Maybe you’ve heard that the city of Portland, Oregon has been proclaimed North America’s “Best Big City,” according to Money magazine. Or perhaps you’ve read that Portland was rated “#1 for America’s General Safety and #1 for ease of getting around ” by Travel + Leisure magazine. One visit will explain why. Come take a first-hand look at the region’s natural beauty, its bustling local scene, our seasonally focused dining and our welcoming accommodations – much of which can be accessed via the region’s convenient and eco-friendly light-rail system. You’ll soon understand why so many visitors flock here year-round.

In 2007, the New York Times described Portland as “a full-fledged dining destination” currently enjoying its “golden age of dining and drinking.” Our taste buds couldn’t agree more! Here, eclectic restaurants, food shops, and farmers markets abound in every neighborhood, and our world renowned chefs serve it up fresh, local, and organic. For an awesome culinary experience, look no further.

Portland’s arts and culture scene is exploding. Artists of all kinds make their home here, and these days — with galleries popping up on both sides of the river — it seems nearly every neighborhood has an art walk. No matter how you like your art — on screen, on stage, in a museum or in the streets — you’ll discover Portland is the place to be.

You like your food organic and your world sustainable? You reduce, reuse and recycle? You care about your planet and want to leave the smallest environmental footprint possible? Welcome to Portland, “America’s greenest city” (Popular Science).

Not just kid-friendly, Portland is downright kid-focused. Whether soaring over treetops at the Discovery Museum at the World Forestry Center or going below the surface in the decommissioned Navy submarine U.S.S. Blueback at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), every member of your family will love the City of Roses.

Shopping is most pleasurable when it’s like a day at the spa. You’ll love the regal customer service, the name-brand stores, and the boutiques and designers you can find only here. Even the bill – with no sales tax – feels good.