The PDX in Pix: Images From Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon has been trying to give Austin, Texas a run for its money with the “Keep Portland Weird” slogan that you see often around town. This batch of Portland images largely upholds that reputation for unique quirkiness.

Let’s check out a selection of images from Portlandia. I don’t think Portlandia is actually a real nickname for Portland, but I like it a lot more than “Stumptown,” one of the actual monikers for the place. It’s also called “Rose City,” which is the best of all.

Many of these pics are very recent, and others are 10-15 years old. You can see the character of the city throughout the 2000s in this collection. Let’s start with some random city pics, and then move on to the weird pics.

Portland Images: Random Sights Around the City

Welcome to Chinatown!

Portland has a decent light rail system, which has a stop in Old Town-Chinatown.

We mentioned that Portland is called The Rose City, remember? See lots of images like this at the International Rose Test Garden.

I love this pic from a city bus. That mother with the stroller looks like she’s in The Ring movie. She’s going to die next!

These guys kick off the PDX pride parade, which is really huge for a mid-sized city.

A sizzlin’ storefront.

Being from Pittsburgh, where all the bridges are yellow, I find it amusing when bridges are different colors, like a rusty maroon.

Looking back down on the highways along the river.

Another view of the main street in the Hawthorne District which, you may have heard, is a neighborhood I love.

Keep Portland Weird: Photos of the Quirky Side

Look out Austin, Portland would like to challenge your weirdness! From my perspective, the PDX has the edge. There’s no show called Austinia, after all. In many ways, Austin only has a slightly quirky side.

But Portland is just flat-out strange. In a good way.

Pedi-cab drivers in bizarre outfits transporting passengers across town. Weird!

I spotted this cruiser on the street. I don’t know much about cars, so I can’t tell you what make or model it is. I just know it’s a sweet ride!

Voodoo Doughnut is one of the best weird things to do in the city. It’s a must-visit for tourists! Pick out a weird (or possibly naughty) donut for breakfast.

Oh no… they forgot to build the rest of this building! It’s a hollow building front downtown.

Check it out… the smallest official city park in the world! Mill Ends Park is 452 square inches. Just big enough to grow a tree and have one person sit on the edge!

It’s the World Naked Bike Ride! Portland’s WNBR is one of the biggest around. Not quite as big as the Chicago World Naked Bike Ride, but not far off. This pic is sufficiently blurry to give you the overall vibe of the event without scarring you too much. You’re welcome.

Here’s one of my favorite street signs ever! The rail tracks downtown create ridges that can be dangerous to the city’s many bicyclists. The image of bikers tumbling head over heels on an official street sign makes me laugh.

This statue/sculpture/heap of bikes sums up the city’s bike culture.

In what other city can you pose with a giant Adidas shoe?

These dog walkers seem straight out of a Portlandia episode!

More weirdness: There’s an actual volcano within the city limits! Mount Tabor is now a popular city park.

I went to Glowing Greens, a neon and blacklight establishment that had axe throwing and mini golf. It was fun making long putts in this wacko environment.

And finally, there’s an actual Vacuum Museum in Portland. How kooky! It’s actually just a single wall inside a vacuum store.

You can stop in there for free, read about the history of electronic suction devices, and see old vacuums from the past several decades.

This wraps up our series of Portland images. The creator of “Keep Portland Weird” says the city isn’t as weird as it used to be. Do you agree?