Portland (Oregon)/Southwest

Southwest Portland comprises the part of the city south of Burnside and west of the river, including the downtown core and Washington Park.

Understand
Downtown Portland is the heart of the city, centered around Pioneer Square and home to modern commercial towers, new condominiums, and converted lofts, along with several museums and urban parks of interest to tourists, including Tom McCall Waterfront Park along the river. To the immediate south of Downtown is the campus of Portland State University and South Waterfront, an urban revitalization area at the southern end of the streetcar line with newly built glass residential towers.

Get in and around
Coming by train or bus to Portland, you'll likely end up at the Union Station or Greyhound terminal in northwestern Portland, a few blocks north of the border to southwest Portland (as defined in this travel guide). From Vancouver (Washington) there are commuter buses going to Downtown Portland in the morning and back in the afternoon, at other times you have to change in Eastside.

See Portland (Oregon) for getting in from elsewhere in the city.

Downtown is just south of Chinatown, Old town and the Pearl District, and except for the Marquam Bridge (where the I-5 crosses), bridges across Willamette River have sidewalks so you can walk in from nearby parts of Eastside. Streetcars provide access from the southern parts of the northwest and Central Eastside.

All MAX lines come in from different parts the Eastside: the orange line from the southern Eastside near the Willamette River, yellow line from the Expo center, red line from the airport, blue line from Gresham, green line from Clackamas Town Center, the three latter from locations along Banfield Freeway, and all except the orange line go through locations in the southern part of the northwest.

The blue and red lines take you to Washington Park, and the orange line to locations south of downtown. Locations further southwest can be reached by bus (network map).

Sports






Budget
For cheap accommodation, head north or east.