Portland (Oregon)/Northwest

Just to the north of Downtown is Old Town, which is where Portland was first settled and which has some historic buildings and is a nightlife center, but also contains a fair amount of social services for homeless and mentally ill. The neighborhood also holds the remnants of Chinatown which, despite a lovely archway entry at Burnside and 4th Avenue and some Chinese-inspired street decorations, is rather desolate and may prove a disappointment for visitors expecting the bustle of San Francisco's or New York City's Chinatown.

Just to the northwest of Downtown is the Pearl District, a very hip and trendy neighborhood on the streetcar line which was not long ago derelict warehouses and empty industrial space. The economic success of the Pearl has made it a frequently cited urban planning model, and it is an excellent place to hang out and people watch, eat in fine restaurants, and visit the famous Powell's Bookstore. Perhaps the best spot to people watch is Jamison Square, a city park at the heart of the Pearl that includes a popular fountain which fills a pool during the summer months that's popular with little kids. For a slightly more quiet retreat, Tanner Springs Park is just a couple of blocks north and built to resemble a piece of reclaimed wetland, with tall grasses and a nice pond. On the First Thursday of every month, all art galleries in the Pearl district open their doors for casual viewing, and many serve wine and cheese.

To the north of the Pearl, at the northern end of the streetcar line is the Northwest District, also known as Nob Hill and also on the trendy side and with a variety of retail shops, bars, and restaurants along with plenty of lovely Victorians and tree-lined streets. West of this is the West Hills, where the well-to-do of Portland have traditionally lived. Because of the geography, the streets in the West Hills are a bit of a maze, but they still make for an interesting trek; you'll find lavish mansions, ornate public staircases, and good views of Downtown.

🌍 Portland Union Station, 800 NW 6th Ave. If you come to Portland by bus or train you will likely step off the vehicle here. Amtrak Cascades, Coast Starlight, and Empire Builder trains stop here. Greyhound and other intercity bus lines also use the station. (updated Oct 2023)

See Portland (Oregon)#Get around for getting in from elsewhere in the city.

The southern portion of this district is just across Burnside St from Downtown. Streetcars go from downtown and nearby parts of Eastside to the Pearl District and Old Town.

There are MAX lines serving the Old Town from many locations Eastside; the orange line from the southern Eastside near the Willamette River (via Downtown), yellow line from the Expo center, red line from the airport, blue line from Gresham, green line from Clackamas Town Center and the three latter from locations along Banfield Freeway.

Locations further north and west can be reached by bus (network map).

• 🌍 Lan Su Chinese Garden (formerly the Portland Classical Chinese Garden), 239 NW Everett St (at 3rd in Old Town/Chinatown), ☏ +1 503-228-8131. Summer: 10AM-6PM daily; winter: 10AM-5PM daily. A beautiful urban retreat in the heart of Chinatown with a pond, a teahouse, pavilions, and lots of gardens. If you are on a budget, you can peek in through the ornate open windows and see much of the gardens without paying admission. $9.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $7 students, children 5 and under free. 
• 🌍 Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, 724 NW Davis St, ☏ +1 503-226-3600. Tu-Th 11AM-5PM, F 11AM-4PM, Sa-Su noon-5PM. Adults $8, students and seniors (62+) $5, 12 and under free. (updated Jan 2018)
• 🌍 Pittock Mansion, 3229 NW Pittock Dr (Bus 20 from Downtown to NW Barnes, followed by a 15 min moderate climb), ☏ +1 503-823-3623. Feb-Jun, Sep-Dec 11AM-4PM daily; Jul-Aug 10AM-5PM daily; grounds open 5AM-9PM daily. A stunning Victorian mansion in the hills of west Portland, dating back nearly a century now and preserved just as it looked then. The mansion also contains beautiful artworks and furniture collected by the original owners. $8.50 adults; $7.50 seniors above 65; $5.50 youth 6-18; free for children under 6. 
• 🌍 Forest Park, ☏ +1 503-223-5449, info@forestparkconservancy.org. Daily 5AM-10PM. Located on the hills northwest of Downtown, Forest Park is one of the nation's largest urban parks at 5,000 acres. There are many great hiking and biking trails to be found winding through this natural forest setting. Free. (updated Aug 2020)
  • 🌍 Witch's Castle (Stone House) (accessible by hiking: nearest trailheads are at the Portland Audubon Society and the Lower Macleay entrance). Located near where the Lower Macleay and Wildwood Trails meet in the southern part of Forest Park is this former "comfort station" that was partially destroyed in the 1962 Columbus Day Storm. Visitors can explore the small edifice. (updated Oct 2023)
• 🌍 Blue Sky Gallery (Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts), 22 NW 8th Ave, ☏ +1 503-225-0210. Free. (updated Mar 2019)
• 🌍 Portland Chinatown Museum, 127 NW 3rd Ave, ☏ +1 503-224-0008. (updated Aug 2019)
• 🌍 The Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum, 2234 NW Thurman St., ☏ +1-503-227-3164. Daily 11am-11AM-7PM 7pm. Museum featuring eclectic exhibits and art as well as a gift shop. $10 per person except $7 per person Tuesdays. (updated Oct 2023)
• 🌍 Portland Audubon, 5151 NW Cornell Rd, ☏ +1-503-292-6855. Dawn to dusk. Bird sanctuary adjacant to Forest Park with four miles of trails, an interpretive center, and store. Free. (updated Oct 2023)
• 🌍 Chapman Swift Watch, 1445 NW 26th Ave. During September evenings, Portlanders gather around Chapman Elementary School to watch thousands of Vaux's swifts, a small bird species, roost in the school's chimney as they prepare to migrate as far south as Venezuela. Street parking can be difficult to find but the parking lot on the west side of the Montgomery Park building a few blocks north is available after 5:30PM. Free. (updated Nov 2023)

• 🌍 Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave (at Burnside), ☏ +1 503-224-2038. Roseland Theater is a great place to go see a rock show or catch a hip hop concert. It is a good size venue but still gives you that crowded rock show feel. This venue is very fun to watch a show because the crowd always gets really into the music. It gets very crowded in some parts of the theater. This theater is standing room only. However there are seats in the upstairs to view the show from there. 
• 🌍 Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade and Bar, 115 NW 5th Ave, ☏ +1 503-796-9364. M-Th 5PM-midnight, F-Su noon-modnight. Classic arcade with video games and pinball machines in a futuristic setting featuring tournaments and selling beer and lite fare. (updated Nov 2023)

• 🌍 Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St (W Burnside & NW 10th), ☏ +1 503-228-4651, toll-free: +1-800-878-7323. 10AM–6PM daily. Powell's is a landmark in Portland, and most residents are proud to let you know that this is the biggest independent new and used bookstore in the world while visitors make a point in seeing the place as an attraction whether they buy a book or not. Covering an entire city block, the store stocks over a million books in 3,500 sections. And that's not counting the Hawthorne branch in Southeast Portland, and Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton! The store can be imposing (get a map from the front desk), but it's a don't-miss for even the most casual reader. (updated Feb 2021)
• 🌍 Paxton Gate, 811 NW 23rd Ave., ☏ +1 503-719-5365. 11AM-7PM everyday. A shop of oddities from the natural world, including taxidermy, colorful framed butterflies and interesting mineral specimens. (updated Apr 2022)
• 🌍 Pearl District. Just meandering through the neighborhood, you're sure to come across many boutiques, gift shops, and furniture stores housed in buildings that were once warehouses and factories. The areas around Jamison Square and the intersection of Lovejoy Street and 10th Avenue have the highest concentration of these fabulous shops. The neighborhood is bounded west by I-405, south by W Burnside, north by NW Quimby and east by NW Park, just northwest of downtown Portland. 
• NW 23rd & 21st Avenues, north of Burnside. Part of the Northwest/Nob Hill District and one of the most densely populated shopping districts, with some funky and eclectic shops along NW 23rd & NW 21st (parallel to 23rd a couple blocks east) from W Burnside up to NW Marshall St. There are some bars, restaurants along NW 23rd north of Marshall. 

• 🌍 Multnomah County Library (Northwest Branch), 2300 NW Thurman Street. Issues one-hour guest passes for Internet terminal use. Free wi-fi available to public while the libraries are open. Wi-fi shuts off ten minutes before the libraries close and stays off until the library opens again. (updated Oct 2023)