Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Solling Pedersen, 1978, Denmark

Bikes are big in Portland. Like 300-plus miles of bike lanes big. So big that we were dubbed “America’s Best Bike City” by Bicycling Magazine in 2012 — another in a list of accolades that stretches about as far as the aforementioned bike lanes.

Since art imitates life, it makes sense that the Portland Art Museum will feature a stunning array of iconic bicycle designs with “Cyclepedia” (June 8 – Sept. 8), a special exhibition of 40 two-wheelers integral to bike design.

T & C Pocket Bici, c. 1963, Italy

Featuring touring, racing, mountain and even children’s bikes, the display is a comprehensive look at the evolution of bicycles, and is required ogling for riders and design buffs alike. Fittingly, Portland is the only U.S. stop for this European collection.

With accompanying programs like public workshops, lectures, locally made bike displays and even free bike tours in June and July, this exhibit offers an excellent way to get a peek at Portland’s pedal-powered culture.

Resting in Vernonia at Hawkins Park

Until earlier this year my only contact with the small towns of Banks and Vernonia, located 30 minutes outside of Portland, was limited to seeing their sign posts as I zipped along Highway 26 on my way to the coast.

I had heard about a 21-mile-long train route that had the tracks pulled and was now open for pedestrians, bikes and horses. What really caught my interest about the Banks-Vernonia State Trail was hearing that the years-long process of paving the entire trail was finally complete. Obviously this “rails-to-trails” project deserved some two-wheeled exploration. (more…)

That mountain is a lot closer than it looks. With Portland Bicycle Tours’ new shuttle service, you and a mountain bike can be up on Mount Hood’s west side in just 90 minutes. There the Sandy Ridge Trail System awaits with its spectacular views — and 15 miles of single track trails.

Even closer to town — in fact, in town — Pedal Bike Tours now offers a ride through Portland’s Forest Park, the largest forested park in within city limits in the U.S. Take their shuttle service to the top of the park and ride down in the cool of the canopy for 11 miles. Not sweaty enough? Ride back up!

Photo: Rich Grant

Our CFO, Ron Melton, passed along an engaging blog post by Rich Grant, a former colleague from Visit Denver who recaps a wide-ranging trip to Oregon and locates the soul of Portland in the “three B’s, which this ‘city of roses’ can claim above any other American urban center: beer, bicycles and bookstores.”

Even the name of Rich’s blog – Walking and Drinking Beer — feels just right for Portland. Which brings to mind two things:

1. Oh, how Rich suffers for his art.

2. Ron: Any way to get him on our payroll?

Spoke art by Carye Bye.

Portland celebrates the bicycle all year ‘round, but summer is when our spoke cards really fly. The season gets up to speed with Pedalpalooza – “2+ weeks of bikey fun” – with events throughout the city in June. Feeling adventurous? Strip down for Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride (ours was the largest in the Americas last year) on June 18. Check the Pedalpalooza calendar for other events, including bike-in movies, mobile dance parties and unicycle jousting. (more…)

Not your usual tourism pitchman: My uncle J.R., visiting from Omaha.

Yes, we’ve seen the bicycle frames that decorate the popular, kid-friendly and ec0-minded Hopworks Urban Brewery on Southeast Powell Boulevard.

But for further proof of Hopworks’ commitment to bike culture (and, I suppose, a sign that my uncle is a too-willing photo subject), check out this picture of the banana-seat headrests affixed above the urinals in the men’s room.

Travel Portland / John Hughel

The accolades for Portland’s bike scene are flattering and many.  However, flying with a bike can strain your wallet … plus, there’s the additional stress of carting a bike and tools through the airport.

Thankfully, Portland’s bike-friendliness extends to its plethora of bike-rental options.  Mountain bikes, road bikes, cruiser bikes, even cargo bikes — you can rent them here for an hour, a day, a week or even a month. Some hotels even include a free bike rental when you stay. There are so many rental options, we created a guide to them all. Here are details on some of my favorites: (more…)

The 2010 Portland Jazz Festival just finished. We’ll let the winners of a trip to the 2010 festival explain why you should visit Portland next February for the experience. Chicagoans Jonathan and Melissa won an Alaska Airlines non-stop flight and full festival passes; here’s an excerpt from Jonathan’s e-mail about their visit:

Tracing Lewis and Clark’s expedition as our plane followed the dramatic Columbia River east yesterday morning, we left PDX (and PDX Jazz Festival) with the sounds of Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy still in our heads.  Different sounds than Meriwether and William heard some 200 years ago, but perhaps with the same appreciation for the grandeur of Oregon and its resourceful peoples.

 60 hours in Portland is certainly not enough but in that short time span, you welcomed these Chicago visitors with groove, verve, and voice and gave us an unforgettable weekend.  

Portland Jazz Festival is impressive not only for its innovative programming, its focus of educating its listeners, and its wonderful venues but one clearly gets the feeling that all of Portland is connected to this festival.  Banners, hotel lobbies with music, clubs, restaurants, and streetscape sound their proverbial instruments.  As I once heard Dizzy say of the Bird’s music, “it’s deep”.   And you do it all with smiles and warmth. 

Portland itself is a gem.  As we mentioned, we toured Portland the way Portlanders travel — by bicycle.  My transit interests also took us on the MAX and streetcars, which are frequent, clean, and fast; with a great information system.  We sampled three of your four liquids:  Coffee, pinot noir and beer — the fourth, rainwater, stayed away.  Restaurants were memorable not only for their food but also for their artwork.  Powell’s, Pearl District, Japanese Garden, Northwest, Nob Hill, East Side, riverfront; we riffed on your city and we dig it.

 I couldn’t have said it any better myself!

Rep. Earl Blumenauer; photo courtesy of BikePortland.org via Flickr

Portland’s bike-friendliness extends beyond our borders. U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) is the state’s — if not the nation’s — most involved congressman when it comes to bike issues.

In this short video by Streetfilms, Blumenauer explores biking in the Big Apple. Here’s the introduction from the Streetsblog post:

Blumenauer’s bike commute to the Capitol has become as much a personal hallmark as his predilection for bowties. So when he came to New York City … to stump for a progressive federal transportation bill, the congressman didn’t pass up the chance to tour the city’s evolving bike infrastructure with Paul Steely White and Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives.

I especially like Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White’s comment that their organization started with aspirations to “be Portland.”  Awwww … we’re touched!

A tip of the hat bike helmet to our friends at Travel Oregon, whose new online resource, RideOregonRide.com, was named Communication Arts’ “webpick of the week.”

The bicycle-centric site provides interactive maps of visitor-friendly rides throughout Portland — and around the state. The site also links riders with bike shops, bike maps, tour companies and shuttle services across Oregon.

The official launch date is Oct. 21, but you can take it out for a spin now.