the
greening of
PORTLAND OREGON
by Jimmy Im
In a 2008 New York Times interview with
Gus Van Sant, the famous, openly gay film director said
of Portland: “The things I learned when I first
moved [to Portland] are the same things that make it
interesting today. It’s still its own universe.
It’s a frontier town.”
If this was sung to the tune of a Pink
Martini song (a prominent local band with gay members),
it hits the right note. Distinctions are reflected in
the bevy of coveted accolades it racks up: Fittest City,
Greenest City, Best Airport, etc. This is such a pervasive
view that it seems like the epicenter of ideal modern
living for America is Portland. In fact, if the entire
country were a pageant, Portland would effortlessly
win Miss Congeniality,
Dig deeper, however, and you find there’s
a side to Portland that’s less Leave it to Beaver
and more American Beauty. It’s what keeps locals
(including Van Sant) happy to be living here. The indie
rock scene is infectious, the bike culture is unbeatable,
rallies and protests are de rigueur, and the mayor is
openly gay. Portland will always flash her pearly whites—but
when the Vaseline on her teeth starts to rub off, you
get to see who she really is. As a matter of fact—as
locals like to think—Portland is quite weird. (The
city’s mantra is "Keep Portland Weird.")
Case in point, within the first 24 hours I rode a streetcar
with a woman who led a cat on a leash, shared the sidewalk
with a man screaming "satanic sluts! carrots up
their butts!" next to unfazed pedestrians, and
witnessed a college student pushing himself in a wheelchair—with
his feet.
The irony, however, is that Portland’s
not weird. Home to a mere 500,000, Portland is a small,
pleasant American town that thrives on nature, organic
food, and cleanliness. Locals actually believe the “Keep
Portland Weird” slogan was invented to prevent
an influx of new residents and to keep their wonderful
city all to themselves (even at the border, their territorial
behavior is reflected in the sign that reads: Thanks
for Visiting Portland: Don’t Move Here). Why the
psychological behavior?
Because Portland is nice, in every aspect,
and it’s no longer a secret. There’s a strong
sense of community, a small-town mentality that makes
the city bond and grow in a truly organic fashion. A
common thread strings the outdoor-loving, eco-conscious,
environmentally-aware, politically-active residents
to embrace their city and, well, preserve it. They breed
their own wines, beer, and recently, spirits. Passengers
on the Met public transit thank the driver when they
exit. The anti-corporate mentality supports local businesses,
which saves their economy. Chefs have great relationships
with farmers, offsetting carbon emissions and delivering
a truly fresh culinary experience. There’s even
some sort of a festival almost every day in Portland.
Maybe, at some point, Portland was weird, but only to
visitors who came in for a weekend. Therein lies the
problem. You can’t get a feel of the city with
a quick glance. It’s not a touch-and-go destination.
You need to spend at least a week here to fully appreciate
Portland, discovering its idiosyncratic flairs that
make it a remarkable city. Several days into a visit,
the thought of moving here just may cross your mind,
but beware: you’ll have to take it up with the
locals.
Portlanders have one thing in common:
they were initially attracted to the city’s "green"
mentality. The greening of Portland is integral to all
aspects of life, including everything from parks and
outdoor activities to culinary experiences, transportation,
and even hotels. It’s not a new idea: sustainability
was a practice since the city was founded in 1851, thanks
to the loggers and farmers who made strong initiatives
to keep their natural ways untainted. The "green
scene" flourished and became recognized in 1973
when Oregon’s Urban Growth Boundary (the first
in the nation) instilled the framework for sustainability
when no one else was even thinking about it. This measure,
to protect farmland and limit sprawl in favor of in-fill
developments, spearheaded a movement and consequentially
had an impact on the urban planning of Portland, helping
redevelop, revitalize, and celebrate an eco-minded infrastructure.
Ramsey McPhillips (notorious for his
late Fruit Farm Film Festivals that attracted the likes
of filmmakers Van Sant and Todd Haynes and Pink Martini
lead vocalist, Thomas Lauderdale) is an activist for
farmer’s rights and is actively initiating a campaign
on waste management, which will further help preserve
farmlands from unfavorable circumstances. "My grandfather,
Barney McPhillips, was one of the founders of the environmental
movement, which led to Oregon being environmentally
savvy,” Ramsey says. His plans to follow his grandfather’s
lead will bring more ecological solutions and essentially
more jobs to Oregon. “Barney was environmental
royalty...the greenest of the pre-green!”
Speaking of green, Portland is recognized
as having the most LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design)-certified buildings per capita than anywhere
else in the United States. One of the primary requirements
of LEED is that the building must be restructured, so
plenty of hotels, theaters, and other buildings are
housed in structures that are quite historic. It’s
not an easy accomplishment.
In 1993, Portland was the first US city
to adopt the Global Warming Action Plan, almost a decade
before Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth brought
heightened awareness to our environment. Since then,
greenhouse emissions went down to 12.5%, and the city
plans to cut 80% of car emissions by 2030. Suffice to
say, Portland is a natural leader in sustainability,
and it’s evident in the denizen’s lifestyle.
GETTING AROUND
Portland was the first city to build a modern streetcar
system in the US. The public transportation is free
within the 330 square blocks of downtown, including
both the light-rail train (MAX) and Tri-met Max Rail
streetcar. A brand-new MAX greenline runs through downtown
Portland, and plans to expand the streetcar to the east
side are underway. All public buses get kudos for running
on bio-fuel. Hybrids are encouraged (if not very prevalent)
and all parking meters are solar powered…but the
most common mode of transportation is still biking.
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SLIDESHOW PORTLAND OREGON
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Portland’s bicycle network has
grown from 60 to 272 miles since the early 1990s and
bike lanes are continually added as pedaling commuters,
according to the US Census, make up eight times the
national average.
Many nonprofits exist to make bike-riding
an even better option in the city, to get even more
people using the ubiquitous bike lanes, bike boulevards,
bike traffic lights, and bike maps. There’s even
a bike blog (www.bikeportland.org).
In fact, you’ll see more two-wheeled conveyances
than cars, and the relationship between drivers and
bikers (and even pedestrians) is nothing but harmonious.
While most hotels offer free bikes, a great city tour
is offered with Pedal Bike Tours, which traverses
about 11 miles over three hours with a local guide.
If there’s anything that’s truly "Portland,"
it’s biking with a local to signature places like
the quirky VooDoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee Shop.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Most of Portland’s unique neighborhoods have
been re-gentrified, like the buzzing Pearl District,
which put Portland on the map for urban planning. Once
a blighted section of downtown Portland, the Pearl was
revitalized in the late nineties and became a true Cinderella
story in 2001. The former slum is now the epicenter
of high-end real estate, luxury shopping (Diesel and
West Elm), and fine dining (Bluehour). Visitors and
locals alike can still pay homage to the former neighborhood
with Van Sant’s film My Own Private Idaho, where
many scenes were filmed in the Pearl District.
While the transformation brings a modern
veil to the neighborhood, some things never really change.
An institution to the Pearl is the Portland Armory,
a performing arts theater inside the 1891 building that
still retains is original structure. The LEED-certified
building is surrounded by bio-swells that capture rainwater
to use for their internal sewage system. Pearl is also
home to internationally-known bookstore Powell’s
Books, which spans an entire city block; the vintage
storefront hasn’t been changed since 1971.
For that authentic Portland flavor,
head to the ECOTRUST, a LEED-certified building
that’s home to Portland’s Bureau of Planning
and Sustainability as well as commercial spaces. The
building supports renewable power in the top office
spaces and vendors below. The shops provide natural
products, have a sustainable business model, and give
back to the community and planet. Laughing Planet,
a trendy café on the main floor, is the city’s
alternative to fast food. The prices of menu items are
cheap thanks to their use of a commissary, a large communal
kitchen where meals are prepared then delivered over
in bio-fuel trucks. The entire building is actually
heated by Hot Lips Pizza—just across the
hall—where the heat is generated from the ducts
of the pizza ovens.
Nearby Pearl is the emerging Chinatown
(almost more of a novelty as there is no Chinese community
to speak of living there), groomed to be the next hot
spot. The district now boasts easier access since the
new Green Line Max Rail streetcar was implemented last
September.
The more "indie" side of Portland
is found east of the Willamette River. A string of local
establishments lines North Mississippi Avenue,
which has emerged within the past few years. A former
commercial district, Mississippi has a strong neighborhood
feel, and thrives with a variety of food carts (food
cart dining is gaining popularity in the city) like
the famous Por Que No Taqueria and Moxie Juice
Bar. Just down the street, visitors and locals alike
admire the mural on Cherry Sprout grocery store, painted
by internationally-acclaimed artist Chris Johansen,
who was part of the Whitney Bicentennial.
HOTELS
While Portland’s “green” ethos flourished
and its neighborhoods burgeoned, the hotel scene remained
lackluster—until the Ace Hotel opened in
2007. Next to Powell’s Books in the Pearl District,
Ace brought a fresh and modern approach to accommodations,
transforming the old Clyde Hotel into a hot spot that
locals would confidently assert is “very Portland.”
“We don’t think of the hotel
first,” says general manager Donald Kennedy. “We
think of the way we relate in the community. Most of
the time you go to a hotel you get a sanitized experience.
Here we want you to experience Portland as a local.”
The experience starts when you wake
up and head downstairs (passing a lobby chockfull of
locals on their laptops) to the locally-recognized Stumptown
Coffee Shop. Additionally, the hotel’s Clyde
Commons restaurant offers communal tables and a
lively, diverse bar scene with a healthy integration
of locals and hotel guests.
The furnishings of the 79 rooms fit
the “sustainable” principles at which the
city excels. The couches are 100 percent recycled and
designed in-house. Organic-sourced cotton is used for
the robes (the fabrications are done in Canada rather
than overseas). The beds are made from locally sourced
birch plywood and built by hand. "We work with
local people,” says Kennedy. “It’s the
right thing to do."
Ace Hotel’s collaboration with
the community is also strong, having recently partnered
with 35 local fashion designers for a project called
CONTENT. The designers took over the second floor where
they showcased their work throughout 28 rooms. Swanky,
trendy, organic, and the most representative of Portland,
Ace is effortlessly becoming an integral part of the
community.
For a completely different experience
and a more luxurious stay, Starwood’s Nines
hotel—part of the Luxury Collection—opened
in the Meier & Frank building, a former department
store. Freshly open, it filled a niche Portland was
lacking. It’s the first "luxury" hotel
to open of late, offering high-end accommodations for
the affluent traveler and a hot spot for locals who
are creating a new "fab" scene.
Within the walls of an historical landmark
built one hundred years ago, the Nines takes the top
"nine" floors. Its name also addresses the
motto "dressed to the nines" to acknowledge
its nod to high style. The hotel features a 110-foot,
sky-lit atrium that opens out to the trendy lounge and
Urban Farm restaurant. The Library, on
the same floor, is a cozy and intimate room equipped
with a pool table and the works of Portland notables.
The walls, for instance, feature original photographs
taken by Gus Van Sant, and the shelves carry 3,000 handpicked
books provided by Powell’s Books. Music fans will
recognize Thomas Lauderdale’s signature red wagon
tucked in the corner.
Paige Powell, friend of Andy Warhol
and an important figure in the art scene, carefully
selected more than 400 works of art to embellish the
hotel’s interiors, including the guest rooms. Even
the subjects of the artwork are often past Portlanders,
like the modern painting on the eighth floor of Clark
Gable, who took acting lessons in Portland in the 1920s.
The 331 guest rooms are tastefully appointed
with a contemporary color scope, like Tiffany blue and
rich earth tones. Mini-bars are stocked with local/indigenous
items and the beds are a dream.
While visitors indulge in the luxurious
flair of the Nines and its sumptuous offerings, it’s
easy to forget the hotel’s mission on sustainability
and the fact it’s a LEED certified building. The
biggest accomplishment was removing 22 million pounds
of debris from what is now the atrium, and recycling
it. Everything from the carpeting to the toilets has
been carefully considered to follow a “green”
plan. Even the sealants and fibers used are all non-volatile
organic compounds. Now that’s some major eco consideration.
Continued
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