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Portland, Oregon, has been the butt of the joke for many years—from Portlandia-era harmless teasing about the city’s preoccupation with sustainable food, to more insidious critique from right-wing politicians. The city’s identity has been simplified to a meme, a calling card, a dog whistle. At its core, Portland is a much more varied, complex city than it’s been given credit for. It’s still young, still forming, and as it grows and diversifies, the city gets more exciting by the day.
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Whether you come to the Northwest to backpack in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, enjoy a beach day on the dramatic, moody coast, visit vineyards in the Willamette Valley or Columbia Gorge, (favorites include No Clos Radio, Loop de Loop and Hiyu Wine Farm) or stay local to soak up Portland’s food and drink scene, visiting this special region of the United States is worth your while. While in the city, you can’t beat the Kerns neighborhood on the east side of Portland. While there are plenty of beautiful, restaurant-filled streets across the city, Kerns, the neighborhood that runs along East Burnside for 30 blocks, is supremely charming and walkable.
How to spend the perfect day in Kerns
Kerns is filled with residential streets, perfect for wandering and lusting after craftsman homes, Spanish-style apartments, flower-filled gardens, and fruit trees. On Kerns’ southeast border, Laurelhurst Park hosts music, comedy, and outdoor movies. Walking around in the expansive park or having a picnic near the duck pond is a great addition to any afternoon (especially if you stock up on goodies from Providore Fine Foods, less than a mile away). On your way out of the park, peruse the record store Music Millennium, which has been open since 1969.
Another necessary stop is Heart Coffee, where you can grab a drink to-go. Then head across the street to Nationale, a favorite Portland gallery and shop that stocks an expertly curated book and record collection, locally made ceramics and other sweet trinkets. Next door is Luce, one of the most endearing restaurants in the city that feels like a warm, inviting Italian market. Do not miss their herb-filled baked trout or their lamb saffron pasta. A few blocks north, Friendship Kitchen sits on Glisan Street, serving some of the city’s best Vietnamese food. You could spend an entire Portland vacation eating Vietnamese food—from Friendship Kitchen to Annam VL to Pho Kim—you can’t go wrong. A couple of doors down is the recently-opened Collector Bar, already a mainstay for inventive cocktails and natural wine.
Aside from one Starbucks and a Whole Foods, Kerns is mostly unspoiled by major chains and is populated by one- or two-story brick buildings rather than huge high-rises. The star of the show is Northeast 28th Avenue, home to Laurelhurst Theater, one of Portland’s best old movie theaters, newly-opened and well-stocked vintage store Goodbye Horses, and perfume shop Olo. Beloved torta restaurant Güero is one of Portland’s absolute best—you can’t find a better margarita or mezcal selection. Each year, Güero’s head chef and owner Megan Sanchez, and bar manager-meets-cocktail visionary Ben Skiba develop pop-ups in the lot next door. Farag’s, the pop-up Sanchez opened this summer, just announced they’ll return with their Egyptian-inspired food next year.
Northeast 28th also houses the long-standing bar Angel Face, which specializes in classic cocktails, a simple French bistro menu and candle-lit late nights. For a more old-school Portland vibe, the recently reopened Holman’s Bar & Grill—which just celebrated its 90th anniversary!—is a perfect spot to play pool and gorge yourself on chicken tenders.
Sure, L.A., San Francisco, and New York are established, iconic, and rightfully celebrated, but there’s something compelling about being somewhere young, early in its formation of an identity. Portland residents and visitors alike have a stake in the city’s potential—not by trying to be like these other cities but by embracing and cultivating our own style and cultural makeup.
There’s understandable debate about what it means for Portland to grow—just consider the city’s recently opened and highly contested Soho House. Does growth have to mean Portlanders getting priced out? What's at stake as the city shifts into a higher echelon of culture, food, and global respect? For now, we enjoy the incredible small businesses that make Portland special, and, (if all goes well) will continue to be at the heart of Portland for years to come.