Portland, Oregon - Where to find Good Street & Cityscapes

<p>Would anyone tell me where in Portland, Oregon one can find good street and cityscapes in general? I'll be there over the weekend, and would love to make some nice black & white pictures...I hear it's a walking town like San Francisco, has a waterfront, etc....I'll be shooting with my Canon EOS 1v SLR, Tri-X, 35mm or 50mm lens....</p>

<p>Anyone?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>The main part of town is really compact--where all the high rises are--could walk around it in an hour tops! Adjacent, bordering the river and to the north, is old town(derelicts), china town and a lot of street people. Still north and to the west (the demarkation point of downtown to these other areas is Burnside Street) is the Pearl District (series on my website) which is a trendy area being renovated into high end shops and condos--Don't miss Powell's Bookstore-maybe the best in the west! Further west, along the same corridor is the 21st and 23rd street shopping districts--again, trendy shopping with a bit of a hippy flair, but more boutiques than chains--but still some chains!</p>

<p>That is the main downtown area, but there are many trendy neighborhoods within a short car ride, including the NE Broadway, the Mississippi area, Hawthorne Blvd(very old hippy), Belmont district and others popping up all the time. Until 2 years ago, my studio was across the river from downtown in the old Produce Row area. Good street stuff over there as well.</p>

<p>Funny, I moved there over 20 years ago from Orange County!</p>

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<p>I hear it's a walking town like San Francisco</p>

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<p>It is more like a bicycling town. There are many districts as John said but Portland is not a really compact crowded place like SF or NYC. But definitely more compact than LA. There's also arty Alberta in the NE in addition to what John said.</p>

<p>My favorite time to photograph Portland is at night:<br>

<a href="http://www.pbase.com/mikeearussi/image/77378248">http://www.pbase.com/mikeearussi/image/77378248</a><br>

<a href="http://www.pbase.com/mikeearussi/image/77377384/large">http://www.pbase.com/mikeearussi/image/77377384/large</a><br>

<a href="http://www.pbase.com/mikeearussi/image/119191593/original">http://www.pbase.com/mikeearussi/image/119191593/original</a></p>

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<p>Portland has lots of 'funky' old shops, stores, etc, and many are located along Sandy Blvd., as it goes from the Willamette (emphasis on middle syllable 'am' ) to the East, but it's a drive, not a walk. You can see the insides (and outsides of some of these in my portfolio, not identified as 'Portland' but as 'anytown'.<br>

Under the East approaches to the bridge are some warehouses, etc., busineses that rely on cheap rent and large spaces, and their shading from adjacent buildings and the bridges, brings some interesting and very well shaded light sometimes. Sometimes one can see rock bands being 'shot' there, derelicts, old buildings, I made a wonderful photo of an old shopping cart, bicyclists, and it's a favorite haunt of skateboarders. <br>

Downtown is a walking area, although not completely 'compact'; it is a place for walking (no place to park except mostly in expensive lots), with old and new businesses, lots of parks and opportunities to shoot new and old buildings, store windows, patrons and one very wonderful park. Also watch for Portland's famous kiosk eating downtown (others there can give you street coordinates . . . but it's been featured in magazines -- all sorts of ethnic stuff inexpensively as well as American cuisine.<br>

Portland also has a trolley system which works at high speed in case you do not have a car or a rental car, so certain areas can be accessed, as well as a pretty classy bus system that has been a model for the nation in years past. If you're going on those routes, great, but Portland, like all American cities, has little regard for the specifities of mass transit -- except for Chicago, NYC. in their centers. The other comments above should be very helpful.<br>

The West Bank of the Willamettte River (downtown and to the West) is hillside, and provides vistas from buildings and higher streets. Don't forget to look for Mt. Hood in the distance. It's 12,285 or so feet tall (it has varied, in my lifetime I think); it's perpetually snowcapped like several other Cascade Mountains (Mr. Baker, Mr. Rainer nearer Seattle, Mt St. Helens (to the North which famously blew its top and showered Portland with ash one morning.)<br>

Mother nature was not nice that morning; all of Portland remembers that day! Just ask.<br>

John (Crosley)</p>