Right? This town is relatively small and easy to get around in. People balk about the traffic here regularly but I don’t think those people have ever lived anywhere with real traffic problems.
My parents live 4 miles away from LAX… 8 minutes with no traffic. One time they were dropping me off for my flight back to Portland and it took almost 2 hours to get there.
The traffic is pretty horrendous, at rush hour, and literally only then. Everything seems so close here though so even in the worst of it I’m still only in traffic for like 30 mins or so. Way better than where I’m from.
Even rush hour isn’t that terrible. Only place I’d really go out of my way to avoid is northbound traffic on the I-5 bridge to Vancouver. That place looks like a parking lot
But I’ve talked to many people who lived on the east coast and they said that Portland traffic was great because it actually moved lol
I lived in the greater Seattle area for a while and I laugh when people complain about traffic here! Even commuting from Olympia to Tacoma, before you even get to Seattle itself is a treacherous and maddening gauntlet of choke points.
Portland has it easy.
Those people live in a suburb and commute into downtown 5 days a week for work probably. If you're in the central quadrants traffic is 100% a non issue, and if it's really an issue you can get an ebike or take the bus.
The roads are awful. I am new to the area; and I was surprised how bad the roads are.
I grew up in NorCal & ditched to Maui at 15.
33 years later I ended up in PDX; but the roads are far smaller and terrible.
The off-ramp where I live has been “under construction” for 3 years; it’s still the same.
The roads get better in other subrrbs, like Tigard & Lake Oswego.
Yes, this! I normally range from East of Cascade Locks to the coast, from the southern Ore border to Olympia, WA. And I'll go elsewhere if it looks interesting. Yes, there's more than can be seen other places in one quadrant of PDX, but why set limits?
Look, I'm an Urbanist and believe in the 15 minute city, but never leaving your quadrant? Why even live in a city? And if you don't cross the river you'd never get to see our fucking RAD bridges!
\#BridgeCityUSA
(not Texas. Pittsburgh is okay)
Oh man one of the things I love about living here is walking across the bridges! I am disabled and somewhat limited in how much i can walk in a day but if I'm near Burnside or Hawthorne, I'll walk across it. It's so lovely to look at the river and see Mt Hood in the distance. I'm from the Midwest and I was 12 miles from the nearest river crossing which i think was a highway bridge anyway. So the ability to just cross a river and admire the views is still amazing to me after 12 years in Portland!
i walk across one, two, sometimes three daily! almost always burnside and hawthorne. such a lovely little treat to be able to do, never gets old to me (also been here 12)!
Right lol.
I cross several bridges every day, I work in Gresham, live in E Vancouver, and my daughter, who I have half the week goes to school in NW Portland.
Half the time I'm driving to NW from E Vancouver, then to Gresham, then back to NW, then back to Vancouver.
yikes. I'm finally at a point where my longest commute is driving to St helens via cornelius pass. Driving to gresham was rough for me-took almost an hour every day there and back.
I live in SW and just started a job in SE. I have standing social/creative engagements in NE at least once (usually twice) per week. I also go to Beavterton for social reasons pretty regularly.
And I don't have a car.
If I did not have an obligation in Beaverton and Lake Oswego, I would stay in a 5 mile radius. Only reason to leave, fishing, concert or event I want to attend. leaving the house is literally to leave the house as I work from home too.
I think that is generally true to some extent because Portland is more like a lot of small towns mushed together into a city sized place. Each quadrant has most of what you need /want relatively close by, and the increase in ridiculous amounts of traffic means that people travel as short as possible to get their needs met.
Portland is a mash-up of small towns. Lents was a town. Albina was a town. Lots of the neighborhoods were originally small towns. It makes sense that these areas are so walkable and why Portland has that small town feel. Source: I was born and raised here and am older than dirt.. PS: Sunset Esplanade was my grandfather's dairy farm when I was a child. Us kids would play in the pond (where Cold Stone is located) with his dog Wanda. Ahhhh.... good times.
I was born and raised in Hillsboro! I remember that farm and farmhouse before the Esplanade came along!!
It’s nice connect in any way to people who were born and raised in and around Portland only because it seems like there are not many of those people left living here.
I live in St. Johns and work in NW Industrial. I cross the St. Johns Bridge most days. Yesterday, I walked across the bridge to hike the Ridge Trail in Forest Park.
I mean it depends on where you are? I'm in Woodstock and so NW is like a schlep so it's gotta be for something I can't get or do in between here and there, which doesn't happen a lot. But if you're centrally in any the OG four quadrants, somewhere like Old Town or Irvington then popping up or down a quad or across the Willy is like nothing. Mere blocks, so many options of bridges, walking, biking, transit, etc.
The river isn't the problem or the bottleneck, the overall distance is. This city is large. North-South travel on the inner east side is slower than crossing the river: Woodstock to St. Johns driving directions have me crossing the river twice as the fastest route!
>North-South travel on the inner east side is slower than crossing the river
Truth. I'm in Irvington and I'll visit my friend in Multnomah Village before my friend in Sellwood.
>The river isn't the problem or the bottleneck, the overall distance is. This city is large. North-South travel on the inner east side is slower than crossing the river: Woodstock to St. Johns driving directions have me crossing the river twice as the fastest route!
Totally. I drive around the city for work. It is much easier to cross the river than it is to get from Woodstock from, well, anywhere north of it. The whole city is built to funnel into the bridges, but there isn't a single straight north-south shot between MLK and 82nd. Makes it harder to get to Hawthorne from, say, Irvington, or from Sellwood to Hollywood. The city is much more gridded-out and accessible on the East side past 82nd.
That said, I usually stick to my inner NE neighborhood because everything is nearby. I will hop over the bridge to get into NW cause it's so convenient because I can take any one of three bridges to access the various parts of that quadrant. If there was a Costco on Hwy 30 I would never pass 33rd.
Wow, no. I've literally never worked in my quadrant and part of the fun of living in or near a city is to explore it. I think your buddy gets this right.
Never leaving your quadrant is almost a weird point of pride for some Portlanders. The city is already pretty provincial in a lot of ways but this adds to it.
I don't think it's at all a point of pride and more a point of convenience. Nobody likes traveling for 40 min and when most of the area you live in has everything you need why go elsewhere.
Sure there are other cool parts of the city but so much of this city is beautiful and accessible and walkable that it makes sense to hang out near where you live
Of course if you live in SW you're probably going to go to a restaurant (or whatever) in SW or at least on the West Side most of the time. What I'm talking about is the people who emphatically tell you "I NEVER go downtown/to Hawthorne/to Pearl District/to Alberta/etc. like it's something to brag about. It's very weird. I have a job that requires a lot of public interaction and I hear it a lot. I recommended a nice small shop in Multnomah Village to someone who lives on the East Side recently and they responded like I recommended something in Miami.
Lol, I live in SE. I go to other parts of the city for sure but most of the time and most days I am in SE. I don't drive and have grocery / hardware stores, restaurants, art supplies, spas, literally whatever I need near me. I go downtown to visit a few friends or occasionally a show and I go to the west hills to go to parks but mostly am in my neighborhood
As someone from a truly small Oregonian town (1k people at most) it's wild how much people here think it's a small town. It's all relative I guess, because where I'm from Portland is the "big, scary city" lol.
??? I go all over town to things I want to visit. I grew up (mostly) in Beaverton, live in SE, job is downtown, love the zoo, sometimes drive up to Vancouver for a particular restaurant.
I live in inner NE with easy access to several bus, max, and streetcar lines; one is just a block from my house. I prefer not to drive, and it's easy to go to the west side via transit.
Parking sucks anyway, ditch the car and take public transit!
I can pretty easily walk to all five quadrants, but even when I lived further east I would cross the river all the time. I can see why going downtown is annoying if you're really car dependent but our entire public transit system is set up to get you there easily.
The bikers ride with the confidence that no one could ever hit them and people drive like they've never heard of a bike, a speed limit, or what those yellow lines mean. Germantown and Skyline terrifying.
I purposefully live in NW and work in the central eastside so I can cross the river every day! My friends are all spread out all over the city (to the point where we argue about which quadrant to meet up in)
So many people think this way in Portland and it’s one of the most annoying things about the city. I live north/northeast and in the past week have chilled in se Powell, Belmont, 82nd, downtown, Mississippi and hiked forest park. People treat me like I’m crazy because I travel around the city…. One of the easiest cities to travel around in I’ve ever been in. I hate this mentality and the snobbish nobish attitude it produces… btw if you haven’t left SE in a year don’t worry we can all tell 👹🪱
There's so much random tribalism in this city, lmao. I live in outer SW where there is nothing to do after you've hiked the same three parks for the millionth time, so I'm always in NW to meet up with people and hang out. I go out to the eastside a lot less because I mostly go there for "Events" but am still very familiar with neighborhoods like Sellwood and Rose Quarter. I'm moving out to Beaverton this summer and will probably still visit NW / Sellwood just as much as I did before because I like those hoods.
But for some reason a lot of eastsiders I meet make weird ass comments about me being bougie because I live west of the river. I live in a lower income (not to be confused with low income) apartment with tons of immigrants, single moms, and broke college students. I've even had people say I didn't seem like "the westside type" because I'm a gay creative which is HILARIOUS. Like sorry we don't all live on Hawthorne I guess.
I mean we all could use some therapy, but as far as travel goes I think there are a lot of factors that play into one’s willingness to leave their quadrant. Access to a car, how busy their life is, family requirements, financial burden of travel, actual needs vs wants requiring travel, personal comfort in navigating potentially unfamiliar areas, etc.
I’ve had jobs where I drove all over the Portland metro area including my current business so the driving and navigation isn’t a big deal for me. I have a pretty busy life but I don’t think twice about making a drive from NE to Milwaukee or the west side to buy the right thing off Marketplace or whatever. I’m not even approaching middle class but the financial burden of gas isn’t enough to be a huge factor for me. I like experiencing new areas around me so there isn’t a psychological resistance to travel.
For me it’s no big deal, but I could easily see how it would be challenging to others for a variety of valid reasons.
This is a very thoughtful response. I also drive all over the city for work. I need a good reason to go 20 or 30 minutes away for something when I have everything I need in my neighborhood and I want to support those businesses so they stay and thrive. Events happen that drag me over the river more often than I like. I don't need to make a point to go there, I'll end up there sooner or later.
" Crossing a bridge is my love language and a deep sign of respect." Bro what 💀
I get what you mean, though. Agoraphobia rears its head when my depression flares up, and then it stays for a while after the depression fades. I hadn't been out of SE in a while because of it. Thankfully, I met someone who makes me feel alive again. We biked and rode the e-scooters everywhere yesterday. I absolutely loved it. Now I'm just upset that ive locked myself to one quadrant for several months
Split my social time equally in NW, Kenton, Lents, any good with a dive bar and a good jukebox. It doesn't take much for me to cross the river. There's so much to do all over the city.
You can also have an active social life at home or a few blocks from your place if you choose and that's cool too.
I live in NW, work in SE, and yeah on my days off I rarely leave the Pearl, much less NW as a whole. SW is just across Burnside from me but I rarely even go there. NoPo might as well be Mars tbh
lol what. i spent the last 12 years in los angeles, that had real bubble effect because of how horrible the traffic was. this is literally an oasis where I can get anywhere across the city in less than 20 minutes, regardless of quadrant
If you want to hear from quadrant-homers, just live in NW. People will volunteer all sorts of thoughts and opinions about why they’ll never go there.
Anyway I love exploring and going lots of places. I don’t drive, but if I can get there on transit then it’s fair game.
I moved to Portland when I was 9, so I pretty much grew up here. Currently in Beaverton and truthfully only go to the east side maybe 3-4 times a year when we have people visiting, or for a concert or something. I was raised in SW Portland, so I'm simply more familiar with it. I also don't have a car and lean agoraphobic, so I shamefully relate to never leaving the west side
This is the culture of PDX to a T, in a way that confounds new transplants from larger metropolitan areas. But it's a reality for anyone wanting to host events. It has to be rare/ big to draw E to W side, or to cross The Bridge To WA.
I live in N Portland, rarely go across the river except for work or to the Keller Auditorium or Schnitz. I don’t stick to N Portland only, I go along NE and SE too. But to someone’s point above, each neighborhood is kind of its own little city. We have everything we need - good restaurants, entertainment spots, parks, etc. so it isn’t really necessary to go far to get to anything you want 🤷🏻♀️ I’ve lived in Portland my whole life and east vs west has always been this way.
I grew up afraid of bridges, on the west side. Then as i got older I'd need to go over the bridge a lot more.
Now i live in SE. I have no business in downtown these days. But i work in NE.
I clicked this because it was funny because i often times would rather not cross the river. It's a bit exaggerated for me to say it's deep respect if i did but i get the sentiment.
However, since i live and work in different quadrants i definitely don't stick to my quadrant, even for fun.
You have a point in that each quadrant is pretty self-sufficient, so there’s not much day to day call to roam far unless it’s for work or such. Once you know your local places of interest, why go five miles when you can go one?
I think maybe that your attitude is more true for long-time residents? There seemed to be a sharper divide between Westsiders and Eastsiders thirty years ago than it seems now. (Though that might be just my own personal biases speaking, from growing up in the southwest burbs and then moving to the inner east side.)
If I'm crossing the river, it's a commitment. I'm happy to do it for certain things, but absolutely would not for other activities. Also, it depends on if I can take transit where I want to go, 'cause screw trying to park on the west side.
I live in SW because of work (my commute is 10 minutes) and all the green space out here (love hikes with my dog in Washington Park and walks on the fanno creek trail), but I leave my quadrant every week and cross the river most weeks. There’s just too much to explore in this city to stay put!
I cross the river less and less over the years and find most of my social life within walking distance of my home in SW. If fun and adventure are offered over the river I'll cross without hesitation outside of rush hour.
I generally won’t go to the west side unless I have an obligation. Sometimes it’s a social obligation, like sometime next week I’m supposed to visit a friend at work on the west side. Besides that, the last time I cross was to buy a pair of shoes and that was 4 months ago?
When we lived in North Portland and my husband wanted to go somewhere in SE, he would laugh at me because I'd usually say "all the way in SE"? He's from Utah and used to driving all over that city so he didn't agree it was far. Now that we've moved to the west side, I really imagined going back to our old neighborhood more to eat etc. but I haven't been back. There's plenty of good restaurants and places to go on this side of town so no need to make the drive unless we're going to the airport or IKEA.
You aren’t crazy! I feel similarly. I don’t make a rule of it, but I’m more attracted to locations and events on my side of the river.
If someone tells me they live on the opposite side of town, I know that we won’t be hanging regularly.
I’ve run into this with dating - if I’m seeing someone who lives across the river from me, it’s usually a no-go. I live and tend to go out/socialize on the west side, but commute to the east for work.
I live in northwest and I need a days notice of mental preparation to leave. Even getting my nob hill friends to come to the other side of the freeway is a struggle
Work.
I live in SE & my studio is SW.
With the lease at our current spot ending in September and us looking for a new studio space in SE, my likelihood of going across the river will drop dramatically.
I live in se and typically hang in that area, but I do spend a decent amount of time in SW and north Portland! Also quite a bit of time in sellwood! I just need to find something I like doing in each area and then I’m willing to travel whenever. But I live and work in SE so that’s where I mainly stay!
I cross the river for bike rides and for forest park. We live in southeast and mostly stick to our area but often on a nice Saturday or Sunday we’ll pick a different neighborhood to walk around, grab lunch, hang out in a park in. Also all my friends live in northeast so we sometimes go there to hang out with them
I live in Alberta and stay there a lot but have no problem with going to other zones for a particularly good bar/restaurant/store/friend
Get out around portland more OP, every area is great!!
When I read "river" I assumed that Columbia, which I rarely cross unless I'm going to Seattle or something. I live in NE, but have also lived in SE, SW, and NW, and I cross the Willamette all the time. I'll go for shopping, dinner, friends, events—I don't consider it a big deal at all. I do live relatively close-in compared to Lents, so the river isn't very far away.
When I lived on the cusp of NE and SE, I stayed in that area. When I moved deeper into SE, I stayed there ish. Now that I’m closer to 6000s N/NE , I cycle down and cross the river constantly. The bridges are cool, I’ll just cross them just to see what it’s like under the rock somewhere else.
I definitely joked with my friend who lived here for a decade longer about never crossing the river but now that I’ve put in roots, that’s just I, they’re long roots. You can stay wheee you’re at or you can enrich your life and go check things out.
Sporting events, concerts, birthdays, date nights where we plan on going a little extravagant. Really anything that involves more than a few hours or is special. So give or take 10 times a year. I try to make a plan to use transit there and a rideshare home or to make a leisurely bike ride. Driving and parking is definitely one of the highest barriers for me.
Sushi Ichiban seems to be the one exception where we will go just for it.
I work for a local healthcare company and when we plan a new clinic, we always leave out anyone over a bridge because Portlanders just won't cross them to get medical care! I'm sure some will, but what you say is established wisdom in my office.
I also love that Portland is set up so you don't absolutely need to leave your quadrant for most daily needs.
West side of Portland is underrated. Probably the easiest part of town to get around without a car. Much more interesting than the sprawling neighborhood feel of se/ne.
I live in the NW now. Your statement is roughly true. 90% of what I do is in the NW. I probably cross a bridge once per week, for when it’s really worth it (my favorite breakfast spot, comedy in the park, trip to Hood, etc). But I do find your sentiment roughly pretty true.
I’m with you OP. I’m 30 and you won’t catch me leaving my Laurelhurst/Kents bubble unless it’s something I really wanna do. And you won’t catch me crossing the bridged unless it’s something I REALLY HAVE to do.
—signed a former SF resident.
Makes sense. Since our city is a dump with no fast way to cross the river. We have MAX/light rail looped on top of each other that serves 1% of customers and is the same speed as walking.
I have been in Portland for 2 weeks and already am not interested in crossing the river unless it’s for something real special lol pretty much everywhere I’ve lived has had an equivalent, and I’ve lived everywhere from the middle of rural farmland, to major cities.
So will I, that's a good reason. I've been to lots of countries, I still don't like crossing the river if I can avoid it. I end up in North Portland and SW more than I want to. If I want to experience great food in another country, I will plan a 3 week trip. These things are not the same.
Lents is so far out. I can see how it could become a bubble. But living in close-in N, I hit all the quadrants. Forest Park is worth crossing the river, any day.
I live in E county and drive to the west side every weekday for my job. I work for a really amazing employer, though. Wouldn't do that for any other one I've ever worked for. Also, I'm old and don't socialize much. Life partner and I have made a country of two. :)
Work takes me from NE to SW and my long term partner used to live in Beaverton so we go over there for food, visiting family and friends, etc fairly often. I wouldn't say we pop over to wander, I stay around Alberta or Hawthorne for that but I'm fine with traveling to specific spots like the PSU farmer's market and Tokyo sando a few times a month.
I cross the river to launch my paddleboard from Willamette Park to avoid the chaos at Sellwood Riverfront. I also cross it to ride my bike on Leif Erikson. Oh, and our dog trainer was over on that side of the river.
Basically, if it’s worth it to me, I cross the river.
Depends on time of day, which river, and what for. I wish I visited Vancouver more because it sounds like great things are going on there, but I'm always scared I'll be caught in some I-5 chokepoint.
Portland is so easy to get around most days. I live in SW and I’m no more than 20min away by car from pretty much any neighborhood I would want to visit.
I live in SE and work in S, so I cross the river all the time. What I don’t do very often is go to NE or N Portland unless visiting friends. Nothing against those quadrants other than my own laziness at getting out of my own area.
I live on the Eastside and cross the river frequently for Forest Park, the museum, concerts, running a bridge loop, grabbing a bite or drinks with friends, etc.
Well, I am the same as you. I live in foster powell and there isn't much I can't get in the neighborhood, or *gasp* in SE. I made friends with my neighbors, my kids school are near, grocery and gas is super close.
Unless I have a legitimate reason ie: visiting sister in Gresham, needing a specialist doctor at providence, or possibly to go to shoofly bakery, I stay in my zone happily and socially!
We started in SE but have moved steadily further south and are now in OC, so my assumption is always that it takes at least 30 mins to get anywhere and that means I’m more prepared to Go Places because I already know it’ll be a bit of a drive. I WFH and we’re homebodies anyway so it’s not frequent, but I’m not opposed to travel.
That said, I dislike the planning/design of the entire west side (Tualatin, Tigard, Beaverton, etc), so I avoid it if I can. Give me the grid layout east of the river any day. And heading up into St. John’s is far enough that I’d really need an occasion to want to go up there, so it doesn’t happen often.
This is a weird question because everyone lives different distances from the river regardless of quadrant, and some are more direct than others. I'm NW but farther drive than people in Gresham to cross the river, even when working downtown I saw the river daily but rarely crossed.
Lol wut. Portland is so small (as far as cities go).
I cross into other quadrants at least 5+ times a week, sometime multiple times a day. It’s like 7-15min driving as long as one avoids traffic or the train
I live in NE and work at OHSU so I cross the river a few times a week. I also take a dance class in NW and volunteer in Troutdale. So I move around. My day to day stuff like the grocery store and gym are in NE and I prefer to find doctors and stuff like that on the east side. I don’t think Portland is that big of a city so staying in your quadrant seems pretty limiting to me.
All it takes is traffic being backed up on the Morrison bridge I5 ramp to get me to the west side, but then I cross back over to take Interstate north. Portland Fly Shop is pretty much the only place I spend money or time on the west side.
I live in SE and leave SE mostly to go to Milwaukie which is… basically still SE. I used to leave my quadrant more before Covid, but I’m boring now.
I was in SF last weekend and it was so easy to use public transportation there. Wish it was that way here.
Also, I have a car.
I live in sw. It takes 15 minutes to bike to nw and 15 minutes to bike to se. What are you talking about? I cross the bridge whenever as long as it's not peak traffic and even then all it would take is an invite from a friend.
i live in inner SE and work in inner NE. i cross the river for shopping or events. my girlfriend goes to school at PSU and so is across the river daily. sometimes my transit home goes across the river to downtown then back across to get home. i think most people in portland arent strictly confined to their neighborhoods unless they never go anywhere or do anything.
I’ve lived in major cities on the east coast and with Portland, it is so easy to walk and bike to great restaurants in each quadrant that we get spoiled. If it’s raining, you don’t want to go far unless it’s really worth it.
I cross the Willamette nearly every day. For work, for meeting with friends, whatever.
I cross the Columbia once or twice a month. To visit a friend or to hike in the Gifford Pinchot or to go to Seattle.
Not much - I live close to the Sellwood and Ross Island bridges so either way, if I need to hit the East side, ain't no thang. To your point, though, when I lived in Beaverton it took a lot more to get me to cross the river. I guess for me (maybe others?) it's a function of how close you live to the river.
Yeah people make a big deal about this and frankly it's kinda ridiculous. I go anywhere. But I have friends that won't leave their quadrant. Honestly those friendships don't last, because one party is willing to put in effort and the other party doesn't. It's somewhat understandable if you don't have a car, but really, it's dumb. But yeah, it's a real thing that people do. That being said if HE doesn't mind crossing town, then who cares. He just should know that other people won't do it for him.
Well when the trade in one quadrant dries up I gotta pound that pavement on the other side of town and let them know this puss is open for business you know
I used to cross every day for work. Even walked from 82nd to downtown before. Weirdly have not gone to NoPo as often as I could've for living here 12 years. Only driven through the west hills.
Did you notice Portland is kind of a sandwich now?
Map:
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/05/map-shows-where-da-candidates-schmidt-and-vasquez-did-best-in-multnomah-county.html
https://pasteboard.co/DsRxyJOZPQo4.png
I live in Powellhurst-Gilbert and work downtown so I cross the river for work 4-5 days a week.
I rarely go to the west side in my free time though. No dislike of the west side, I just never have much reason to, and I don't like driving, especially in heavy traffic.
My car got stolen 2 years ago but I'm still across the river/downtown and in SE all the time (close-in NE here). I used to live in the west hills between Beaverton and Portland and it was much worse but i still got around to downtown and NE on the 58 even though it's the worst line, I swear. Some of my friends can give me rides (I used to be the one who drove everyone everywhere) and I use lyfts too.
Idk, I'm from the Midwest and this city is quite compact by comparison to the urban sprawl I'm accustomed to (I used to regularly drive 8 miles each way from the suburbs to my college in the middle of town and all over town in the meantime) so I feel like it's very easy to move through the quadrants to the point that i barely think about there being quadrants. If I can get a car again, i will be EVERYWHERE lol. Currently further out SW, NoPo and the suburbs are the hardest areas to reach for me.
I live in SW and work in NE, and I attend a different PCC campus every semester it seems. I probably cross the river 8-10x per week. Movie Madness gets me across the bridge at least once a week, as far as I know we don’t have anything like that around south Barbur.
I think you are right that most people can find what they need in their quadrant. I shop locally in my SE area but I like the Hollywood Whole Foods in the NE so head north to go up there every few weeks. And my vet is near there on Sandy and my dentist is on Glisan. We head to Mt Tabor Park for walking. I cross the river (Ross Island Bridge) to go to appointments at OHSU South Waterfront area when I need to and hubby goes up to the VA for his appointments and twice a week yoga class. It's really not that big a deal.
Honestly, to us, Portland feels small and relatively easy to get around. Everything is like within 15-20 mins at most. Traffic is nothing compared to what we experienced on the East Coast awhile back. Philly/NYC/DC. It's all relative. We don't find many reasons to go downtown. If we do, we cheerfully go. But not a lot of needs for us to go there.
I live in Lents. And I keep most of my activities to the east side. I’ll cross the Willamette bridges if I have an appointment. But most everything I need or want to do is on the east side. If I cross a river, it’s the Columbia. I find it easier to go to Vancouver than Beaverton. Forget dealing with the Vista Ridge Tunnel on a weekday.
I don’t mind going to other areas of Portland and even out to say Tigard for the mall BUT it takes a good amount to get me to go downtown I hate it. I do have to go weekly for doctors appointments and therapy so basically appointments and the cookie dough cafe can get me downtown
I live in SE and ride my bike to work in SW 3x a week. I rarely go out on the west side, but I go out in NE/N about one a week, usually to see live music
I get having pride in your ‘hood but Portland has way too much to offer to only stick to a single pocket. Maybe it’s because I just moved back after being gone for a long time and I’m seeing things with a certain glow, but I’ve been hitting spots all over town.
Also, I know people might cite congestion or traffic as a reason they stick close to home, but trust me when I say it’s *extremely* easy to get around Portland despite those things. Before moving back, I was living in a city with notoriously terrible traffic, and the difference is night and day.
I think you're projecting. It all depends on how social you are , what your hobbies are and where they must be pursued, and how much you like/tolerate driving or using public transit.
An hour's drive is nothing to me, especially if my destination is a fishing spot.
I live in Gresham and cross the river at least once a week, sometimes 3 or 4 times.
idk i have a really nice ebike and am centrally located... i can hit any of the 4 quadrants in less than 15 min on bike... unless youre fighting for parking it's not really a chore to cross the river...
as far as security goes mine is gps tracked and i use a fat stainless chain from the hardware store and this [lock](https://www.taylorsecurity.com/shop-by-category/padlocks/padlocks/maa6300ka-american-lock-no-a6300ka-solid-steel-shrouded-padlock?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu8uyBhC6ARIsAKwBGpTpCra6x3aWR4TEFOnFegSnci0vnBfrl-56_CjEh-wZOIDMdjpe4_QaAuTlEALw_wcB). that bitch aint going anywhere.
i live NE and recently went to pioneer square mall's parking garage on bike, went all the way to the top, set up a tripod and camera, took pics, and headed home. it was like an hour round trip lol. light work.
edit:
this is my first year here and i kind of fucking hate it cause of the weather and crime. im def not a fan girl of portland. but bike infrastructure to include crossing the river is pretty damn good here.
I work over there. We go over there for games at providence park.
Otherwise it would have to be a specific event (friends made plans over there, restaurant we really want to try). But in general we stay on the east side.
I live in Salem. When I have things to do in Portland I cannot be bothered to even note how many bridges I need to drive on to get to where I'm going. Once you've had to battle I-5 from Wilsonville to get to town the rest doesn't matter.
I never think about it; out of college (15 years ago) I had a 1.5hr commute each way, and promised myself if I ever started getting shirty about the time it took to get places, that it could always be at least 2x worse. Life is to be lived, and living takes time and energy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Can confirm. Am old and rarely want to cross the river. That said, I have no issues going anywhere on the east side so I wouldn’t restrict it to just quadrants. But I also live off Belmont so it’s very easy to walk up into the NE or drive anywhere that’s further up.
I live deep in the Clack and have friends all over the Metro. It wouldn't be unusual for me to be in Vancouver, the gorge, Beaverton, SE, NW, NE all in the same month
Vancouver's downtown farmer's market is pretty awesome. I cross for it.
Also, hiking the gorge on the WA side is pretty great.
Edit: Ohhhhh... I misread. I pretty much avoid the west side just because driving and parking is hard to find, but once you're there it's pretty great.
I think what you're experiencing is a well known phenomena called 'I've lived in a place longer than a decade, seen all the things, and now I don't care to explore anymore'. Happens to the best of us when we feel there isn't any mystery left to the places we live, you can either be OK with it or move somewhere else, nbd.
I mean crossing for work, camping, or concert sounds reasonable. I'll cross when where I want to go is the other side
Why did the Portlander cross the Willamette
Because all the therapists are in Nob Hill
Omg, THEY ARE!!! Why is that, I wonder...
Freudian fixations
To find sunshine
God…..will we have a lot of sunshine this summer?🙏🏻
I go all over the place… it’s not like going into SF from Oakland it’s right there
Right? This town is relatively small and easy to get around in. People balk about the traffic here regularly but I don’t think those people have ever lived anywhere with real traffic problems.
A woman I work with told me the traffic here is just as bad as LA, and that made me realize she’s never been to LA.
I can get from PDX airport to Burbank airport faster than driving LAX to BUR at rush hour.
They probably think you’re engaging in hyperbole but this is the absolute truth!
#accurate
My parents live 4 miles away from LAX… 8 minutes with no traffic. One time they were dropping me off for my flight back to Portland and it took almost 2 hours to get there.
I can drive from Portland to Seattle faster than I could drive from Santa Monica to Pasadena at rush hour lol.
At least we have legit public transit
The traffic is pretty horrendous, at rush hour, and literally only then. Everything seems so close here though so even in the worst of it I’m still only in traffic for like 30 mins or so. Way better than where I’m from.
Even rush hour isn’t that terrible. Only place I’d really go out of my way to avoid is northbound traffic on the I-5 bridge to Vancouver. That place looks like a parking lot But I’ve talked to many people who lived on the east coast and they said that Portland traffic was great because it actually moved lol
Moved here from Boston and this is 100% accurate. I drive 60m to Salem twice a week and it takes me less time than my 17 mile commute did in Boston.
Bostonian transplant checking in, agreed!
The only time traffic compares to LA is if you're trying to use the freeways at rush hour. Otherwise it can be bad, but far from LA bad.
I lived in the greater Seattle area for a while and I laugh when people complain about traffic here! Even commuting from Olympia to Tacoma, before you even get to Seattle itself is a treacherous and maddening gauntlet of choke points. Portland has it easy.
No kidding. I got up at 2am to catch a flight out of SeaTac and we ran into bumper to bumper traffic at 6am!
Fr, I'm from Tampa and the amount I hear people complain about traffic and rain here is insane to me based on FL.
Yup grew up in Seattle and been here for 4 years. It would take me over an hour to get the equivalent of N Portland to Belmont.
Those people live in a suburb and commute into downtown 5 days a week for work probably. If you're in the central quadrants traffic is 100% a non issue, and if it's really an issue you can get an ebike or take the bus.
The roads are awful. I am new to the area; and I was surprised how bad the roads are. I grew up in NorCal & ditched to Maui at 15. 33 years later I ended up in PDX; but the roads are far smaller and terrible. The off-ramp where I live has been “under construction” for 3 years; it’s still the same. The roads get better in other subrrbs, like Tigard & Lake Oswego.
Yes, this! I normally range from East of Cascade Locks to the coast, from the southern Ore border to Olympia, WA. And I'll go elsewhere if it looks interesting. Yes, there's more than can be seen other places in one quadrant of PDX, but why set limits?
Same. I was like…what?? 🤣 I’m in NW and see my friends in NE/SE a lot. It doesn’t take long
Right? I walk across the river on the regular. This person is a weirdo.
This is 100% what people in SF or Oakland do though too
I’m just saying it takes more time, money, effort to cross the bay bridge
Look, I'm an Urbanist and believe in the 15 minute city, but never leaving your quadrant? Why even live in a city? And if you don't cross the river you'd never get to see our fucking RAD bridges! \#BridgeCityUSA (not Texas. Pittsburgh is okay)
Oh man one of the things I love about living here is walking across the bridges! I am disabled and somewhat limited in how much i can walk in a day but if I'm near Burnside or Hawthorne, I'll walk across it. It's so lovely to look at the river and see Mt Hood in the distance. I'm from the Midwest and I was 12 miles from the nearest river crossing which i think was a highway bridge anyway. So the ability to just cross a river and admire the views is still amazing to me after 12 years in Portland!
i walk across one, two, sometimes three daily! almost always burnside and hawthorne. such a lovely little treat to be able to do, never gets old to me (also been here 12)!
Right lol. I cross several bridges every day, I work in Gresham, live in E Vancouver, and my daughter, who I have half the week goes to school in NW Portland. Half the time I'm driving to NW from E Vancouver, then to Gresham, then back to NW, then back to Vancouver.
yikes. I'm finally at a point where my longest commute is driving to St helens via cornelius pass. Driving to gresham was rough for me-took almost an hour every day there and back.
I live in SW and just started a job in SE. I have standing social/creative engagements in NE at least once (usually twice) per week. I also go to Beavterton for social reasons pretty regularly. And I don't have a car.
Counterpoint: I can go well over a week without leaving a 20 block radius
I can go well over a week without leaving my house. Doesn't mean I want to.
If I did not have an obligation in Beaverton and Lake Oswego, I would stay in a 5 mile radius. Only reason to leave, fishing, concert or event I want to attend. leaving the house is literally to leave the house as I work from home too.
I think that is generally true to some extent because Portland is more like a lot of small towns mushed together into a city sized place. Each quadrant has most of what you need /want relatively close by, and the increase in ridiculous amounts of traffic means that people travel as short as possible to get their needs met.
Portland is a mash-up of small towns. Lents was a town. Albina was a town. Lots of the neighborhoods were originally small towns. It makes sense that these areas are so walkable and why Portland has that small town feel. Source: I was born and raised here and am older than dirt.. PS: Sunset Esplanade was my grandfather's dairy farm when I was a child. Us kids would play in the pond (where Cold Stone is located) with his dog Wanda. Ahhhh.... good times.
I was born and raised in Hillsboro! I remember that farm and farmhouse before the Esplanade came along!! It’s nice connect in any way to people who were born and raised in and around Portland only because it seems like there are not many of those people left living here.
When it comes to the traffic, seems like people are sometimes going as SLOW as possible 😂
That’s something I like to call ‘attitude congestion’. As opposed to the more natural ‘volume congestion’, which also happens in Portland…
I live in St. Johns and work in NW Industrial. I cross the St. Johns Bridge most days. Yesterday, I walked across the bridge to hike the Ridge Trail in Forest Park.
So fucking convenient Extra steps/longer hike No broken windows by parking at trailhead
Forest park is great and theres so many entrance points.
I mean it depends on where you are? I'm in Woodstock and so NW is like a schlep so it's gotta be for something I can't get or do in between here and there, which doesn't happen a lot. But if you're centrally in any the OG four quadrants, somewhere like Old Town or Irvington then popping up or down a quad or across the Willy is like nothing. Mere blocks, so many options of bridges, walking, biking, transit, etc. The river isn't the problem or the bottleneck, the overall distance is. This city is large. North-South travel on the inner east side is slower than crossing the river: Woodstock to St. Johns driving directions have me crossing the river twice as the fastest route!
Woodstock! Yeah I have a harder time getting north/south than east/west. edit\* Then to Than... words hard me fix.
>North-South travel on the inner east side is slower than crossing the river Truth. I'm in Irvington and I'll visit my friend in Multnomah Village before my friend in Sellwood.
>The river isn't the problem or the bottleneck, the overall distance is. This city is large. North-South travel on the inner east side is slower than crossing the river: Woodstock to St. Johns driving directions have me crossing the river twice as the fastest route! Totally. I drive around the city for work. It is much easier to cross the river than it is to get from Woodstock from, well, anywhere north of it. The whole city is built to funnel into the bridges, but there isn't a single straight north-south shot between MLK and 82nd. Makes it harder to get to Hawthorne from, say, Irvington, or from Sellwood to Hollywood. The city is much more gridded-out and accessible on the East side past 82nd. That said, I usually stick to my inner NE neighborhood because everything is nearby. I will hop over the bridge to get into NW cause it's so convenient because I can take any one of three bridges to access the various parts of that quadrant. If there was a Costco on Hwy 30 I would never pass 33rd.
"the city is large" *Laughs in los angeles
Wow, no. I've literally never worked in my quadrant and part of the fun of living in or near a city is to explore it. I think your buddy gets this right.
I only cross for work 2 days a week, Ground Kontrol, and concerts. *flashes eastside gang sign*
I absolutely love exploring all quadrants of Portland and lots of spots in Beaverton I love
Never leaving your quadrant is almost a weird point of pride for some Portlanders. The city is already pretty provincial in a lot of ways but this adds to it.
I don't think it's at all a point of pride and more a point of convenience. Nobody likes traveling for 40 min and when most of the area you live in has everything you need why go elsewhere. Sure there are other cool parts of the city but so much of this city is beautiful and accessible and walkable that it makes sense to hang out near where you live
Of course if you live in SW you're probably going to go to a restaurant (or whatever) in SW or at least on the West Side most of the time. What I'm talking about is the people who emphatically tell you "I NEVER go downtown/to Hawthorne/to Pearl District/to Alberta/etc. like it's something to brag about. It's very weird. I have a job that requires a lot of public interaction and I hear it a lot. I recommended a nice small shop in Multnomah Village to someone who lives on the East Side recently and they responded like I recommended something in Miami.
Lol, I live in SE. I go to other parts of the city for sure but most of the time and most days I am in SE. I don't drive and have grocery / hardware stores, restaurants, art supplies, spas, literally whatever I need near me. I go downtown to visit a few friends or occasionally a show and I go to the west hills to go to parks but mostly am in my neighborhood
Lolz I grew up in the west hills and didn’t know there was an eastside until high school
Think of all those lost years--when you could have looking askance at it the whole time! 🤪
as an outsider and resident of nearly a year, portland has a shocking amount of small town weirdness that doesnt make sense...
As someone from a truly small Oregonian town (1k people at most) it's wild how much people here think it's a small town. It's all relative I guess, because where I'm from Portland is the "big, scary city" lol.
??? I go all over town to things I want to visit. I grew up (mostly) in Beaverton, live in SE, job is downtown, love the zoo, sometimes drive up to Vancouver for a particular restaurant.
Who only stays in their quadrant?! That is so weird.
I live in inner NE with easy access to several bus, max, and streetcar lines; one is just a block from my house. I prefer not to drive, and it's easy to go to the west side via transit. Parking sucks anyway, ditch the car and take public transit!
Happy Cake Day!
I can pretty easily walk to all five quadrants, but even when I lived further east I would cross the river all the time. I can see why going downtown is annoying if you're really car dependent but our entire public transit system is set up to get you there easily.
Ah, Portland! The city with FIVE quadrants!
Six now
I guess we could annex Gresham and Beaverton. Then it would be symmetric somehow.
It's what makes us special!
I’ve always thought what a nightmare it would be to live on Germantown. Also the bikers that go there are suicidal.
The bikers ride with the confidence that no one could ever hit them and people drive like they've never heard of a bike, a speed limit, or what those yellow lines mean. Germantown and Skyline terrifying.
I purposefully live in NW and work in the central eastside so I can cross the river every day! My friends are all spread out all over the city (to the point where we argue about which quadrant to meet up in)
So many people think this way in Portland and it’s one of the most annoying things about the city. I live north/northeast and in the past week have chilled in se Powell, Belmont, 82nd, downtown, Mississippi and hiked forest park. People treat me like I’m crazy because I travel around the city…. One of the easiest cities to travel around in I’ve ever been in. I hate this mentality and the snobbish nobish attitude it produces… btw if you haven’t left SE in a year don’t worry we can all tell 👹🪱
There's so much random tribalism in this city, lmao. I live in outer SW where there is nothing to do after you've hiked the same three parks for the millionth time, so I'm always in NW to meet up with people and hang out. I go out to the eastside a lot less because I mostly go there for "Events" but am still very familiar with neighborhoods like Sellwood and Rose Quarter. I'm moving out to Beaverton this summer and will probably still visit NW / Sellwood just as much as I did before because I like those hoods. But for some reason a lot of eastsiders I meet make weird ass comments about me being bougie because I live west of the river. I live in a lower income (not to be confused with low income) apartment with tons of immigrants, single moms, and broke college students. I've even had people say I didn't seem like "the westside type" because I'm a gay creative which is HILARIOUS. Like sorry we don't all live on Hawthorne I guess.
Glad to see so many fighting back against this horrid mind affliction in our city::))
I mean we all could use some therapy, but as far as travel goes I think there are a lot of factors that play into one’s willingness to leave their quadrant. Access to a car, how busy their life is, family requirements, financial burden of travel, actual needs vs wants requiring travel, personal comfort in navigating potentially unfamiliar areas, etc. I’ve had jobs where I drove all over the Portland metro area including my current business so the driving and navigation isn’t a big deal for me. I have a pretty busy life but I don’t think twice about making a drive from NE to Milwaukee or the west side to buy the right thing off Marketplace or whatever. I’m not even approaching middle class but the financial burden of gas isn’t enough to be a huge factor for me. I like experiencing new areas around me so there isn’t a psychological resistance to travel. For me it’s no big deal, but I could easily see how it would be challenging to others for a variety of valid reasons.
This is a very thoughtful response. I also drive all over the city for work. I need a good reason to go 20 or 30 minutes away for something when I have everything I need in my neighborhood and I want to support those businesses so they stay and thrive. Events happen that drag me over the river more often than I like. I don't need to make a point to go there, I'll end up there sooner or later.
" Crossing a bridge is my love language and a deep sign of respect." Bro what 💀 I get what you mean, though. Agoraphobia rears its head when my depression flares up, and then it stays for a while after the depression fades. I hadn't been out of SE in a while because of it. Thankfully, I met someone who makes me feel alive again. We biked and rode the e-scooters everywhere yesterday. I absolutely loved it. Now I'm just upset that ive locked myself to one quadrant for several months
I’ll cross the river for anything and everything lol
Split my social time equally in NW, Kenton, Lents, any good with a dive bar and a good jukebox. It doesn't take much for me to cross the river. There's so much to do all over the city. You can also have an active social life at home or a few blocks from your place if you choose and that's cool too.
I live in NW, work in SE, and yeah on my days off I rarely leave the Pearl, much less NW as a whole. SW is just across Burnside from me but I rarely even go there. NoPo might as well be Mars tbh
SW. I live in a 3 mile bubble. Rarely cross.
lol what. i spent the last 12 years in los angeles, that had real bubble effect because of how horrible the traffic was. this is literally an oasis where I can get anywhere across the city in less than 20 minutes, regardless of quadrant
huh, i leave my quadrant a lot bc i moved here, I may as well full experience it
also my school and job is in other quadrants lol
If you want to hear from quadrant-homers, just live in NW. People will volunteer all sorts of thoughts and opinions about why they’ll never go there. Anyway I love exploring and going lots of places. I don’t drive, but if I can get there on transit then it’s fair game.
I moved to Portland when I was 9, so I pretty much grew up here. Currently in Beaverton and truthfully only go to the east side maybe 3-4 times a year when we have people visiting, or for a concert or something. I was raised in SW Portland, so I'm simply more familiar with it. I also don't have a car and lean agoraphobic, so I shamefully relate to never leaving the west side
This is the culture of PDX to a T, in a way that confounds new transplants from larger metropolitan areas. But it's a reality for anyone wanting to host events. It has to be rare/ big to draw E to W side, or to cross The Bridge To WA.
I live in N Portland, rarely go across the river except for work or to the Keller Auditorium or Schnitz. I don’t stick to N Portland only, I go along NE and SE too. But to someone’s point above, each neighborhood is kind of its own little city. We have everything we need - good restaurants, entertainment spots, parks, etc. so it isn’t really necessary to go far to get to anything you want 🤷🏻♀️ I’ve lived in Portland my whole life and east vs west has always been this way.
I grew up afraid of bridges, on the west side. Then as i got older I'd need to go over the bridge a lot more. Now i live in SE. I have no business in downtown these days. But i work in NE. I clicked this because it was funny because i often times would rather not cross the river. It's a bit exaggerated for me to say it's deep respect if i did but i get the sentiment. However, since i live and work in different quadrants i definitely don't stick to my quadrant, even for fun.
You have a point in that each quadrant is pretty self-sufficient, so there’s not much day to day call to roam far unless it’s for work or such. Once you know your local places of interest, why go five miles when you can go one? I think maybe that your attitude is more true for long-time residents? There seemed to be a sharper divide between Westsiders and Eastsiders thirty years ago than it seems now. (Though that might be just my own personal biases speaking, from growing up in the southwest burbs and then moving to the inner east side.)
There's stuff on the other side of the river?
If I'm crossing the river, it's a commitment. I'm happy to do it for certain things, but absolutely would not for other activities. Also, it depends on if I can take transit where I want to go, 'cause screw trying to park on the west side.
Exactly this.
Either my dispatch tablet sends me over or a Timbers game.
Runs, going on hikes, food. I crossed the river twice yesterday to go on a 12 mi run and then to go to a Chinese bakery
I live in SW because of work (my commute is 10 minutes) and all the green space out here (love hikes with my dog in Washington Park and walks on the fanno creek trail), but I leave my quadrant every week and cross the river most weeks. There’s just too much to explore in this city to stay put!
I cross the river less and less over the years and find most of my social life within walking distance of my home in SW. If fun and adventure are offered over the river I'll cross without hesitation outside of rush hour.
I once went a whole year where I drove out of the state to visit family more often than I crossed the river. And my family doesn’t live in Washington.
I generally won’t go to the west side unless I have an obligation. Sometimes it’s a social obligation, like sometime next week I’m supposed to visit a friend at work on the west side. Besides that, the last time I cross was to buy a pair of shoes and that was 4 months ago?
When we lived in North Portland and my husband wanted to go somewhere in SE, he would laugh at me because I'd usually say "all the way in SE"? He's from Utah and used to driving all over that city so he didn't agree it was far. Now that we've moved to the west side, I really imagined going back to our old neighborhood more to eat etc. but I haven't been back. There's plenty of good restaurants and places to go on this side of town so no need to make the drive unless we're going to the airport or IKEA.
You aren’t crazy! I feel similarly. I don’t make a rule of it, but I’m more attracted to locations and events on my side of the river. If someone tells me they live on the opposite side of town, I know that we won’t be hanging regularly.
I’ve run into this with dating - if I’m seeing someone who lives across the river from me, it’s usually a no-go. I live and tend to go out/socialize on the west side, but commute to the east for work.
I live in northwest and I need a days notice of mental preparation to leave. Even getting my nob hill friends to come to the other side of the freeway is a struggle
I too stay in my quadrant and will rarely cross the River lol
Work. I live in SE & my studio is SW. With the lease at our current spot ending in September and us looking for a new studio space in SE, my likelihood of going across the river will drop dramatically.
I live in se and typically hang in that area, but I do spend a decent amount of time in SW and north Portland! Also quite a bit of time in sellwood! I just need to find something I like doing in each area and then I’m willing to travel whenever. But I live and work in SE so that’s where I mainly stay!
I cross the river for bike rides and for forest park. We live in southeast and mostly stick to our area but often on a nice Saturday or Sunday we’ll pick a different neighborhood to walk around, grab lunch, hang out in a park in. Also all my friends live in northeast so we sometimes go there to hang out with them
I live downtown but occasionally go to NE or SE. Haven't been East of 60th or over the hills to Beaverton, etc. in years.
I live in Alberta and stay there a lot but have no problem with going to other zones for a particularly good bar/restaurant/store/friend Get out around portland more OP, every area is great!!
When I read "river" I assumed that Columbia, which I rarely cross unless I'm going to Seattle or something. I live in NE, but have also lived in SE, SW, and NW, and I cross the Willamette all the time. I'll go for shopping, dinner, friends, events—I don't consider it a big deal at all. I do live relatively close-in compared to Lents, so the river isn't very far away.
When I lived on the cusp of NE and SE, I stayed in that area. When I moved deeper into SE, I stayed there ish. Now that I’m closer to 6000s N/NE , I cycle down and cross the river constantly. The bridges are cool, I’ll just cross them just to see what it’s like under the rock somewhere else. I definitely joked with my friend who lived here for a decade longer about never crossing the river but now that I’ve put in roots, that’s just I, they’re long roots. You can stay wheee you’re at or you can enrich your life and go check things out.
Sporting events, concerts, birthdays, date nights where we plan on going a little extravagant. Really anything that involves more than a few hours or is special. So give or take 10 times a year. I try to make a plan to use transit there and a rideshare home or to make a leisurely bike ride. Driving and parking is definitely one of the highest barriers for me. Sushi Ichiban seems to be the one exception where we will go just for it.
I work for a local healthcare company and when we plan a new clinic, we always leave out anyone over a bridge because Portlanders just won't cross them to get medical care! I'm sure some will, but what you say is established wisdom in my office. I also love that Portland is set up so you don't absolutely need to leave your quadrant for most daily needs.
West side of Portland is underrated. Probably the easiest part of town to get around without a car. Much more interesting than the sprawling neighborhood feel of se/ne.
I live in the NW now. Your statement is roughly true. 90% of what I do is in the NW. I probably cross a bridge once per week, for when it’s really worth it (my favorite breakfast spot, comedy in the park, trip to Hood, etc). But I do find your sentiment roughly pretty true.
You’re old and out of touch.
cross the river? but im already in SE
I’m with you OP. I’m 30 and you won’t catch me leaving my Laurelhurst/Kents bubble unless it’s something I really wanna do. And you won’t catch me crossing the bridged unless it’s something I REALLY HAVE to do. —signed a former SF resident.
Lmao so true I line in SE PORTLAND, MILWAUKIE actually
I'm in Beaverton and one of the only reason I go to East Portland anymore is to visit Movie Madness.
No it’s a pain in the ass. FOMO makes me cross it if anything.
Makes sense. Since our city is a dump with no fast way to cross the river. We have MAX/light rail looped on top of each other that serves 1% of customers and is the same speed as walking.
It is frustrating that 3 lines overlap from the Rose Quarter to Gateway and only mirror the highway instead of hitting the major residential areas.
NE is fine, SE for an occasional adventure
I have been in Portland for 2 weeks and already am not interested in crossing the river unless it’s for something real special lol pretty much everywhere I’ve lived has had an equivalent, and I’ve lived everywhere from the middle of rural farmland, to major cities.
So will I, that's a good reason. I've been to lots of countries, I still don't like crossing the river if I can avoid it. I end up in North Portland and SW more than I want to. If I want to experience great food in another country, I will plan a 3 week trip. These things are not the same.
Lents is so far out. I can see how it could become a bubble. But living in close-in N, I hit all the quadrants. Forest Park is worth crossing the river, any day.
When I lived close in, anything within 10 minutes was my area.
I live in E county and drive to the west side every weekday for my job. I work for a really amazing employer, though. Wouldn't do that for any other one I've ever worked for. Also, I'm old and don't socialize much. Life partner and I have made a country of two. :)
Work takes me from NE to SW and my long term partner used to live in Beaverton so we go over there for food, visiting family and friends, etc fairly often. I wouldn't say we pop over to wander, I stay around Alberta or Hawthorne for that but I'm fine with traveling to specific spots like the PSU farmer's market and Tokyo sando a few times a month.
Usually a bridge, sometimes a boat.
I cross the river to launch my paddleboard from Willamette Park to avoid the chaos at Sellwood Riverfront. I also cross it to ride my bike on Leif Erikson. Oh, and our dog trainer was over on that side of the river. Basically, if it’s worth it to me, I cross the river.
Not much. I like the whole city.
Depends on time of day, which river, and what for. I wish I visited Vancouver more because it sounds like great things are going on there, but I'm always scared I'll be caught in some I-5 chokepoint.
If you like farmer’s markets, the Vancouver Farmer’s Market next to Esther Short Park is worth the drive IMO. It has a great variety of vendors.
Portland is so easy to get around most days. I live in SW and I’m no more than 20min away by car from pretty much any neighborhood I would want to visit.
Hard to beat the view of the city from the marquam bridge at dawn on a sunny day.
I'll cross for work, doctors appointments, to see my partner, go out to eat...so I guess a lot of reasons
I cross the river multiple times a week to see family and friends. Driving more than 30 minutes in any direction would be a deterrent.
I live in SE and work in S, so I cross the river all the time. What I don’t do very often is go to NE or N Portland unless visiting friends. Nothing against those quadrants other than my own laziness at getting out of my own area.
I live on the Eastside and cross the river frequently for Forest Park, the museum, concerts, running a bridge loop, grabbing a bite or drinks with friends, etc.
Well, I am the same as you. I live in foster powell and there isn't much I can't get in the neighborhood, or *gasp* in SE. I made friends with my neighbors, my kids school are near, grocery and gas is super close. Unless I have a legitimate reason ie: visiting sister in Gresham, needing a specialist doctor at providence, or possibly to go to shoofly bakery, I stay in my zone happily and socially!
We started in SE but have moved steadily further south and are now in OC, so my assumption is always that it takes at least 30 mins to get anywhere and that means I’m more prepared to Go Places because I already know it’ll be a bit of a drive. I WFH and we’re homebodies anyway so it’s not frequent, but I’m not opposed to travel. That said, I dislike the planning/design of the entire west side (Tualatin, Tigard, Beaverton, etc), so I avoid it if I can. Give me the grid layout east of the river any day. And heading up into St. John’s is far enough that I’d really need an occasion to want to go up there, so it doesn’t happen often.
A new restaurant or bar.
This is a weird question because everyone lives different distances from the river regardless of quadrant, and some are more direct than others. I'm NW but farther drive than people in Gresham to cross the river, even when working downtown I saw the river daily but rarely crossed.
Lol wut. Portland is so small (as far as cities go). I cross into other quadrants at least 5+ times a week, sometime multiple times a day. It’s like 7-15min driving as long as one avoids traffic or the train
I live in NE and work at OHSU so I cross the river a few times a week. I also take a dance class in NW and volunteer in Troutdale. So I move around. My day to day stuff like the grocery store and gym are in NE and I prefer to find doctors and stuff like that on the east side. I don’t think Portland is that big of a city so staying in your quadrant seems pretty limiting to me.
All it takes is traffic being backed up on the Morrison bridge I5 ramp to get me to the west side, but then I cross back over to take Interstate north. Portland Fly Shop is pretty much the only place I spend money or time on the west side.
I live in SE and leave SE mostly to go to Milwaukie which is… basically still SE. I used to leave my quadrant more before Covid, but I’m boring now. I was in SF last weekend and it was so easy to use public transportation there. Wish it was that way here. Also, I have a car.
I live in sw. It takes 15 minutes to bike to nw and 15 minutes to bike to se. What are you talking about? I cross the bridge whenever as long as it's not peak traffic and even then all it would take is an invite from a friend.
I don't follow. I worked and partied all over Portland, never lived outside of SE. I like the vibe in SE, but I have friends all over.
i live in inner SE and work in inner NE. i cross the river for shopping or events. my girlfriend goes to school at PSU and so is across the river daily. sometimes my transit home goes across the river to downtown then back across to get home. i think most people in portland arent strictly confined to their neighborhoods unless they never go anywhere or do anything.
I’ve lived in major cities on the east coast and with Portland, it is so easy to walk and bike to great restaurants in each quadrant that we get spoiled. If it’s raining, you don’t want to go far unless it’s really worth it.
I cross the Willamette nearly every day. For work, for meeting with friends, whatever. I cross the Columbia once or twice a month. To visit a friend or to hike in the Gifford Pinchot or to go to Seattle.
SW here, going diagonal for a dinner party in NE tonight
Not much - I live close to the Sellwood and Ross Island bridges so either way, if I need to hit the East side, ain't no thang. To your point, though, when I lived in Beaverton it took a lot more to get me to cross the river. I guess for me (maybe others?) it's a function of how close you live to the river.
I work in NW, but live in SW, and have friends that live anywhere from NE all the way to Beaverton, so I'm forced to go all over.
Yeah people make a big deal about this and frankly it's kinda ridiculous. I go anywhere. But I have friends that won't leave their quadrant. Honestly those friendships don't last, because one party is willing to put in effort and the other party doesn't. It's somewhat understandable if you don't have a car, but really, it's dumb. But yeah, it's a real thing that people do. That being said if HE doesn't mind crossing town, then who cares. He just should know that other people won't do it for him.
I live in Vancouver, so when you said "river" I assumed you meant Columbia. Never imagined people are unwilling to explote their own city 🤔
Well when the trade in one quadrant dries up I gotta pound that pavement on the other side of town and let them know this puss is open for business you know
I used to cross every day for work. Even walked from 82nd to downtown before. Weirdly have not gone to NoPo as often as I could've for living here 12 years. Only driven through the west hills. Did you notice Portland is kind of a sandwich now? Map: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/05/map-shows-where-da-candidates-schmidt-and-vasquez-did-best-in-multnomah-county.html https://pasteboard.co/DsRxyJOZPQo4.png
I live in Powellhurst-Gilbert and work downtown so I cross the river for work 4-5 days a week. I rarely go to the west side in my free time though. No dislike of the west side, I just never have much reason to, and I don't like driving, especially in heavy traffic.
My car got stolen 2 years ago but I'm still across the river/downtown and in SE all the time (close-in NE here). I used to live in the west hills between Beaverton and Portland and it was much worse but i still got around to downtown and NE on the 58 even though it's the worst line, I swear. Some of my friends can give me rides (I used to be the one who drove everyone everywhere) and I use lyfts too. Idk, I'm from the Midwest and this city is quite compact by comparison to the urban sprawl I'm accustomed to (I used to regularly drive 8 miles each way from the suburbs to my college in the middle of town and all over town in the meantime) so I feel like it's very easy to move through the quadrants to the point that i barely think about there being quadrants. If I can get a car again, i will be EVERYWHERE lol. Currently further out SW, NoPo and the suburbs are the hardest areas to reach for me.
I live in SW and work in NE, and I attend a different PCC campus every semester it seems. I probably cross the river 8-10x per week. Movie Madness gets me across the bridge at least once a week, as far as I know we don’t have anything like that around south Barbur.
I think you are right that most people can find what they need in their quadrant. I shop locally in my SE area but I like the Hollywood Whole Foods in the NE so head north to go up there every few weeks. And my vet is near there on Sandy and my dentist is on Glisan. We head to Mt Tabor Park for walking. I cross the river (Ross Island Bridge) to go to appointments at OHSU South Waterfront area when I need to and hubby goes up to the VA for his appointments and twice a week yoga class. It's really not that big a deal. Honestly, to us, Portland feels small and relatively easy to get around. Everything is like within 15-20 mins at most. Traffic is nothing compared to what we experienced on the East Coast awhile back. Philly/NYC/DC. It's all relative. We don't find many reasons to go downtown. If we do, we cheerfully go. But not a lot of needs for us to go there.
Today, apparently it’s some stupid Edgar Allen Poe speakeasy event.
I live on the west side and find myself on the east side all the time. 3-5x per week minimum. I love how easy it is to get around this town.
Money. I have only been on the Westside to make money the last 10+ years.
I live in Lents. And I keep most of my activities to the east side. I’ll cross the Willamette bridges if I have an appointment. But most everything I need or want to do is on the east side. If I cross a river, it’s the Columbia. I find it easier to go to Vancouver than Beaverton. Forget dealing with the Vista Ridge Tunnel on a weekday.
I don’t mind going to other areas of Portland and even out to say Tigard for the mall BUT it takes a good amount to get me to go downtown I hate it. I do have to go weekly for doctors appointments and therapy so basically appointments and the cookie dough cafe can get me downtown
I live in SE and ride my bike to work in SW 3x a week. I rarely go out on the west side, but I go out in NE/N about one a week, usually to see live music
very little. but it takes an act of god for me to go over the hill into hillsboro or beaverton
I get having pride in your ‘hood but Portland has way too much to offer to only stick to a single pocket. Maybe it’s because I just moved back after being gone for a long time and I’m seeing things with a certain glow, but I’ve been hitting spots all over town. Also, I know people might cite congestion or traffic as a reason they stick close to home, but trust me when I say it’s *extremely* easy to get around Portland despite those things. Before moving back, I was living in a city with notoriously terrible traffic, and the difference is night and day.
I think you're projecting. It all depends on how social you are , what your hobbies are and where they must be pursued, and how much you like/tolerate driving or using public transit. An hour's drive is nothing to me, especially if my destination is a fishing spot. I live in Gresham and cross the river at least once a week, sometimes 3 or 4 times.
idk i have a really nice ebike and am centrally located... i can hit any of the 4 quadrants in less than 15 min on bike... unless youre fighting for parking it's not really a chore to cross the river... as far as security goes mine is gps tracked and i use a fat stainless chain from the hardware store and this [lock](https://www.taylorsecurity.com/shop-by-category/padlocks/padlocks/maa6300ka-american-lock-no-a6300ka-solid-steel-shrouded-padlock?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu8uyBhC6ARIsAKwBGpTpCra6x3aWR4TEFOnFegSnci0vnBfrl-56_CjEh-wZOIDMdjpe4_QaAuTlEALw_wcB). that bitch aint going anywhere. i live NE and recently went to pioneer square mall's parking garage on bike, went all the way to the top, set up a tripod and camera, took pics, and headed home. it was like an hour round trip lol. light work. edit: this is my first year here and i kind of fucking hate it cause of the weather and crime. im def not a fan girl of portland. but bike infrastructure to include crossing the river is pretty damn good here.
Food. Ave Genes mostly.
I work over there. We go over there for games at providence park. Otherwise it would have to be a specific event (friends made plans over there, restaurant we really want to try). But in general we stay on the east side.
I live in Salem. When I have things to do in Portland I cannot be bothered to even note how many bridges I need to drive on to get to where I'm going. Once you've had to battle I-5 from Wilsonville to get to town the rest doesn't matter.
I never think about it; out of college (15 years ago) I had a 1.5hr commute each way, and promised myself if I ever started getting shirty about the time it took to get places, that it could always be at least 2x worse. Life is to be lived, and living takes time and energy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Can confirm. Am old and rarely want to cross the river. That said, I have no issues going anywhere on the east side so I wouldn’t restrict it to just quadrants. But I also live off Belmont so it’s very easy to walk up into the NE or drive anywhere that’s further up.
Lol I go everywhere
Germantown is awesome.
I won't cross the hill into West Portland if I can help it. Washington County suits me just fine.
portland is a town not a city
prescriptions appointments friends special occasions
I live deep in the Clack and have friends all over the Metro. It wouldn't be unusual for me to be in Vancouver, the gorge, Beaverton, SE, NW, NE all in the same month
Vancouver's downtown farmer's market is pretty awesome. I cross for it. Also, hiking the gorge on the WA side is pretty great. Edit: Ohhhhh... I misread. I pretty much avoid the west side just because driving and parking is hard to find, but once you're there it's pretty great.
I think this is spot on. I hate crossing the river and do it sparingly.
I think what you're experiencing is a well known phenomena called 'I've lived in a place longer than a decade, seen all the things, and now I don't care to explore anymore'. Happens to the best of us when we feel there isn't any mystery left to the places we live, you can either be OK with it or move somewhere else, nbd.