Portland ranked No. 1 for many things! (Eugene, Hillsboro: condos, transfer, luxury)

[rswlguy]

http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/...ortland-oregon

Portland ranked No. 1 for public transportation and pedestrian friendliness, safety, cleanliness, public parks, and environmental awareness.

T&L yearly polls for travel ratings put PDX #1 on a couple of things! YOU should be proud! Every single citizen!

What makes this true in your mind? Let me hear what you kind folks have to say!

I'm a native Central Californian ... I really NEED to get back to the West Coast. I'm considering a move to PDX to be closer to my Dad who just relocated to Eugene.

I currently live in Metro Atlanta ... everyone on this board is complaining [whining] about the 'poor' ratings that were acknowledged by T&L polling representatives (average travellers, like you and me). However I believe that the ratings for ATL are absolutely correct if not emphatically correct.

Once again, congratulations! What makes PDX so special!

[Mike-NC]

After visiting PDX repeatedly in the last few years, I would agree with the T&L ratings. I found the Portland Museum of Art to be a true gem, and the low rating for art museums must be in comparison to such cities as NY, Chicago, etc. From my point of view, the low rating for "luxury boutiques" is a plus. Who needs that stuff? I have been impressed by the fresh food available in markets and the large number of excellent restaurants and bakeries for a medium-sized city. The auto traffic is far, far more manageable than in Seattle, SFO, LA, or San Diego.

[crazylegs5150]

Kinda surprised that T&L listed "friendliness" as #3. Woulda thought it was a bit higher.

[Bluesbabe]

I can agree with practically everything here, but I think public transportation could be a lot better. It's fine in some "spots", poor in others. MAX train serves only those who live near it, and Tri-Met cut back on busses long ago. Very common for transit travel to take almost 2 hrs between all the transferring and waiting. I live in Hillsboro, 10 miles from my job, and it averages an hour to get home. Tri-Met needs to work on increasing their bus runs but I doubt that will happen too soon.

[lilypad]

I lived in Portland about 10 years ago. Have heard the downtown area has deteriorated since that time, increased crime, dirty, panhandlers, etc. Is this accurate or just in certain spots?

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by Bluesbabe

Tri-Met needs to work on increasing their bus runs but I doubt that will happen too soon.

You are right, although many people have said this, they won't. The Metro planners want to use street cars so the routes are fixed.

This way, developers (if given enough tax incentives, of course) will build condos and other things along the routes. If the public transportation routes can change, they won't do this.

[meltinjohn]

I notice the MAX should run out to Hawthrone and it doesnt.