Ritzy yet Classic, Pioneer Place Mall Provides Up-Scale Shopping Experience - Pioneer Place mall

Pioneer Place Mall is a hard thing to miss. All visitors have to do to get there is take a step off Portland's famous Max train, and they'll find themselves standing right in the doorway of the impressive four-level mall with imposing glass ceilings taking up four city blocks of space. Activity is always buzzing around the area: since the mall is located right in the heart of downtown Portland where the city itself comes to life, people are constantly shuffling to and fro, either to shop inside or to pass by in order to get to one of the many nearby attractions. Street performers utilize the mall's exceptional location and are always sharing their art with pedestrians, either by playing music, doing chalk drawings, or pretending to be an immovable statue.

One step inside the mall and viewers can see the soaring atrium, the rotunda with glass skylights, and the 369,000 square feet of upscale shopping. Pioneer Place Mall houses over 85 stores of all different kinds, from clothing to food to entertainment, all of which charge no sales tax because the state of Oregon is free from it. The stores give shoppers a sense of the thriving cosmopolitan fashion and community. Some of the shops are well-known and popular retailers, while others are one-of-a-kind shops that can only be found in the mall. Just when a person thinks they've seen it all, they discover the underground tunnel on the bottom floor that leads to the other half of the mall across the street.

The mall opened in 1990 and has since become a popular shopping place for Portlanders and tourists alike. It was developed by The Rouse Company and is currently owned by General Growth Properties. Pioneer Place features many services and amenities, such as ATM, mall gift cards, copy and fax service, postage service, visitor info, lost and found, strollers, taxi services, wheelchair services, and parking for 200 cars. The stores sell every kind of item and service on would expect, including house ware, music, books, shoes, sports and fitness, technology and electronics, toys and hobbies, and more. When shoppers get tired from their long day of reaping the mall's benefits, they can see a hit movie at the a 6-screen movie theater with stadium seating inside the mall.

One of the biggest perks of the Pioneer Mall is its fantastic location. Because it's within the downtown area and it sits right between two Max light rail platforms, it only takes minutes to get to many of Portland's famous attractions, like Portland Chinese Gardens, the Oregon Zoo, Waterfront Park, the Japanese Gardens, and the International Rose Test Garden. The mall is also right next door to the Pioneer Courthouse Square, sometimes known as the city's "living room,'' which is where it got its name. Pioneer Square is a bustling outdoor venue that hosts over 300 events a year, such as concerts and cultural festivals. Approximately 26,000 people pass by the square each day and thousands more visit the site directly, making Pioneer Square the most visited site in the city.