With its notoriously creative approach to town planning, masses of individual boutiques and galleries and a soulful music scene, Portland is no cookie-cutter city.
Nicknamed 'Stumptown', because of its lack of skyscrapers, Portland has always kept its secrets close to the ground and only recently made it onto the tourist radar. While other US cities have been losing character to commercialism, Oregon's largest urban hub has quietly nurtured innovation and independence in all forms of art, producing world-class musicians such as Elliott Smith and pioneering artists such as Mark Rothko. The weather may dress the city in grey, but the neon-lit bridges, tree-lined streets and eccentric characters add color whatever the season.
Getting around: Akin to Amsterdam or Copenhagen in terms of cyclists, Portland is a pedal perfect city. Bike paths, rental-shops and parking spaces are liberally scattered across the city.
Sleep: Ace Hotel is a 3D canvas for the city's creative talent, with quirky artist-designed interiors. Jupiter Hotel, a classic roadside motel built around one of Portland's premier live music venues, embodies vintage Americana, with quirky minimalist rooms, a rib-sticking dinner menu and bags of hipster attitude.
Eat & Drink: Portland is paradise for those who like their food farm-fresh and fuss-free. The rain that you may curse on the street, you'll praise in the restaurants, as almost all get a daily delivery of just-dug produce from the surrounding farms.
Sample the region's vineyards in a wine flight at Noble Rot. Ecotours offers a microbrewery tour of Portland with the promise of delivering you back to your hotel at the end.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters started a coffee revolution in the city in 1999 and is almost solely responsible for the café culture that characterizes Portland today.
With food made entirely from scratch, Mother's Bistro and Bar is a great place for brunch and features a different local mother and her signature dishes each month.
A great value Spanish restaurant, Toro Bravo serves creative tapas and hearty paella in a buzzing atmosphere.
Reflecting Portland's commitment to all things green, Hopworks an eco-brewpub offers organic, handmade beers in an environmentally sustainable building.
Play: With no man-made vantage points, the best place to catch the perfect Portland panorama is Mount Tabor. Strike out early to watch the sun rise over the city from the peak; the park opens its gates at 5am.
On the first Thursday of every month, all galleries in the Pearl district host free receptions for the month's new exhibitions. Blue Sky Gallery promotes photography in the community and is a lively place to start. Art on Alberta organizes a similar event on the last Thursday of the month, and Alberta Street is awash with galleries and restaurants opening their doors to celebrate the local artistic talent.
Pioneer Courthouse Square is known as Portland's 'living room' and hosts a mixed program of mostly free outdoor events all year round. The Noon Tones Summer Concert Series are lunch-hour showcases of the best local music.
