For roses, environment, beer, it’s Portland
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PORTLAND is Oregon’s most populous city and ranks 28th in the United States. The second-largest city in the Pacific Northwest region is recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world due to its public transportation networks and efficient land-use planning. Portland is home to a number of major brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Nike and Coach, and Portland International Airport is ranked first by Travel and Leisure magazine due to its retail stores offering street prices and free Wi-Fi.
For more than a century, Portland has been known as the “City of Roses” because the climate is ideal for growing roses. The climate in Portland is marked by both warm, dry summers and wet, cool-to-chilly winters. The city contains many rose gardens, but the most prominent is the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park.
The International Rose Test Garden has more than 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. Depending on the weather, the roses bloom from April through October with the peak coming in June. New rose cultivators are continually sent to the garden from many parts of the world and are tested for color, fragrance, disease resistance and other attributes. The rose garden has an area of 4.5 acres in several tiers facing downtown Portland and the Willamette River. On clear days, the Cascade Mountains with Mount Hood can be seen.
Some of the features of the International Rose Test Garden are an amphitheater that hosts many events throughout the year, predominantly classical music concerts and a few plays; a brick walkway called the Queens Walk at the side of the garden with a bronze star honoring each of Portland Rose Festival’s queen since 1907; the Shakespeare Garden where there is a formal walkway, raised sitting area and immaculately tended flora; the Gold Medal Garden with its award-winning roses, walkways, a central fountain and a gazebo; and many more features. The International Rose Test Garden is frequently used for weddings, not to mention it is also the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the United States.
Because of its rose gardens, Portland throws itself a big party in the form of the Portland Rose Festival. The city’s official festival includes more than 60 events, starting with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland Half Marathon on the third Sunday of May and concluding with the Rose Cup Races on the third weekend of June. There are also fireworks, a Ferris wheel, concerts, parades, carnival rides, floral showcases, dragon boat races and many more.
Apart from being known for its rose gardens, Portland has more breweries than any other city on Earth, and that is why Portlanders call it “Beervana.” Portland is home to more than 60 breweries, which is partially responsible for CNBC naming Portland as the best city for happy hour in the US in 2010. The city is well known for its microbreweries. Since the early 1980s, Portland brewers have been hard at work pioneering the craft beer movement with fresh ingredients like Willamette Valley hops and barley and Bull Run water. With beer festivals written all over the calendar, Portland has thirst-quenching events all year.
Portland has drawn raves from Bon Appétit magazine, and CNN declared Portland as home to the world’s best street food. Why? Because Portland has more than 600 food carts that gave the city global acclaim. Most carts are grouped in “pods” around the city, keeping it simple and easy to sample different kinds of food from several carts at a time. There are also smaller groups and individual carts scattered around the city with Pioneer Courthouse Square featuring several carts. Some of the best food carts in Portland include Brunch Box with its all-day breakfast sandwiches that will put eggs, vegetables, cheese and meat in just about anything, like a bagel, English muffin, bread or French toast; Pyro Pizza, which wood-fires margherita pizzas and puttanesca pies; and Nong’s Khao Man Gai, which perfected its only dish by boiling whole chickens in broth, sautéing the rice, and mixing it all together with a special sauce before serving the meal in a butcher-block wrap.
Portland has many options for shopping. Visitors can find everything they expect from major cities, but the best part is that Oregon has no sales tax: 0 percent. Whether people are in the market for a big purchase from a luxury brand or a handcrafted souvenir, there will still be no sales tax. Major department stores include Nordstrom, Macy’s and H&M.
The Portland Saturday Market is the largest continuously operated outdoor market in the United States. It features a town bazaar-like environment where many kinds of goods are sold from artisans to Tibetan imports, reflecting the diverse cultures of Portland. The Portland Saturday Market is open every weekend from March through Christmas.
Outside of Portland, the state of Oregon is also home to some world-class wine including the award-winning pinot noir and wines made from tempranillo and pinot grigio.
How to get there:
Delta Air Lines has a daily flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Portland International Airport (PDX) through Tokyo (Narita). For ticket information and booking, please visit delta.com or call 400-120-2364.
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