Hey Gang,

I am an east-coast guy, but I have heard so many good thinks about Portland and the cycling there. I have a couple of questions:

1) Is it as nice as the magazines say?
2) Does the weather hamper cycling?
3) I'd like to visit for a few days this year to check it out. What is there to do around town as a tourist, and how's the job market out there?

Thanks!

Hey Gang,

I am an east-coast guy, but I have heard so many good thinks about Portland and the cycling there. I have a couple of questions:

1) Is it as nice as the magazines say?

YES!

2) Does the weather hamper cycling?

We don't think so, but folks in the PNW are used to rain. Not much in the way of snow here, although Portland does get some nice ice storms.

3) I'd like to visit for a few days this year to check it out. What is there to do around town as a tourist, and how's the job market out there?

If you come in February, you could go to the NAHBS and meet a number of other BF members IN PERSON! How cool is that? Also, there's Powell's Books-- an international legend.



Thanks!

The local job market, I'll let the Portland people answer that question :) .


East Hill

Hey Gang,

I am an east-coast guy, but I have heard so many good thinks about Portland and the cycling there. I have a couple of questions:

1) Is it as nice as the magazines say?
2) Does the weather hamper cycling?
3) I'd like to visit for a few days this year to check it out. What is there to do around town as a tourist, and how's the job market out there?

Thanks!

Portland, Maine is a wonderful place! I would highly recommend it!

Cycling you wouldn't believe!
Only weather wimps complain about the weather!
Jobs? You betcha!

Portland, Maine is a wonderful place! I would highly recommend it!

Pacific Northwest, I'm talking Portland, Oregon! :) Portland, ME I've been to and it's gorgeous.

for a city... Portland is good for cycling - but it's still a city. Whenever I visit places (I travel quite alot in the Northwest) I try to bicycle and look for bike paths and bike lanes. I'd rank Portland as the most bike friendly city in the Northwest. Rankings in this order... Portland, Boise, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma. That said... I would much rather cycle in my own community than any of those cities. I can't believe how bike friendly Olympia, WA & Thurston county are. Bike lanes on most major roads, MUP's that stretch for miles and intersect with eachother, and wonderful country roads with low traffic. So yeah, go ahead and visit Portland... but if you want to ride your bike - do that in Olympia!

If you like riding in the rain and mud, I think you'll love Portland. Here's a picture of a recent cross race there. Still haven't gotten all of the mud out of my bearings and frame :D


http://home.comcast.net/~mikesirott/PortlandGP2007.1.jpg


And the previous poster implied; Spokane is a terrible place for cycling :rolleyes:.

I can't believe how bike friendly Olympia, WA & Thurston county are. Bike lanes on most major roads, MUP's that stretch for miles and intersect with eachother, and wonderful country roads with low traffic. So yeah, go ahead and visit Portland... but if you want to ride your bike - do that in Olympia!

I rode TRYBR, down near Olympia earlier this year. Aside from a mis-marked turn about 5 miles into the ride, what a fantastic area to ride in! Rolling hills, a couple of good steep climbs, and the roads were just awesome! Low traffic, and well maintained.

I was just in Portland a few weeks ago, and it's definitely a cycling city. I hated driving around and seeing all the bikes, knowing that mine was 3 hours away in Seattle.

Yes, it's as nice as they say. You can make your life as good or bad as you wish to make it, Oregon offers all the potential, you take it from there.

Cycling is fabulous in this state, get to know the back roads and you'll never run out of great places to ride road or mountain. Winter is the wet season, but it never gets really cold like you have in the NE. You have to time your rides around the rain, but it works.

Come with your bike in July and August, give your self 3 or 4 weeks to ride the Cascades, Willamette Valley and the coast, you may never leave.

I guess I don't get a choice :-P I'll see what I can do.

Hey Gang,

I am an east-coast guy, but I have heard so many good thinks about Portland and the cycling there. I have a couple of questions:

1) Is it as nice as the magazines say?
2) Does the weather hamper cycling?
3) I'd like to visit for a few days this year to check it out. What is there to do around town as a tourist, and how's the job market out there?

Thanks!

1) No. Its horrible here.
2) Yes
3) Nothing. The job market sucks.

Make sure you tell everyone else the same story.

1) No. Its horrible here.
2) Yes
3) Nothing. The job market sucks.

Make sure you tell everyone else the same story.

+1 I'll stick with Portland (Maine) being great, and California even better.

I just arrived in Hillsboro and I think it is fabulous. We came out from Indiana because I had a job offer. As far as the job market my wife is looking and having no problem getting responses to her resume and even had an interview before the moving truck even arrived. Of course I have always maintained that she is way more employable than me. Can't wait for my bikes to get here.

I just arrived in Hillsboro and I think it is fabulous. We came out from Indiana because I had a job offer. As far as the job market my wife is looking and having no problem getting responses to her resume and even had an interview before the moving truck even arrived. Of course I have always maintained that she is way more employable than me. Can't wait for my bikes to get here.Welcome to you both, hope all goes well settling in.

Keep in mind that we get a BF group together to ride the Monster Cookie Metric Century in April, it would be great to meet you and have you join us for this first bike event of the year.:)

...it would be great to meet you and have you join us for this first bike event of the year.:)

Worst Day of the Year Ride in early Feb. is a lot of fun as well. A little time in Portland's West Hills with some chili and beer at the end.

I live in Seattle but have visited and ridden in Portland quite a bit. I guess my impression is it's nice but it's not quite the paradise it's made out to be. Some of the bike lanes and other facilities suffer from dumb design, and (shocking I know), many people still have no clue how to drive around people on bicycles.

It's still cheaper than Seattle but the gap seems to be closing rapidly.

+1 on cycling in Olympia, and Puget Sound does moderate the cold weather somewhat. In the interest of full disclosure(I lived in Portland 10 years), there is a geographic feature East of Portland called The Columbia Gorge which acts like a venturi to accelerate East winds into the city. This is only something that affects the Eastern part of Portland but It can be pretty windy sometimes & it gets stronger as you go East from Downtown.

1) No. Its horrible here.
2) Yes
3) Nothing. The job market sucks.

Make sure you tell everyone else the same story.




Seriously. I have been considering job offers in other states quite seriously lately.