today from here…read more It's very open, clean, has covered seating and lots of restaurants and food carts nearby.

Shannon K was the BEST tour guide. Very knowledgeable and willing to be flexible with stops. I…read morelearned so much in such a short time about Portland. I highly recommend the city tour if you're short on time but want to get a feel for Downtown Portland.

A bit late and behind, but I've got to give a shoutout to Susan from Around Portland Tour! If…read moreyou're planning a trip to Portland (OR), I highly recommend doing the tour at the start of your trip--not the end--because now I have to come back just to follow up on other "tidbits and records " she shared on the history of Portland's parks and recreation scenes. The tour kicks off by meeting up at a red building--easiest to find if you're walking just outside the perimeter. Look for a small black signage on the door. The owner usually leaves the door unlocked in the morning hours so look for benches set up for you to seat and wait for your group. Susan, our guide, is a Portland native who left for college and returned back to Portland. She gave us some great bonus insights beyond the standard tour -- like history of the places, including local tycoons, how roads were funded and how each section of the districts were divided. More importantly , she suggested a ghost tour and highly recommend to try biking around town--definitely on my list for next time!

"Beep beep" "Be running up that road. Be running up that hill. Be running up that building (Ye-yo)…read more Say, if I only could, oh" - Kate Bush. This is not my usual bus line but if I need to make a detour to get to downtown PDX this bus line will suffice. I really feel strange riding this bus line but when I got to do what I got to do. This TriMet bus line is strangely very popular since the 1980s hence the Kate Bush song. Now this is a Stranger Thing I can stand by. This bus goes across the famous Steel Bridge. If you miss the TriMet tram, this is a great alternative to getting to the city. If you live in the "suburbs" this bus is a rarity but a true gem to ride on. I will ride this bus line if I got the time. Only issue is that I wish it better connected people living in the "suburbs" with downtown PDX. It would be a very nice though.

Not unlike my bridge series (as seen in my list "Bridging River City), I'm on a TriMet Bus Route…read morebinge. I'm going to have to claim full disclosure here as my brother drives on this line for TriMet, so the "la familia" connection might have something to do with this. But like I said in my check-in comment yesterday, this bus runs from far SW Portland (up right across the street from PCC Sylvania (and oddly enough I used to live a couple of blocks from there several years ago) and ends up at Pier Park (and oddly enough just a couple of blocks from where I live now). Must be the symmetry of having lived at both ends of the line, but when I see this bus coming, I know that it's going to get me home, end of story, period. I don't have to transfer to any other buses. The drivers are all easy to get along with (especially my brother), and over the years I've seen some wonderful instances of kindness towards passengers. Sure, there are some jerky drivers, but then there are some jerky passengers, so it all evens out. One of my favorite parts of the ride on the North Portland side is that it traverses Willamette Boulevard (all those beautiful homes and view) through University of Portland (gorgeous campus) and somewhat close to the Cathedral Bridge. I enjoy it so much that it makes me forget I'm tired at times and even puts me in a better mood to go home. My brother notwithstanding, I'm a fan of this line. It gets me where I want to go and home again along with some friendliness and great views!

All these places were in walking distance from each other and no more than a few blocks. Portland…read moreis seriously amazing. I have lived here my ENTIRE life and to me, Portland is Portland. To hear all this history, and really see how businesses in Portland are really community partners versus competitors is truly amazing. I LOVED this tour, I loved the tastings and I loved the company I was with. People always ask foodies what/where to go and I would suggest this. Guarantee, you'll go somewhere new and learn something new. Try it out for yourself. Remember babes, Eat Rich or Die Tryin. ..

Laura's tour is the best. She is delightful, knowledgeable, and, most importantly, fun. I learned…read moreso much about SE Portland's history as we strolled from venue to venue. I'm really into food tours, and this one isn't your ordinary, run of the mill, tour. It was special. Different. Learned about tea. Learned about salt. Learned about coffee, spirits and all about Olympia Provisions. Local stuff. The venue peeps were into their thing and delivered their expertise with sparkling personalities. Don't miss you...go schedule.