We did their Holiday Lights Tour on Refurbished Heated Trolley (offered by Portland Perks)…read more I would have been a little irritated that the trolley was late, but so was one of the people in our group - which meant him not missing the bus. First, the driver takes you through downtown to see the Pioneer Courthouse Square tree, then by Directors park and onto I-5 to get headed to the PIR. Choosing the 6 pm trolley meant getting stuck in rush hour traffic. Luckily, we didn't have to cross the bridge and made it in time at PIR to slowly take in all the lovely Christmas lights. In the beginning, we couldn't figure out some of the light structures, until a couple seated in front of us got it and started singing "The 12 days of Christmas". Then the a Partridge in a Pear Tree, Two Turtle Doves, Three French Hens, 4 Calling Birds, 5 Gold Rings, 6 Geese a-Laying, 7 Swans a-Swimming, 8 Maids a-Milking, 9 Ladies Dancing, 10 Lords a-Leaping, 11 Pipers Piping & 12 Drummers Drumming all made sense! There was one odd part. It was the numerous palm trees at the beginning and dinosaurs at the end that didn't feel very Christmasy. But - that has nothing to do with the Trolley company. Our driver gave highlights, but the back of the trolley was noisy, so we couldn't hear him very well. It was adorable when he gave one of the kids a bucket of candy canes to pass out to everyone. The whole tour only lasted 90 minutes, so we were glad to have gotten a discounted ticket for $30. The one thing we forgot to do was bring cash to tip our driver and we felt awful about it. He was nice and informative and deserving. We are a group of credit card people, always trying to earn air miles, but if we had the extra cash, we would have given it to him. This was definitely something festive that I am really glad we did and glad my friends came along for the ride!

I am sad that I have to write this review, as most likely Twilite would have received a much high…read morestar rating had their back end customer service been a bit more pulled together. I reserved multiple town car pick ups and drop offs for an event I was organizing on behalf of my client. Getting everything set up with them was pretty streamlined and from what my clients/guests said the rides seemed fine. On the phone, the owner quoted me $480 for rides which was great. I had to add a few rides right before the event and the owner said that should be fine and would let me know if there would be additional fees. He than charged my credit card (immediately) an additional $500. I was fine with the additional charges, but the owner never really confirmed that cost with me. After the event, I requested either an invoice or receipt for my purchases so I could not only expense them back to my company, but also make sure the additional $500 was verified and not just a faulty, additional charge. Nothing. Radio silence. I've emailed and called the owner as of now going on a dozen times. I am so disappointed in this type of customer service. So happy to take my money (as fast as possible), but wouldn't even do the courtesy of providing me proof of purchase and providing FULL customer service - until the very end of the relationship. I can't say I'll ever use this vendor again or recommend their services unless someone would fix this situation immediately - as I still haven't received anything.

We almost always use Alex Shuttle when we fly as a family or when I fly out for a super early…read moremorning flight for work. He is always on time (usually a few minutes early), the van is always clean, and he's always friendly. I appreciate the follow-up call or text that he gives the night before our scheduled shuttle, and whenever I go to schedule the ride, he gets back to me very quickly. This is a fantastic airport shuttle service that's perfect for those who live in the Bull Mountain/Tigard/Lake Oswego/Beaverton area. Such a great small biz to support!

Headed to the new PDX parking garage taxi rank INSIDE garage and my husband gets flagged down in…read morethe roadway outside by this shuttle service. They are NOT an official Portland taxi and did not make this clear. No taxi rate clock inside should have been a clue I guess but my husband was tired and insisted we get in. Charged $60 to our home flat rate when our taxi to PDX was more like $45. So buyer beware, walk all the way inside the parking garage to the new proper taxi rank and don't get scammed by a private shuttle service. Even an Uber/Lyft would have been more reasonable. Also cab wasn't that clean and had an uncomfortable middle row/middle passenger seat. AVIOD if possible.

Quatama was named after the former station on the Oregon Electric Railway and street of the same…read morename which dates from the early 20th century. That train stop was near the current one and was on property owned by the Oregon Nursery Company and settled in part by Hungarians. No one, including the Hungarians, know what Quatama means or where comes from. Make up your own story. Artwork at the station has a theme of understanding nature. One piece of art reflecting that theme at the stop is a weather vane designed by Michael Oppenheimer. The weather vane is titled "Cattail Tunes" and is based on the plant that grows in nearby wetlands. The weather vain that goes missing periodically, is constructed of five stainless steel rods, standing 24 feet tall and six feet apart. The rods are topped with metal cattail heads, each a different height so that they sway differently from each other. Continuing with the natural elements theme, the platform has animal tracks etched into the concrete while the windscreen in the passenger shelter includes a map of the watershed for the Tualatin River etched into the glass. Across from the platform is a plaza entitled "Flow" which features a simulated creek in the concrete. Along the creek are boulders that have scientific images engraved into them, along with a water basin that illustrates how water run-off occurs. What did we do before Google? Like all MAX stations West of the Wet, it has cover from the elements, strong lighting, a pay phone, security cameras and nowhere to make potty. The only thing I find depressing and troublesome is a lack of a pleasing color scheme and any reference to where the hell the name came from. This will not get better with time.

Located off 205th in Hillsboro, the Quatama Max Transit Center is a blue line train that is close…read moreto . . . well i'm not sure, but it's walking distance for me when I decide to go downtown. I would definitely hate to live in the apartments or condos next to the train depot because, well, it's really loud. The nice thing is that this transit center also has it's own parking lot and bike lockers.

I highly recommend this shuttle service. The driver was amazing! If ever you are in need of a ride,…read morethese are the folks to call.

Great time with our guide Kurt during an anniversary trip my husband and I took to Portland! Kurt…read morewas very patient and laid back, and knew a lot about the area. Booking was easy, and could be done by phone or online. They give you some time to practice before starting the tour. Although pricing is a bit steep, it was worth it. We saw many of the urban parks, Portland State University, the river, we went over a bridge, and stopped off at a pub for a quick beer. Thanks for the experience!

Yelp should allow no stars for "STAY AWAY!"…read more We are from CA and in December, we planned a trip to Oregon. It was going to be a short trip just to explore the city as none of us have been there. We looked on Groupon and found a great deal for this company. We contacted the company to ensure that they had a date and time available before we purchased the Groupon. We were only going to be in Portland from Feb10-13. Our tour was booked a month in advance for Feb 12. Why did this company decided to changed the date on us without a phone call? Apparently, this company thought it was absolutely appropriate and professional to send just an email to say, confirmation of tour, Feb 2. First off, an email can go to someone's junk mail and easily missed. Secondly, there was no where in the subject line that states, urgent, tour date/time change. Third, how can you just randomly pick a date/time without confirming availability with the customer????? Completely unprofessional!!! Luckily, we call the day before to confirm our reservation or else we would have been waiting for a tour that was never going to happen. Jonathan was the one that booked our tour and made the changes. When my friend called him, he thought it was perfectly ok to change a date/time without speaking with the customer. When we asked to speak with his superior he told us call back later; he refused to give us a number or allow us to speak to someone in charge. Jonathan has no customer skills whatsoever and he has no idea what he's doing. He told my friend that he was issuing a refund, which we knew he couldn't do because we had purchased the tickets via Groupon. I don't know what he was trying to do but he was like, "there seem to be some glitch in the system." From reading the other reviews on here, if you are from CA, don't bother booking with this company. Apparently they are anti-Californians; which is probably why they switch the date/time on us.

"Beep beep" "Be running up that road. Be running up that hill. Be running up that building (Ye-yo)…read more Say, if I only could, oh" - Kate Bush. This is not my usual bus line but if I need to make a detour to get to downtown PDX this bus line will suffice. I really feel strange riding this bus line but when I got to do what I got to do. This TriMet bus line is strangely very popular since the 1980s hence the Kate Bush song. Now this is a Stranger Thing I can stand by. This bus goes across the famous Steel Bridge. If you miss the TriMet tram, this is a great alternative to getting to the city. If you live in the "suburbs" this bus is a rarity but a true gem to ride on. I will ride this bus line if I got the time. Only issue is that I wish it better connected people living in the "suburbs" with downtown PDX. It would be a very nice though.

Not unlike my bridge series (as seen in my list "Bridging River City), I'm on a TriMet Bus Route…read morebinge. I'm going to have to claim full disclosure here as my brother drives on this line for TriMet, so the "la familia" connection might have something to do with this. But like I said in my check-in comment yesterday, this bus runs from far SW Portland (up right across the street from PCC Sylvania (and oddly enough I used to live a couple of blocks from there several years ago) and ends up at Pier Park (and oddly enough just a couple of blocks from where I live now). Must be the symmetry of having lived at both ends of the line, but when I see this bus coming, I know that it's going to get me home, end of story, period. I don't have to transfer to any other buses. The drivers are all easy to get along with (especially my brother), and over the years I've seen some wonderful instances of kindness towards passengers. Sure, there are some jerky drivers, but then there are some jerky passengers, so it all evens out. One of my favorite parts of the ride on the North Portland side is that it traverses Willamette Boulevard (all those beautiful homes and view) through University of Portland (gorgeous campus) and somewhat close to the Cathedral Bridge. I enjoy it so much that it makes me forget I'm tired at times and even puts me in a better mood to go home. My brother notwithstanding, I'm a fan of this line. It gets me where I want to go and home again along with some friendliness and great views!

This is a great bus system the mini buses are a little bit old but hey the service is free people…read moreneed to start utilizing it more before it goes away listen up people we have a free SMART Bus system that goes all over the place from Candy Canby to Wilsonville to Salem to Woodburn everywhere out here some of the bus drivers are very funny and they keep you entertained while you're on your ride so it makes it way better

Family events. You…read moredon't need to rely on public transportation to appreciate Smart. Smart plans a few family events throughout the year that are just fantastic. During the summer, they schedule a several tours though Wilsonville on their trolley. Think this will be a slow meander though town? Think again. The trolley runs at the speed a regular bus would go, which means the wind whips though your hair, and your 3 year old squeals with delight every time you take off from a streetlight. If you live on the far south end of Portland, and you have little people, this is a summer must do. And you know what else? They don't charge for the trolley ride, they suggest a monetary donation that goes to the local food bank. Just when I thought my afternoon outing couldn't get any better, I was informed that my donation benefits the food bank. How cool is that?! During the winter Smart does a trip or two out the PIR to see the holiday lights. You park at the Wilsonville Community Center and board the bus- then your hassle is over. Go enjoy the PIR lights with my kid without worrying about navigating traffic? Um, please. Sign me up! Smart is definitely an asset to family life in Wilsonville!

We booked an independent travel style tour with this company this last summer, as some friends…read morerecommended it. We were touring wine country and excited for what we hoped would be a good experience, as it was one of our first trips since covid. I have never been so disappointed. The communication was terrible, and that should have been the first warning sign. The tour has the potential to be good but the services were lacking, the accommodations were not as advertised, route details were poor, and the tour overall was not at all what we had hoped for. My husband tried to call but never got a return call back from the manager. We have been on several similar tours with other companies and this by far was the biggest let down. I cannot recommend this company.

I have the distinction of being LifeCycle Adventures' first client for their Oregon bike touring…read more I had a 5-day/4-night solo bike tour of the Willamette Valley in Oregon in late April 2010. My route included Portland, Forest Grove, McMinnville, and Silverton, and it was tailored to my own specific interests and cycling abilities. Although I was their first Oregon cyclist riding during a decidedly dicey time of the year, my experience was fantastic from start to finish. The tour was organized meticulously and with a personal touch. Weeks in advance of my trip, I was in frequent contact with one of the tour organizers by e-mail and phone as they worked out my route and prepared for my arrival. They gave very personalized treatment and were always friendly and helpful. The accommodations I had each night always exceeded my expectations. In Forest Grove I enjoyed an exquisite 1910s Craftsman style bed and breakfast -- all to myself! -- and the proprietor brought me over a hot meal from the diner she also ran a few blocks way. The bike I rented was a real delight and a surprise. I was expecting a Trek road bike based on the information provided by the website; that would've been adequate. Instead I was given a Masi, a fine California brand with Italian racing heritage. A real treat to ride. One day I took a minor spill on the bike, and the next morning one of the tour organizers drove down to meet me at the b&b to check out the (minor) damage and replace a derailleur cable. Nice to know that you can count on them to not only cart your luggage to the next town on the route but be there to assist you wherever you are. And indeed, throughout the trip I was in surprisingly frequent contact with the organizes by phone, email and text message. (It's definitely a plus to have a smart phone while riding.) Being an east coast native, I absolutely loved Oregon. The Willamette Valley is charming and beautiful, full of orchards, wineries, hop fields, and tree nurseries. Folks were friendly everywhere I went. And the wine! The best Pinot Noir anywhere. If you're in McMinnville, you must try Nick's for an elegant but relaxed dinner. Small town sophistication. There were a couple of minor glitches in the bike route. Some of the mileage information and one turn instruction were inaccurate, and once or twice I encountered unpaved roads when I wasn't expecting them. But that was to be expected as a sort of pioneer. (The tour organizers warned me of this too, and reduced my charges accordingly.) I'm confident, knowing the tour organizers just from my experience with them on this trip, that they'll work out these minor kinks and have better route and guidebook information as they head into the summer season. I would have given LifeCycle a full 5 star review if it weren't for the latter issue. Overall I was delighted with the support they provided on the trip and hope to go with them again soon.