Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Destination: Portland, OR
Length of Stay: 2 Nights (July 2018)
Lodging: Columbia River RV Park ($36/night)
Portland, OR is quite a unique city with a young hipster vibe that you may know from the hit comedy show Portlandia. The city has some interesting history to it that we learned from the Secrets of Portlandia tour. For example, Portland is actually home to Mill ends Park, the World's Smallest Park (as confirmed by Guinness Book of Records). As it turns out, the city actually borrowed its name from Portland, ME. In 1845, two of the founders, Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove, decided to flip a coin on what to name the new settlement. Both founders wanted to name the city after their hometowns; Lovejoy being from Massachusetts wanted to name it Boston, and Pettygrove being from Maine wanted to name it Portland. You'll never guess who won.
Portland has the nickname 'Stumptown' which also comes from the Pioneer days. If you've had the chance to drive through Oregon, the enormous pine trees are really a site to see. It turns out that these trees were also around when the new settlers came out west. In order to establish a new city, the trees needed to be cleared. After walking the entire Oregon trail out west, and clearing down acres of pine trees, the founders didn't feel motivated enough to remove the large stumps. So when more settlers came out west to Portland, they gave the new city its well deserved nickname of 'Stumptown.' Though we only spent a couple nights in Stumptown, we have listed a few highlights below around that are easy to see in a weekend.
Destination: Portland, OR
Length of Stay: 2 Nights (July 2018)
Lodging: Columbia River RV Park ($36/night)
Portland, OR is quite a unique city with a young hipster vibe that you may know from the hit comedy show Portlandia. The city has some interesting history to it that we learned from the Secrets of Portlandia tour. For example, Portland is actually home to Mill ends Park, the World's Smallest Park (as confirmed by Guinness Book of Records). As it turns out, the city actually borrowed its name from Portland, ME. In 1845, two of the founders, Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove, decided to flip a coin on what to name the new settlement. Both founders wanted to name the city after their hometowns; Lovejoy being from Massachusetts wanted to name it Boston, and Pettygrove being from Maine wanted to name it Portland. You'll never guess who won.
Portland has the nickname 'Stumptown' which also comes from the Pioneer days. If you've had the chance to drive through Oregon, the enormous pine trees are really a site to see. It turns out that these trees were also around when the new settlers came out west. In order to establish a new city, the trees needed to be cleared. After walking the entire Oregon trail out west, and clearing down acres of pine trees, the founders didn't feel motivated enough to remove the large stumps. So when more settlers came out west to Portland, they gave the new city its well deserved nickname of 'Stumptown.' Though we only spent a couple nights in Stumptown, we have listed a few highlights below around that are easy to see in a weekend.
45th Parallel
Depending on which way you are driving into Portland, you may also get the chance to drive through the 45th Parallel which is the latitude line that marks halfway between the equator and the north pole. See some pictures below from when we drove through it!
Top 4 To-Dos in Portland
Free Walking Tour
If you really want to get a feel for Portland in a quick 2 hours, look no further than the Secrets of Portlandia tour with Erik. This is a donation based walking tour around the city center that goes over Portland's history and some local spots to eat. The city is home to over 100 food trucks!
Voodoo Donuts
This crazy cool donut shop originated in Portland in 2003. Since then, it has opened up locations in Austin, Denver, Eugene, Hollywood, and Orlando! With an eclectic mix of original flavors and toppings, you won't be let down. **Tip** - the store is cash only, but also has an ATM inside.
Keep Portland Weird
Right across the street from the Voodoo Donut shop is the famous 'Keep Portland Weird' sign. This sign can also be seen in the intro of the Portlandia show.
Portlandia Bridge
Another site you might recognize if you've seen the show Portlandia is the Hawthorne Bridge. It is the bridge in the show's intro and also the cover photo of this blog post.
45th Parallel
Depending on which way you are driving into Portland, you may also get the chance to drive through the 45th Parallel which is the latitude line that marks halfway between the equator and the north pole. See some pictures below from when we drove through it!
Top 4 To-Dos in Portland
Free Walking Tour
If you really want to get a feel for Portland in a quick 2 hours, look no further than the Secrets of Portlandia tour with Erik. This is a donation based walking tour around the city center that goes over Portland's history and some local spots to eat. The city is home to over 100 food trucks!
Voodoo Donuts
This crazy cool donut shop originated in Portland in 2003. Since then, it has opened up locations in Austin, Denver, Eugene, Hollywood, and Orlando! With an eclectic mix of original flavors and toppings, you won't be let down. **Tip** - the store is cash only, but also has an ATM inside.
Keep Portland Weird
Right across the street from the Voodoo Donut shop is the famous 'Keep Portland Weird' sign. This sign can also be seen in the intro of the Portlandia show.
Portlandia Bridge
Another site you might recognize if you've seen the show Portlandia is the Hawthorne Bridge. It is the bridge in the show's intro and also the cover photo of this blog post.
See how this fits into the North American Road Trip:
