Woohoo! I just hit my 6,000th review! Whenever I hit a landmark review like this I go write about a…read morelandmark in the Pacific Northwest. Some say they haven't seen an account with this many reviews but there is indeed some accounts that have way surpassed my amount of reviews. I believe there is a Yelper out there (Bruce K.) that is from Charlotte, North Carolina that comes in with 23,000 reviews and 61,000 pictures for his reviews as of 2024 so I have waaaay more review writing to do to even get remotely close to this guy. The reviews I write is for something that is unique only to the place I have adopted as home ( or the region that I call home as opposed to a city). Previously I have written about the mountains of our region like Mount Rainier but this time around I wanted to write about something more urban and a place I always love visiting...Portland! The White Stag Sign is so signature Portland! We have seen it lit up at night and have seen it during the day. All of which we have managed to get different angles to look at. As other reviewers say the admission is free... which kind of makes sense since it's a sign. This sign at times seems to be so obvious that it's hard to miss but other times on the Interstate we miss it completely giving it that "camouflaged" notion in amongst the building and bridges... of course we may just be looking in the wrong place too...keeping one's eyes on the road is an upmost priority... which should go without saying. But you can still stroll by here as a pedestrian and get some great pictures of this Portland landmark and a landmark that totally smacks of Cascadia and the Pacific Northwest!

Finally got the chance to see and be where the stag sign is after many years! Street parking is…read moreavailable in the area and a quick walk towards the park where you have a better view of it. You can also go up the stairs and see it from a closer view. Tree branches do obscure the view a bit. Very satisfying experience!

Another Portland landmark when it comes to signage. This is an iconic sign and you see it in films…read moreand tv shows and such when the setting is in this particular city. Portland is indeed a weird place and that is one of the reasons that I love it so much. It's quirkiness and art oriented drive is the "weirdness" I am referring to which makes this sign highly relatable to me. Anything that can make you lovably eccentric. Of course there is the weird element where it can delve into creepy but most people can flesh out as to what is purposeful and with intent as opposed to the opposite. I consider myself to be a weirdo and people have accused me of just that throughout my life and it's something I learned pretty early on that it's a thing to be embraced rather than treating our uniqueness and eccentricities ( the harmless kind) as a crutch, burden or handicap. I remember when I was a fairly new transplant to the Pacific Northwest there was a friendly rivalry that I would hear off and on as to what was the weirdest city in America. Austin, Texas and Portland were neck to neck and from what I heard Portland won out but of course I haven't been to Austin in a very long time and before I ever heard of the rivalry so maybe down there they say they are the victors. I may find out when I go there later this Spring. But for me seeing this sign whenever I come across it is an enduring thing and I feel like I am with my tribe... both in Portland and the Pacific Northwest.

This is located right across the street from Voo Doo Donuts. The sign is pretty cool. There's…read morealways cars parked there so not sure how some folks get photos without any cars. Still, worth checking out when you're in downtown.

Portlandia...I actually think I have heard of the TV show of the same name before hearing the…read moreexistence of this statue. But the statue definitely came prior to the show. The trident wielding woman is enormous and is awe inspiring and beautiful and perhaps to a certain kind of man perhaps intimidating but that isn't necessarily a problem there. This statue is on the Portland Building and if you simply wall by or near it's nearly impossible to miss. This is also an attraction where there is no fee to take a look at it as it can literally be seen quite easily from the public sidewalk. Yet another iconic downtown Portland landmark that is not to missed!

Using imagination Portlandia emerged from the sea - all copper - and crouches vigilant on the…read morePortland building. Watching us! Her captivating eyes draw you to a closer look. With one hand reaches out to us. In a way we are like her as we all emerged from the sea (water) from our mothers womb. She reaches for us to live as one in peace the way John Lemon wrote is his song "Imagine" - "Imagine all the people livin' life in peace." In the one hand Portlandia holds a trident, perhaps symbolizing protection for the city dwellers - for Portlandian's. Portlandia reminds me we are one city! One people! One earth! That's just my spin of this beautiful copper lady.

Beautiful riverside park with so many cherry blossom trees. Very busy on the weekends. There are…read moresome stairs nearby you can take to get up to a pedestrian walkway on the bridge for a higher up view. The trees are usually in bloom middle to end of March.

This memorial deserves more attention by the City of Portland. It's is shameful that we traveled to…read moresee it and couldn't believe the disrespectful condition of the memorial. The art carvings, the haiku's, the spirit of the memorial is intact. The City's responsibility for its care and upkeep is disgraceful. This could be done with Minimal cost!

God, I remember the days before the China Gates were built. I have fond memories of visiting…read moreCindy's Adult Bookstore back in the day (for non sex and drug purposes mind you) which was located just behind the gates. As they were building the China Gates back in 1986, some of us were concerned that the new gates would obstruct and ruin our pristine view of Cindy's. Poor Cindy's. After Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard made Cindy's turn off its electricity in 2008, its roof soon collapsed and the unfortunate Cindy's was later demolished altogether. It was a sad day for folks that liked to skulk about soliciting sex and drugs and the kind of folks that would purchase alcohol for those that were under aged at the time. We were right about one thing; those gates really did block our view of Cindy's. 2016 - Review # 10

I like this gate, yes the gate was put up after the neighborhood had already changed. The gate…read moreis nice though and a reminder of what was. Yeah, our Chinatown may not be great like the one in San Francisco or.... There is a lot more out on 82nd then near downtown. Still there is a lot of history here, and a few places left. Tip-contenue on to the Lan-Su Gardens...

We attended the Dragon Light Festival at the LAN Su Chinese Garden recently at the later evening…read moreprogram. It was fabulously colorful and professionally performed. The garden was beautiful and lit tastefully in red and gold tones . The two of us thoroughly enjoyed our evening in Portland's historic old town. Parking was on the street and we got lucky for a space right out front of the garden . Highly recommend this experience.

Garden is very small, not much to do or see. This is in downtown area so there's a big homeless…read morepopulation along with many people screaming and fighting outside the garden which was quite scary. I honestly don't think it's a very good garden compared to other ones I've visited. Parking was also hard to find too since it's in downtown and we finished walking through the garden within 30 minutes. They seem to have really cool events during the weekends and they also have guided tours but again, very small garden so not really going anywhere and they're just telling you about the history which is already available for you to read or watch in another building. They have a small, very expensive gift shop up front near the box office that has many Chinese books and other small business items. Wouldn't recommend unless you live somewhere that doesn't have an Asian garden, you may enjoy this.

Experience: It was a happy discovery to find several water…read morefountains as I returned from dinner on a rainy winter evening. Locals will know their history, but visitors may encounter surprise that stirs curiosity... Why are Portland's streets sprinkled with water fountains that percolate streams of water throughout the day? Origin: Local lore suggests an early 20th century philanthropist named Simon Benson donated funds to construct and install elegant bronze water fountains along the city's streets. Some say this act was inspired after witnessing a young girl crying with thirst, while others attribute it to an effort to satisfy manual laborers thirst with something other than saloon beer. Tip: Currently there are around 50 fountains that can be discovered by chance, or intention via map (attached).

These are the historical Benson Bubblers in downtown Portland. The story goes that the founder of…read morePortland was tired of his workers drinking at the taverns so he offered an alternative that exists to this day

This statue of a baby elephant standing on its dad is kind of cute. It is covered with all kinds…read moreof shapes. While the statue is fairly new it is based on a much smaller pitcher that is very old. I like that the location is very visible but I wish it didn't feel as sketchy.

This is one of my favorite sculptures downtown. It's actually an enlarged replica from the Shang…read moreDynasty, created in 2002. It's one precious packaderm!

The PBOT waterways Bike Ride stopped at the Keller Fountain. It's an artistic representation of a…read morestage using cement squares and unique standing shapes. The water was not running but you can imagine how majestic this is when flowing. Going to come back in spring.

I have so many wonderful memories from Keller Fountain Park over the years that I have lived in…read morePortland. I've sulked here, taken dates and out of town guests here, I've had summertime lunches here. While Pioneer Square may be considered "Portland's Livingroom," to some, this amazing park is everything to me.