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Skateboarding => Travel Guide => Topic started by: Silky Johnson on July 16, 2020, 10:30:33 AM
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Gonna be visiting Portland this weekend, can't skate due to a bum foot but any recommendations of shops, food spots or attractions to hit up would be greatly appreciated.
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Its still pretty shut down around here , not much open .
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Gonna be visiting Portland this weekend, can't skate due to a bum foot but any recommendations of shops, food spots or attractions to hit up would be greatly appreciated.
Nice Avatar. Word on the street and elevation are the best tracks on there imo
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Its still pretty shut down around here , not much open .
Bummer, you think parks and hiking trails would be chill?
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Gonna be visiting Portland this weekend, can't skate due to a bum foot but any recommendations of shops, food spots or attractions to hit up would be greatly appreciated.
Nice Avatar. Word on the street and elevation are the best tracks on there imo
With the addition of "Longevity" i fully agree.
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I’m not sure if they’re open currently cause there’s a stripper strike going on , but you should check out the drive-thru strip club that Lucky Devil Lounge concocted after covid made everything shut down
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Glenhaven is being skated , Burnside was empty the other day, restaurants are limited with no dine in . Food carts can be found
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Some shops are open but you'll have to poke around and see for yourself. Some restaurants are doing the outside dining thing. Hike in forest park if you're set on staying in the city. Multnomah Falls is closed. Don't go downtown during the protests as the feds are here wrangling up any and everybody without question. Please wear a fucking mask if out in public.
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Get down to the Justice Center after dark and see the Federal Cops smashing 1st Amendment rights.
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Crazy time to visit but there's stuff to do. Check out trail of ten falls hike, it's a loop and super beautiful:
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Trail_of_Ten_Falls_Loop_Hike (https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Trail_of_Ten_Falls_Loop_Hike)
Some restaurants are open with limited seating but my recommendation is to get some take out, head to cathedral park and hang. If you're able with the vehicle rent a kayak if there are any available. Mask up, be safe, and have a good time!
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Appreciate the responses. Regardless of it not being ideal times to explore a new city I'm stoked to see some new sceanary. Haven't left California in years.
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Hey, in all sincerity this is still a great place to visit. Get to the Colombia River Gorge. Get to the Coast. You're stoked if you like good coffee, beer.
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If you really want to get your ass kicked by a hike, go out to the Zig Zag ranger station and hike Hunchback.
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Where in town are you staying? Maybe shoot me a pm, and I can give you some good options.
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All the skateparks are open and being sessioned and so are more state parks at this point. Be cool, try to avoid crowded zones (easier said than done).
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Can anyone recommend me some cool Portland Instagram accounts/blogs/youtube channels etc? I am in SF and would love to see more Portland skating.
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Can anyone recommend me some cool Portland Instagram accounts/blogs/youtube channels etc? I am in SF and would love to see more Portland skating.
Chris Varcadipane moved to LA but has lots of Portland clips, including dropping a video called Farewell before moving
Adam Robo aka @Goombaslayer is another filmer who just dropped Mint Condition with a mix of footage from PDX and ATL. He films Austin Thongvivong a lot, and a few of the other Portland up and comers
Jon Colyer @jontallyer just dropped Sanitizer and is currently offering digital downloads for five bucks
Lots of footage from The Killing Floor is filmed in Portland
Tyler Bledsoe, Silas Baxter Neal, Dane Brady, Sebo Walker, Brent Atchley, Willis Kimbel, David Gravette, the list goes on
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Tiger Mountain Slappy. If you want the curb spots- this dude is dialed in.
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agreed
Tiger Mountain Slappy. If you want the curb spots- this dude is dialed in.
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Any pals want to skate street some time? I'm always nursing some chronic injury and definitely not the best because of it, but if anyones trying to hit the streets I'd be super appreciative! I moved here not too long before the start of the pandemic and still haven't really met many people.
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Any pals want to skate street some time? I'm always nursing some chronic injury and definitely not the best because of it, but if anyones trying to hit the streets I'd be super appreciative! I moved here not too long before the start of the pandemic and still haven't really met many people.
Hey Gnarwhal, a good place to go and possibly meet people is the PSU (Portland State University) courts. It's a lil' DIY junk jam type place.
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Can anyone recommend me some cool Portland Instagram accounts/blogs/youtube channels etc? I am in SF and would love to see more Portland skating.
Chris Varcadipane moved to LA but has lots of Portland clips, including dropping a video called Farewell before moving
Adam Robo aka @Goombaslayer is another filmer who just dropped Mint Condition with a mix of footage from PDX and ATL. He films Austin Thongvivong a lot, and a few of the other Portland up and comers
Jon Colyer @jontallyer just dropped Sanitizer and is currently offering digital downloads for five bucks
Lots of footage from The Killing Floor is filmed in Portland
Tyler Bledsoe, Silas Baxter Neal, Dane Brady, Sebo Walker, Brent Atchley, Willis Kimbel, David Gravette, the list goes on
Also, RE: IG accounts, my buddy @ _upperdecker is a good one. He's an actual Portland native and he's working on the Cal's Pharmacy vid right now. His page is full of Portland street skating
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What is the best shop out here?
I went to Shrunken Head the other day and the dude working there seemed cool, but their selection was a bit limited. I'm trying to avoid Tactics (nothing against them, but they just seem like a megastore rather than a shop, maybe I'm wrong?).
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Cal Skate.
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I second Cal Skate for selection and history (oldest skate shop on the planet)
But I try to support Shrunk and Cal's Pharmacy just as much.
I live close to Smart Collective and from the looks of their Insta they have a good selection but I have never been.
No need to go to Tactics at all.
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What is the best shop out here?
I went to Shrunken Head the other day and the dude working there seemed cool, but their selection was a bit limited. I'm trying to avoid Tactics (nothing against them, but they just seem like a megastore rather than a shop, maybe I'm wrong?).
Tactics is legit, imo, but I’ve only been to the Eugene store. Everyone there was super cool.
Something I’ve mentioned here a few times before is that I have a friend who worked at a cool Portland shop I won’t name where he made minimum wage and got effectively no benefits. He left and went to CCS where his pay more than doubled, he got health and dental, paid time off, etc.
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Yeah, can't fault your friend for seeking out benefits. I get it.
But Tactics (at least the physical Portland store) can take a flying fuck. They did not need to open a Portland shop just blocks from Cals. They have a massive online business (I heard second only to CCS). It was an unnecessary and kind of a kick in the pants to Portland shops that have been holding it down for decades.
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I’ve had several friends work at ccs, and they didn’t have anything good to say about it.
Supporting shrunk, smart, commonwealth, cal skate, or pharmacy is the way to go.
If you need shoes, maybe Evo is the best choice? All those great core shops don’t have much for footwear.
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Hang my head in shame but I actually went to CCS few weeks back and it was pretty damn kooky. I am far from an exclusive more core than thou-snob but the people working there that day were not my people.
I cleansed myself by getting some trucks from Kyle at Cal's Pharmacy and a hoodie from Nukes at Cal Skate. Next stop Shrunk.
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I don’t understand how they all survive. There’s 12 places to buy a skateboard within a 20 minute drive if you include the outdoor stores and the mall, 5 of these places are walking distance of each other.
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They all do slightly different things with a slightly different customer base. Lots of skaters in this town.
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It is weird that Portland doesn’t have 1 main shop. It was pharmacy for a while when they still had Dept of Skate.
Once that went away I thought Shrunkenhead would take over. But they are quite content in their tiny space. Rent must be very cheap.
I’ve tallied it up many times and it’s pretty wild the amount of shops we have when you also add in Vans and zumiez. And there was an Industrial shop at the clackamas mall for minute too.
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Thinking of moving back to Portland. I'm originally from Los Angeles. I was living there for about 4 years starting in 2012ish. I moved back to LA around late 2016. I was pretty bummed to leave Portland, and it has definitely been on mind lately. Thinking I might fly out there to find a little apartment for my dog and I. I'm sure it's changed quite a bit since I've been gone. Wondering what the overall vibe and culture is like post-covid. Any info on what it's like now would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Where to begin @Morning Jazz Radio ?
Its changed so much. I know Covid did a number on most cities but it really did a number on Portland. Let me preface this by saying I work with houseless young people, I am not a fan of the cops and I still love this city...
But...
This city has no vision on how to support the unhoused. Covid meant no sweeps (We all know they don't solve anything anyway) and most working and middle class neighborhoods have had to bare the brunt of having huge camps semi-permanently erected on the doorsteps. This involves everything from cars being taken apart on your sidewalk, syringes in your gutter line, people in desperate mental health crises outside your window. The police do not respond to petty crime. The barely respond to violent crime. We do now have more specialized mental health professionals responding to these situations but they only work in limited neighborhoods and there is still not enough of them. I hear it will be expanding though. All to say, there is collective Compassion Fatigue. Housed people are fed up and the unhoused fall deeper into shit. Organized gangs are now actively praying on the houseless down town.
Shootings are through the roof. Not since the early 90s during the gang heydays, have we experienced homicide rates like this. Just when I think I am hearing less shots popping off and less sirens, I read the stats and news and its not getting much better. Of course, the victims are mostly those caught up in crime but too many innocent randoms have also lost their lives in the last two years. Several kids I work with and staff who work for me have had family and friends shot in the last two years.
The police basically gave up after the relentless George Floyd uprising protests. I fully backed it but it did get to a point where you had to wonder how much good the nightly riots were continuing to do for the people we were supposed to be supporting. That's a huge and worthwhile debate but not for this purpose.
Meanwhile the cost of rent and property value continues to go up despite some white flight.
In saying all that, I would not deter you from moving back. Just come back with eyes wide open. A lot of what you likely loved about Portland is still here and there are some counter-cultural advantages to living in this dystopian like setting. There are several rad DIY parks popping off, graffiti is rampant and you'll never get a traffic citation as cops have given up. You can get away with a lot.
The only way Portland will bounce back is if those of us who give a shit, stick it out and make a contribution.
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Thank you for that information, @Frank and Fred!
That actually sounds pretty rough. Makes me sad to know how lawless Portland is now. When I lived there I felt totally safe walking around downtown with my dog. I was living in the NE area, walking distance to the Hollywood Theatre. I was thinking about moving back, but damn. Definitely does not sound good. Nothing has been easy since covid. Maybe I should check it out for a couple of days to see if I should make that move, again.
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I'd still encourage a visit to see what you think. Don't let me put you off. The reality is you can still walk around with your dog hassle free most of the time but these things are happening and you will see some of it.
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Thanks again for the info.
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I've been here for 2 months and I'm not sure I'd frame the city as lawless, but I'm still new. I went downtown to pay way too much for a s'more around 10PM on Saturday and it felt like a normal downtown area (more drunk bros than anything).
I will say that the Pearl District and Chinatown have a significant homeless population, but other parts of the city are very different. Like, the Safeway in the Pearl District is an adventure for sure but the grocery stores on the other side of bridge are pretty mellow.
One thing I find really curious is that murder rates are way up, but assaults are not. I'd assume that assault and murder would be correlated, but they seem to be two very distinct things. This doesn't make sense to me. And, burglary and larceny are officially going down https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend .
Finally, in terms of the police giving up, it seems they have always sucked at clearing crimes. I don't see a huge difference in the number of reported crimes and the number cleared. Not to mention, patrol cops are low level bureaucrats, as much as they dream of "real" policing, their jobs are pretty boring.
(https://i.ibb.co/wYWqyH8/Screen-Shot-2022-05-17-at-4-30-26-AM.png)
(https://i.ibb.co/Y8kHLHL/Screen-Shot-2022-05-17-at-4-29-35-AM.png)
Note: Nationwide homicide and assault are correlated.
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Frank and Fred speaks the truth about those issues in the city.
There's still a lot of good though. The skate scene is thriving. There are several DIYs going right now. The PSU Courts is super fun. There are 2 decent sized skateparks in the works - coming in 2025. That's a long wait, I know. Good shops as stated in this thread. Nice people for the most part, and great food and beer.
The cost of living is way up. But it'll be lower than LA.
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I have lived here for 24 years and the one thing that makes it so hard to skate in Portland and no one has mentioned is the weather. It rains, A LOT. I know there are covered spots and indoor spots, but some of the covered spots still get soaked with the wind. Just for reference, it rained 5'" in April (almost every day) and May is also above average for rain totals. I know people want to live here for the rad skate scene, but aside from everything else listed above, it hasn't been super easy to skate this spring or all winter as it's so wet (especially in Spring when it's supposed to start drying out and getting warmer). That being said, we have had a few nice days, but definitely something to consider when taking a trip here or potentially moving here.
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This is the second La Nina in a row which has been brutal for rainfall but after the wildfires of the last couple of years we should be stoked. Brace yourself though, as from what I understand (which isn't much) we might be facing a very rare third La Nina in a row so next winter/ spring could be similar...
...shitty for surfing and skateboarding...
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Yeah and what sucks the most is that the rain isn't getting where we need it to be raining, out in Eastern and Central Oregon, where the drought is the worst (and where most fires start).
I agree, it's been a tough year for skating and surfing. Hopefully that La Nina doesn't materialize.
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Very true. Only the top left corner of Oregon is not in drought...
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Going to be in Portland from the 26th-31st. Wondering if anyone wanna meet up to skate or what shops to hit up while I'm up there.
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Going to be in Portland from the 26th-31st. Wondering if anyone wanna meet up to skate or what shops to hit up while I'm up there.
coolest shops in town are Cal's Pharmacy and Shrunken Head imo
Cal Skate probably has the best selection out of all the indy shops
never been to Smart Collective but it seems cool, Commonwealth also dope but not a huge selection (small indoor park there as well that's fun, especially if you skate transition)
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I live in Seattle, gonna be in the Portland area this Monday- if anyone in Portland wants to meet for a courts session lmk, I love that place
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Maine is dope
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Going to be in Portland from the 26th-31st. Wondering if anyone wanna meet up to skate or what shops to hit up while I'm up there.
Definitely hit up the courts to skate while you’re here.
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Looks like its going to be raining when I visit next week. Is there any covered spots to avoid the rain?
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Looks like its going to be raining when I visit next week. Is there any covered spots to avoid the rain?
Red pillars spot has 3 floors of good curbs, look up ‘metro regional government building’. PPS garage has some decent curbs and manny pads, otherwise commonwealth and stronger are the indoor parks
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Looks like its going to be raining when I visit next week. Is there any covered spots to avoid the rain?
Looks like it won't be raining the whole time so you might get some uncovered skating in. 7th street aka 3 pillars, aka orange pillars is definitely the spot but can get crowded at times, I got kicked out mid-day a few weeks back so it may be a bust at certain hours now. Not sure if Lloyd Center is still free range but you can check that out, lots of curbs and other fun stuff. 405 curbs could be dry but it depends on how hard it's raining. If you have any friends that work at Adidas or Nike you could see if you can get in their parks to skate as well. Stronger and Commonwealth are the only indoor, public parks both fun, but Commonwealth can get slippery.
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Looks like its going to be raining when I visit next week. Is there any covered spots to avoid the rain?
Looks like it won't be raining the whole time so you might get some uncovered skating in. 7th street aka 3 pillars, aka orange pillars is definitely the spot but can get crowded at times, I got kicked out mid-day a few weeks back so it may be a bust at certain hours now. Not sure if Lloyd Center is still free range but you can check that out, lots of curbs and other fun stuff. 405 curbs could be dry but it depends on how hard it's raining. If you have any friends that work at Adidas or Nike you could see if you can get in their parks to skate as well. Stronger and Commonwealth are the only indoor, public parks both fun, but Commonwealth can get slippery.
yah there's a security guard weekdays 9ish to 5ish i think. always go after work, only time i've gotten kicked out is mid day
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Going to be in Portland from the 26th-31st. Wondering if anyone wanna meet up to skate or what shops to hit up while I'm up there.
Halloween at Burnside.
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If the rain stays away today, there’s a skate jam at the courts this afternoon.
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Going back up to Portland at the end of the month. This is a long shot but does anyone have the hook to skate either the Nike and or Adidas park? Beer is on me.
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I have friends who work for Nike and none of those fuckers have hooked it up... maybe not friends after all... Either way, you'll have a tonne of shit to skate here this time of year without those spots.
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Going back up to Portland at the end of the month. This is a long shot but does anyone have the hook to skate either the Nike and or Adidas park? Beer is on me.
Most of us locals are at the mercy of an invite if/when they happen. Wish I could be more helpful.
But, like FranknFred said, this is best time to be here skating.
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Thanks for the heads up. If any Pals wanna meet up to skate and show me around PM me. I'll buy you a beer for the help.
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My wife and I considering moving to Portand from Chicago next year - curious about the slappy curb scene? Any good ones? Any people who enjoy skating them?
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Best shop with the best shoe selection?
Cals wasn't bad when i was there last year, and Shrunken didn't have any - those being the only two shops i visited (and CCS/Daddies for their car wash recreation invitational deal)
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My wife and I considering moving to Portand from Chicago next year - curious about the slappy curb scene? Any good ones? Any people who enjoy skating them?
curbs are decent, go to spot for me is Red Pilars (metro regional gov't parking garage which has 3 floors of good curbs, covered and not a bust after 5pm weekdays / all day weekends). there's a handful of other good curbs at schools (Kellogg middle school is a good one), PSU Courts has a few decent parking blocks, Chrome HQ in NW has good boxes, qp and a short parking block.
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Best shop with the best shoe selection?
Cals wasn't bad when i was there last year, and Shrunken didn't have any - those being the only two shops i visited (and CCS/Daddies for their car wash recreation invitational deal)
probably Tactics for shoes — they have Last Resort, Nike, Adidas, Vans, Cons, etc all the staples. Cal Skate is my go to shop but not the best shoe selection, Shrunk used to have Nike but doesn't have shoes anymore (that I'm aware of). Cal's Pharmacy is perputally half-closed and didn't have any shoes last time I went.
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Best shop with the best shoe selection?
Cals wasn't bad when i was there last year, and Shrunken didn't have any - those being the only two shops i visited (and CCS/Daddies for their car wash recreation invitational deal)
CCS probably has the best selection. Their shop is at their warehouse, so anything on the website can be had in person. Last time I was there they even had a bunch of Dunks for sale that weren't on the website. They even had stuff I didn't realize was still around, like Globe ChetIVs, Osiris D3s, DVS, and Circa.
They are way up near the airport so it isn't really convenient to go there, though. And, yeah, they aren't skater owned. But it is cool to have a skateshop that has the inventory of a global ecommerce giant on hand.
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Best shop with the best shoe selection?
Cals wasn't bad when i was there last year, and Shrunken didn't have any - those being the only two shops i visited (and CCS/Daddies for their car wash recreation invitational deal)
yeah pretty much none of the mom and pop skate shops in Portland have a decent selection of shoes unfortunately and most don’t carry them
at all. Tactics is relatively cool as far as online shops go, they’re Oregon based and employ actual skaters in the shop/sponsor local skaters and events. That’s my suggestion for shoes, they’re def more “core” than CCS or Zumiez which are basically the only other options for a good selection of shoes in Portland
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Best shop with the best shoe selection?
Cals wasn't bad when i was there last year, and Shrunken didn't have any - those being the only two shops i visited (and CCS/Daddies for their car wash recreation invitational deal)
Cal skate has an ok selection. Commonwealth is ok too. WornPath is supposed to start carrying Last Resorts. Not much else for locally owned shops with a good shoe wall. It’s ccs or tactics. Or employee store pass to adidas or Nike.
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My wife and I considering moving to Portand from Chicago next year - curious about the slappy curb scene? Any good ones? Any people who enjoy skating them?
There’s a good curb scene. Spots mentioned above. Faubion school, Grant high school, Ed Benedict has a long parking block curb. Plus some schools in the surrounding suburbs if you’re up for some exploring.
Edit to add: follow James Alby on Instagram. He has all sorts of weird curb spots.
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Looks like the downtown Steel Bridge Skatepark (first conceived in 2001, formalized in 2008, revitalized as a project in 2019) just got fully funded for $15 million!
https://bikeportland.org/2024/01/03/portland-parks-will-invest-15-million-to-fully-fund-the-steel-bridge-skatepark-382865
While the designs are old and not what is actually going to be built, it sounds like it will be covered. Hopefully it won't just be another set of giant bowls that 90% of skaters don't want to skate.
The city still needs to buy the land, design the park, and build everything so it'll be years away (and I wouldn't be shocked if it got derailed again), but I never thought this one was going to happen. Stoked!
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Hopefully completed before Burnside is shutdown with the bridge renovation but doubtful...
Seems like it will be more of alpha concept with a bowl also. I think the general idea is a multi-use public space that is skate friendly right?
Either way, if we are being honest, the urgency here is not the city wants to suddenly support skateboarding again. it is because they see skateboarders as a way of cleaning the area up from the homeless and fentanyl users. they did the same thing on a much smaller scale at Laurlehurst with that shitty mini-ramp.
i'm all for more skateparks and revitalization of public space but i don't really trust the city's timing and motivation.
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I think the burnside bridge retrofit starts in 2025? No way steel bridge will break ground before that. I think Creston is slated to be completed in 2026 and that’s multiple meetings deep now.
It’ll be interesting to see how the design process plays out with steel bridge. There are a lot of groups working on this one. If we get something on the scale of Rhodes in Boise, or that Birmingham, AL park, there should be enough to please almost everyone.
Definitely suspect timing on this one. Has Dan Ryan announced a bid for mayor? I’m sure there’s political motivation behind it. Using skaters as street sweepers. It worked with burnside.
I’d like if the city would get more people into housing instead of constantly displacing them.
Edit to add: it’s wild they have $15mil in development funds, while there’s a $600mil maintenance backlog for the parks department.
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Yeah, I'm sure you will be right about the timeline.
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Can anyone direct me to some cool daytime cafes and outdoor stuff to do
And night time punk bars and cool spots for dinner
I haven’t been in Portland in like 8 years and I’m out of the loop
Thank you!
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Can anyone direct me to some cool daytime cafes and outdoor stuff to do
And night time punk bars and cool spots for dinner
I haven’t been in Portland in like 8 years and I’m out of the loop
Thank you!
Lots of recs in this thread.
When are you visiting? That’ll weigh heavy on the outdoor activities.
Cafes are you looking for coffee? There’s an overabundance of good coffee shops here.
And punk bars are you looking for shows, or generally that crowd?
Where in town are you staying?
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