Highways aren’t normally a point of interest, but hundreds of rose bushes in full summer bloom filled every verge as I headed from Portland airport to my downtown hotel in a biblical downpour.
Think defiant bursts of natural beauty in an otherwise grey streetscape of hard asphalt and road spray.
Oregon’s largest city, I soon discovered, is the city of roses, and as an avid, yet hapless, gardener, I had an inkling I was going to like it here.
Often overlooked in favour of its bigger and better-known Pacific Northwest neighbour Seattle, just three hours across the state border in Washington, Portland has always faced stiff competition for tourism.
But in recent years it has garnered a reputation for being a hipster’s paradise as the location of cult US sketch show Portlandia, which poked fun at trend-obsessed residents.
Now with British Airways’ new direct flight from Heathrow, this offbeat destination is no longer off the beaten track.
And Portland has much more to offer than just cold-brew coffee and vegan doughnuts.
It also boasts a thriving cultural and literary scene, immaculate gardens, lush forests with hiking and cycling trails, as well as serving as a gateway to wilderness and the state’s wine-growing region.
Oregon is also one of five US states with no sales tax added to your shopping at the till.
On a muggy Saturday morning I strolled around one of the city’s farmers’ markets in the grounds of the university’s downtown campus. Sellers offer a bounty of locally grown fruit and veg, roses, naturally, as well as more unusual goods such as micro-greens and organic drinking vinegar. It’s a good spot to pick up breakfast on the hoof too. After wolfing down a tasty $7 burrito stuffed with scrambled egg, chilli-spiked potatoes and local Tillamook cheese, I popped into the nearby Portland Art Museum to take in its impressive Native American collection.
The city’s compact centre makes getting around on foot easy, and is pleasantly light on traffic.
In an afternoon you can potter about chic boutiques, craft breweries and coffee shops in the Pearl District, or browse acres of new and used books in Powell’s, a literary labyrinth which claims to be the world’s largest independent bookstore.
Wander a little further to Nob Hill, where charming Victorian-era wooden homes are repurposed as quirky shops, cafes and clothing stores.
Venture into natural science curiosity shop Paxton Gate for all you never wanted and don’t need, such as ethically sourced taxidermy bobcats, plastinated donkey hearts and framed tarantulas. Well worth a visit to gawp at the oddities, even if you aren’t filling your basket.
Over the road, queues form at artisan ice-cream parlour Salt & Straw for Willy Wonka-esque flavours such as cinnamon and fried chicken, and devilled egg custard with smoked black tea.
Finding something delicious to eat is easy here. Aside from the many excellent cafes and restaurants, Portland is famous for its street-food culture.
Hundreds of food carts curated into “pods” are dotted all over the city in disused car parks, forecourts and squares. Each one offers a speciality ranging from artisan fried egg sandwiches to Korean barbecue tacos.
For an unforgettable meal, just 15 minutes from downtown the newly opened Amaterra vineyard perches high in the city’s West Hills, serving food and wine as good as the view, including delicious salads of purple carrots and roasted golden beetroot, bought that morning from the farmers’ market I had visited.
Family-style mains of wild local Chinook salmon with perfect crispy skin, generous hunks of Alaskan halibut with asparagus, and juicy strip steak with fries, were all paired with wines made from the vines that stretch out into the valley below.
Appetite satisfied and thirst quenched, I jumped into a cab crossing the Willamette River to the north side’s cool Mississippi district for a nightcap and a taste of Portland’s live music scene. Tucked away from the main strip of bars, dingy jazz club The 1905 provided a soothing end to a busy day. While sipping on an Old Fashioned, local quartet Phutre Phunk’s improvised, trance-inducing set lulled me into a happy stupor.
Up bright and breezy the next morning, I headed out on the Historic Columbia River Highway for a day trip with the friendly team at First Nature Tours. Constructed more than a century ago, the road cuts along the awesome Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, taking in dramatic cliffs, rushing waterfalls and postcard-worthy vistas.
Thanks to the heavy rainfall, the magnificent Multnomah Falls was in full, thundering majesty.
The route east takes you all the way to the snow-capped Mount Hood, about a 90-minute drive from the city, which offers nearly year-round skiing, as well as the Columbia Gorge wineries. I took a guided e-bike tour with MountNbarreL around the region’s picturesque vineyards and orchards.
Although the heavens reopened just as we set off, it only made our tasting pitstops even more enjoyable.
A highlight of the trip for me, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the serene Portland Japanese Garden in Washington Park’s steep grounds.
Stepping through the antique gate, the guide tells me was shipped over from Japan and reconstructed using guesswork by local builders, I was spirited away to a fantasy landscape. Giant native Douglas firs, trickling ponds swimming with fat koi carp, feathery acers ranging from deepest burgundy to cat-nose pink and undulating rolls of chartreuse moss.
Once you’ve dragged yourself away, next door is the International Rose Test Garden, which gives the city its nickname. Free to enter, it makes for a gentle, musk-scented amble with great views of the city.
Despite the laid-back vibe, there is clearly some serious investment pouring into the city. It has been a tough couple of years and not just because of the pandemic. Portland became an unlikely hot spot for riots during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Evidence of the troubles linger with empty shop units, and a large metal fence still surrounding the Apple store which was looted. But initiatives to address racial injustice have since been introduced, and masses of construction is under way, including a huge 35-storey Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Meanwhile, Hollywood star and Wrexham AFC co-owner Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin brand is opening a new distillery and visitor centre.
For this independent-spirited, idiosyncratic, liberal city, it seems everything’s coming up roses.
BOOK IT
British Airways Holidays offers five nights at The Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon, USA, from £1,259 per person travelling from Heathrow on selected dates in September, with 23kg baggage. Book by July 31. britishairways.com/holidays
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