Portland Oregon is known for

its unique culture:

its music scene,

its food scene

its craft beers

and for its dress down,

casual, outdoor lifestyle!

A youthful lifestyle from food, to art, to music, to recreation is the cultural focus of Portland. Above: Downtown Portland and the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, along the Willamette River.

For winter and summer alpine recreation, Mt. Hood overlooks Portland. It’s a world away but only a short drive!

THE MUSIC SCENE IS BIG IN PORTLAND:

Portland’s musical offerings are as diverse as the city itself, with options including indie rock, jazz, classical, pop and more.

A local publication, “She Shreds” is shaking up the music industry as the world’s only magazine dedicated to female guitarists and bassists.

Classical and choral performances fill the arts season in Portland. Check out Oregon Arts Watch.

Musical Festivals in Portland include:

The Annual PORTLAND’S JAZZ FESTIVAL in February.

The PDX Jazz Festival arrives each and every February to recognize Black History Month, and to remind Portlanders and their many out of town guests what a rich and robust Jazz experience Portland offers. With upwards of 100 paid and ticketed events over 11 days, there are ambitious programs that will warm the heart and swing the soul. As always, homage is paid to living jazz legends and those who came before.

The Annual WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL in July.

The festival takes place in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, on the river’s edge in Downtown Portland. Running for four days over the 4th of July weekend, it is a fundraising event sponsored by Safeway Grocery Stores and benefiting the Oregon Food Bank. The festival raises over one million dollars annually for the charity, that means hundreds of thousands of pounds of food for those who need help.

Arial view of the blues festival. Many listen from the relaxed luxury of their boats anchored in the river.

VIDEO:

The Waterfront Blues Festival, Portland

PORTLAND has many live music venues for every niche:

(Jazz, classical, funk, punk or rock)

CLASSICAL MUSIC IN PORTLAND

Portland Opera, the Oregon Symphony and Chamber Music Northwest offer an ongoing lineup of inspiring performances, from timeless works to modern interpretations.

Chamber Music Northwest

Crowds flock to this five-week season of concerts presented by Chamber Music Northwest every summer (June-July); a one-week Winter Festival is held in late January/early February.

Oregon Symphony

More than 300,000 people each year enjoy performances of works from classical to pop by the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar. Season: September-May.

Portland Baroque Orchestra

The Portland Baroque Orchestra presents classical music on historical instruments in intimate settings. Season: October-May.

Portland Opera

One of the United States’ top opera companies, the Portland Opera has an anything-but-stuffy approach. Season: February-August.

Portland Taiko Drums

The performers in the award-winning Portland Taiko Asian American drumming ensemble weave rhythm, melody, humor and movement together into an exhilarating musical experience.

OTHER PERFORMING ARTS VENUES

In 1917 Portland citizens opened the city’s first publicly-owned assembly center, the Municipal (Civic) Auditorium. As the need for performing and gathering spaces grew, Portland opened another venue called Portland Publix Theatre, later renamed the Paramount Theatre. In 1983, the renovation of Paramount as a new concert hall began by the city. Friends of the Performing Arts Center raised funds for improvements to the Paramount again in the 90s, and over the years a bounty of generous donations has given Portland the rest of their venues: the Newmark Theatre, The Brunish Theatre, and a renovation donation renamed the Portland Civic Auditorium, the Keller Auditorium.

THE FOOD SCENE IS

FIRST CLASS IN PORTLAND

Here is what it means to eat in Portland (according to The Eater 38, Portlands Gastronomic Newsletter). The city has a myriad of cuisines that collectively satisfy most restaurant goer’s needs… from those that cost serious cash, to simple good food for few bucks.

Every three months, The Eater 38 newsletter adds new recommendations while other restaurants come off the list. This winter, Middle Eastern tinged but oh-so-local Tusk joined the 38 club, alongside tip-top Vancouver, BC, vegetarian import Virtuous Pie, and a spicy Szechuan-and-more option the Duck House Chinese Restaurant.

Restaurants are featured across the city’s many neighborhoods, centered around downtown.

For more recent into on Portland’s hottest new restaurants? Find them on the Eater PDX Heatmap.

TUSK’s Grain Bowl with sprouted barley, vegetables, avocado, dukka, egg, argon oil.

10 MORE PORTLAND RESTAURANTS:

1 Ataula

Eater PDX’s 2013 Chef of the Year Jose Chesa emphasizes a convivial vibe at his modern Spanish gastropub. With a lively dining room facing an open kitchen, it’s not a stuffy “tapas restaurant.” The tapas themselves combine similar levels of comforting familiarity and playfulness: Beef and potato “bombas” arrive in a suitably spicy sauce; chorizo “lollipops” are addictive; and an almost-savory sangria is the perfect drink for rainy evenings.

2 Restaurant St. Jack

Eater PDX’s 2011 Restaurant of the Year spins the decadent French bouchon experience into a NW bistro. Embrace “Non, je ne regrette rien” as your official dining motto and sit back and relax with a few whiskey cocktails, plates of rich escargot gratin, and roasted bone marrow. When specials are available, snatch them up, particularly the pied de cochon and stuffed duck neck.

3 Ken’s Artisan Bakery

The city’s most James Beard-awarded baker, Ken Forkish, bakes baguettes and “Field blend” loaves that remind Portlanders just how good bread should taste. The pastries change with the seasons but always feature one of the city’s best croissants. There’s no better place to begin a day of exploring Northwest’s boutique shops.

4 Mi Mero Mole

Mi Mero Mole serves traditional dishes from Mexico City that seem both familiar and like stumbled-upon treasures. Case in point: The fillings for its tacos, burritos, and other dishes are modeled after Mexico’s vegetarian and meaty stews. Assume everything’s made from scratch, starting with the day’s tortillas. Memorabilia and stories from owner Nick Zukin’s regular trips to Mexico always ensure a fun stop.

5 MÅURICE

In a bright, beautifully appointed hole-in-the-wall venue in the bustling shopping district around Powell’s Books, Kristen D. Murray delivers exactly what Portland didn’t know it needed: an insanely charming “pastry luncheonette” that focuses equal attention on sweets, savory fare, and exquisite place settings. The result is one of the city’s top leisurely lunch and dessert experiences, complete with artfully plated black pepper cheesecakes; warm, soft Meyer lemon pudding cakes; and brioche tartes with sautéed sweetbreads.

6 Imperial

With its swank dining room inside Hotel Lucia, Imperial seems to have something for any occasion, whether breakfast, lunch, brunch, happy hour, or dinner. The amazing thing is, no matter if it’s wild king salmon a la plancha with corn pudding or Brandt Ranch flatiron steak and eggs and a bloody mary, Vitaly Paley’s seasoned touch comes through. Come here to celebrate, for a friendly fried-chicken lunch, or just for a drink and bites during a deeply discounted happy hour.

7 Departure

Located on the 15th floor of chic The Nines Hotel, Gregory Gourdet serves modern, farm-sourced Pan Asian dishes in a dining room that could pass for the interior of a spaceship, including a large patio with great city views. The menu is full of flavor. See: crispy pork belly with pickled cherries, ginger, and pumpkin seeds and stone-grilled Wagyu strip sirloin. Desserts are always a highlight, too.

8 Higgins Restaurant & Bar

This is the place for white tablecloths and five-star service. One of Portland’s pioneering chefs, Greg Higgins was cultivating relationships between local chefs and farmers long before winning the James Beard Best Chef Northwest award in 2002. Today, his restaurant is one of downtown’s best spots for a business lunch or a pre-show dinner, offering refined service in laid-back Portland. For a more relaxed but still old-school vibe, visit the wood-paneled bar for Totten Inlet mussels steamed in white wine and The Higgins burger of Carman Ranch grass-fed beef.

9 Duck House Chinese Restaurant

This PSU-adjacent spot has been a valuable addition to Portland’s Chinese food scene since its 2016 arrival. Dive into Szechuan wontons with chili oil, dan dan noodles, Peking duck, or get adventurous with red chile intestines, all at downright affordable prices.

10 Olympia Provisions SE

Situated in a warehouse district cum startup central, Olympia Provisions famously boasts Oregon’s first USDA certified meat-curing facility — but after ordering the obligatory charcuterie plate, venture into dishes like steak tartare, octopus a la plancha with chorizo navarre, and roasted chicken (in whatever the day’s form). The weekend brunch, full of egg Benedicts with sweetheart ham and hashes with keilbasa and lardons, is one of the city’s most underrated.

(Source: Eater PDX Heatmap)

PORTLAND IS KNOW FOR IT SELECTION