 Portland OR from Tom McCall Waterfront Park Beyond Downtown, in the Greater Portland experience perhaps the top places to see are in Washington Park: the Zoo, the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Forestry Center, the Arboretum, trails, memorials, picnic places, archery range, tennis courts. I'll begin this post there, then traveling roughly west to east in a topical sort of way; pictured below are a number of other places to explore. Additionally, see my other posts (I see I use a lot more photos nowadays!):
Oregon Zoo-- https://www.oregonzoo.org/ Oregon Zoo has handicapped hardship hills--call ahead about renting a scooter or stroller. More of Washington Park--free to drive, not free to park; many hike or bike around the park. Be warned: it's hilly, you'll need a motor or a strong helper, lots of trails inaccessible/too steep.
Not too far from Washington Park are: Pittock Mansion Zupan's Market, Elephants Delicatessen, Phil's Meat Market and Bento Bar, lots of restaurants... Council Crest Mt Tabor Pittock Mansion https://pittockmansion.org/visit/ Accessible within limits. I am so glad we went at Christmas time! Be sure to access their Virtual Tour and Exhibits on their website. Zupan's Market, Elephants Delicatessen, Phil's Meat Market & Bento Bar, and a few of the many restaurants near Washington Park . . . not for the lightweight pocketbook.
Council Crest https://www.portland.gov/parks/council-crest-park Best mountain views appear when distant skies are clear. Parking is at a premium. Hiking is not wheelchair friendly other than right at the top. Mt Tabor-- https://www.portland.gov/parks/mt-tabor-park check for events, soapbox derby http://www.soapboxracer.com/ Downtown Portland--A wider Circle I took the MAX Red Line (Portland Transit) to (close to) Powell's City of Books December of 2021, and made a circuit of the area. Although most of the way was reasonably flat (but not all), I was very glad to have my new lightweight folding electric wheelchair, as I covered a considerable distance. Alert: some of the sidewalk ramps to the street are steep and can have mud/water at bottom. See also:
Morrison & 6th to 10th, 10th & 11th Streets from Taylor to Burnside (Past Pioneer Courthouse Square, left to the Library on 10th, back up 10th & 11th toward Powell's Books)
Powell's City of Books--between 10th & 11th, Burnside and Couch Burnside & 10th to Broadway, with a bit of a detour to Couch St (neighborhood of Jewish museum) to see the North Park Blocks, and a nice view of US Bancorp tower.
Broadway, 6th, & 5th snaking around city streets . . . to see such classic architecture and Portland landmarks as the US National Bank building, the historic old Wells Fargo building, US Bancorp Tower, Hotel Lucia & Hotel Vintage, Bidwell Marriott Hotel, the Royal Sonesta hotel, the mural of Portland in the TJMaxx store (slated to be closed), the Oregon Trail building . . . 5th Ave Food Carts at 5th & Stark (aka Harvey Milk): Small Pharoah's Egyptian & NY/Halal Kosher, Lord of the Wings, Maws Babylon Cuisine (gyros, shawarma, etc), Titos Burritos (another), Khoh Khun Thai Food, Ali Baba Iraqi Cuisine (Halal, gyros, smoothies, chicken nuggets, burgers, etc), Ocean Aloha Hawaiian, Mr. Taco, La Jarochita Mexican, Korean Twist (Korean BBQ, taco burritos, rice bowls), Gyro Place Egptian Food (gyros, burgers, philly cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken burgers) Portland City Grill on the 30th floor of US Bancorp Tower, 111 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204 What a view! Great food, popular & pricey: get reservations. Inquire about their free 2.5 hour parking.
Tom McCall Waterfront Park--along the Willamette River; of 147 photos, I had to narrow the choices considerably. More info and photos (including Saturday Market) at
On the east side of the Willamette River are Portland International Raceway, the Rose Quarter, with the Moda Center (sports arena) and the Veterans Memorial Coliseum (event venue) Oregon Convention Center, is in the same neighborhood as the Rose Quarter (photos below) OMSI--Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (photos below) Two of the most well known Portland Neighborhoods you'll hear of are the Pearl District and Hollywood
Sunshine Division Winter Wonderland, Portland International Raceway--Dec 2022 One of the sites to see the Christmas Lights in Portland is also a charity to benefit the less fortunate. We went on a night and time that there wasn't terrible traffic, so we could go slow and take photos. Beside the price of the ticket (one price for the car full), we could donate non-perishable items at the entrance booth. It's not easy to get clear photos of lights in the night for an rank amateur, but hope these give some idea of the wondrous Winter Wonderland. OMSI-- https://omsi.edu/ So fascinating! So much to see! Hands-on activities for kids as well. OMSI update--1 Sept 2022 visit, including da Vinci exhibit ... more areas open with reduced COVID restrictions Things change over time at OMSI, even in the permanent exhibits. It's worth going occasionally, and having a membership if you have children, so you can go again and again without making each visit too long. Not cheap, though. https://omsi.edu/visitor-info Oregon Convention Center-- https://www.oregoncc.org/en My travel buddy and I went to the Portland Auto Show in both 2019 and 2020, at the Convention Center. There was a variety of food offered, but I think it was all the same company and mostly mediocre. The end of Jan 2022 I had the chance to go to "Beyond Van Gogh Portland" at the Oregon Convention Center. At the beginning of the exhibit(s) was a series of Van Gogh works with the story of his life, often with his own words quoted from letters. In the main room a succession of works of art (with some quotes) were projected on the walls, around the room, sometimes even the floor . . . different from one or two walls to another, and smaller walls erected in the middle of the room--projected art sometimes still, sometimes moving (literally and figuratively). The Grotto-- https://thegrotto.org/ The Grotto is a beautiful garden, sanctuary, a place to wander, ponder, even worship. It's especially beautiful at Christmas, both sights and sounds. During their Christmas lights festival the upper garden and some other parts are closed. My electric wheelchair handled the hills, but a person in a manual chair should have a husky friend. Universities
 Multnomah University, 8435 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97220 Need to entertain kids? North Clackamas Park/swim https://ncprd.com/aquatic-park Oaks Park https://www.oakspark.com/ Two rides were handicapped accessible: the train & carousel. They do have educational programs and picnic facilities that are accessible. BYO picnic, or buy food there. Lots of choices.  The Willamette River looking south from the Red Line Max train as it crossed the Steel Bridge.  Grocery Bag Art from Safeway Bridges across the Willamette River, north to south
Rest Stop at Willamette Falls, off I-205 near Oregon City OR--eastbound only--worth taking a look, taking a stretch.
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Wheelchair WomanI've been in a wheelchair for 30+ years. It poses some challenges for traveling. Maybe others can benefit from my experiences. Archives
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