LEAH NASH (RESTAURANT, RIVER, FOREST), TINY DIGS (COTTAGE), SALT & STRAW (ICE CREAM); NG MAPS
City scenes (clockwise
from top): biking the
Eastbank Esplanade
along the Willamette
River, a Lilliputian lodging
at Tiny Digs, hiking in
Forest Park, ice cream
from Wiz Bang BarShop
UNCOMMON GOODS
Portland has a serious DIY
streak when it comes to the
creative arts. Both outposts
of Crafty Wonderland offer
wares handmade by more
than 250 local creators,
while Artistic Portland is
a downtown cooperative
that stocks jewelry, fashion,
and crafts. For eccentric
souvenirs, head to the
Freakybuttrue Peculiarium
in the Slabtown neighbor-
hood: part museum, part
art gallery, part gift shop
and part ice cream parlor,
it’s pure Portland. Need
a vampire-killing kit or a
selfie with Sasquatch?
This is the place.Stay
SMALL WONDERS
Two “tiny house” hotels
on the east side of town
apply the smaller-is-better
philosophy to accommoda-
tions. Both offer buildings
with footprints of less
than 200 square feet, but
they come complete with
full bathrooms, firepits,
and local art. At Caravan,
choose from lodgings such
as the Amazing Mysterium,
modeled after a traditional
Romany wagon, and the
shingled Skyline, built
from salvaged materials. A
favorite at Tiny Digs is the
Japanese-themed Bamboo,
featuring a koi pond
and shoji-screen door.
Downtown, The Nines, an
elegant LEED Silver hotel,
is powered entirely by
renewable energy.Eat
CHART THE CARTS
Pine Street Market, a mod-
ern food hall in Old Town,
offers a cross section of
homegrown culinary
choices, from Korean BBQ
at Kim Jong Smokehouse
to soft-serve ice cream at
Wiz Bang Bar, an offshoot
of legendary Salt & Straw.
Food carts are clustered
in “pods” across town;
head to Northeast Alberta
Street for beef short rib
over pasta at Gumba and
a “summer breeze” juice
from Sip. Some carts grow
up to be restaurants like
Fried Egg I’m in Love,
which now plates its hearty
sandwiches in a brick-and-
mortar spot on Southeast
Hawthorne Boulevard.Play
JOY RIDES
The first move is obvious:
snag a bike. The orange
racks of the Biketown
shared bike system are
everywhere, giving access
to many miles of urban
exploration. It’s a climb to
Forest Park, but the views
from one of the country’s
largest city parks are worth
it. At the other end of the
spectrum is Mill Ends Park,
the world’s smallest, a two-
foot-wide patch of flowers
in the median strip of
Southwest Naito Parkway.
Other offbeat destinations
include Mike’s Museum
of Motion Picture History,
home to the knife from
Psycho, and Oaks Park,
an amusement park that
has been in continuous
operation since 1904.AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019200 mi
200 kmSalem
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