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Portland climate

Portland has the mild rainy climate of the Pacific Northwest. It doesn’t get that much rain in inches, but it has a lot of days when it rains some. The rainy season is roughly October to May. Summer is the sunniest season in Portland, so that’s when most people visit. It can be hot, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius. Whenever you go, be prepared for at least a little rain and also for cool evenings even in summer.

Getting around Portland

It’s easy to walk around compact downtown Portland. There are plenty of small parks to rest at and sidewalks are wide. The public transit system is very good. TriMet has buses and light rail, the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX). If you’re traveling in the free rail zone, a 300-block area downtown, a ride won’t cost you a thing. The Portland Streetcar services the cultural district and great areas for shopping and restaurants. The free rates apply to the streetcar too. If you hop on one of the vintage streetcars that run on the weekends, you still won’t have to pay. 

What is good to know if travelling to Portland?

• If you have a question or need directions when you’re downtown, look for one of the people wearing bright green jackets. These are Portland Guides, and their job is to answer questions and give directions.
• The Portland Saturday Market (now continuing into Sunday) is a favourite outing for locals and visitors alike. Every weekend, artists and craftspeople, typically close to 300 of them, sell their creations. You’ll also find a variety of ethnic and other interesting foods.
• Portland calls itself the City of Roses, and celebrates the Rose Festival throughout all of June. The festival includes a grand parade, boat and car races, an air show, an arts festival, and of course a rose show. Also during June is Fleet Week, when a variety of US Navy, US Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy ships are in port. Some ships provide river cruises. Ships in port are open for free tours.
• Some of Portland’s main attractions are gardens and parks. The Japanese Garden, one of Portland’s most popular attractions, is considered the finest example of a Japanese garden in North America, and the Portland Classical Chinese Garden is the largest of its type outside China. Though very different, both gardens are lovely, and both have tea rooms.
• The Pittock Mansion is the most impressive mansion in Portland, and it commands an impressive view, looking over the city to the Cascade Range. Built in 1914 in the style of a French Chateau, it has innovative features like a built-in vacuum cleaning system and multiple shower heads. The lawn is a good picnic spot.
• One of Oregon’s best-kept secrets is Sauvie Island, a 24,000-acre island ten miles northwest of downtown Portland, where you can observe an impressive array of migratory and year-round birds, pick berries, or walk along the beach. A narrow bridge connects the island to the mainland, running along the top of a dyke past houseboats and fruit and dairy farms.
• Portland has been a major port since the 19^th century, and in the early days, unsuspecting young men enjoying a night out in Portland’s seedier sections might be drugged and wake up on board a ship heading for Asia, sold to the captain as slave labour—shanghaied. You can tour the Shanghai Tunnels, the restored labyrinth where the victims were imprisoned, and see the cells where they were held and the trapdoors through which they were dropped from bars and brothels. For tours, call the Cascade Geographic Society (+1 503.622.4798).
• Portland has some unusual attractions, but none is more bizarre than the 24-Hour Church of Elvis/Where’s the Art?, a cross between performance art and a kitschy collection of found objects and pop art. It’s not a church—but it does have a proprietor who claims to be a minister; it’s not open 24 hours; and Elvis is only a small part of the popular culture represented.