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On first glance, Seattle would appear to win by a longshot...but after spending much time in both I find Portland's downtown to be more dense, vibrant, colorful, better bars and restaurants, and more walkable with smaller blocks...Sure, the buildings arent as tall in Portland but Seattle's downtown is filled with wierd industrial areas and feels more restricted and harder to navigate. Seattle does have more distinct neighborhoods outside of downtown but they all feel very disconnected (besides Queen Anne and Capitol Hill), while Portland is one giant, flat grid.
Overall, in many ways I find Portland to be more connected and with a very navigable downtown that has unique areas, but all feels like part of the same area. Seattle's downtown is bizarre, some areas are accessible, some are not at all. Downtown Portland easily connects into other neighborhoods (that feel like part of downtown ) like the Pearl District and 'trendy 23rd', while getting from downtown Seattle to other neighborhoods feels like a trek.
I find it interesting because Seattle is always considered the 'big city' of the area but I actually think Portland has a cooler, more contiguous, and easier to walk urban area. Anyone agree or disagree?
I am curious which parts of downtown Seattle you feel to be "restricted"? Are you counting the ship yards and SODO (south of the stadiums) as part of downtown? I can't think of any weird industrial areas myself. First Hill, Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, Belltown, and to a lesser degree Queen Anne are all directly connected to downtown. Portland doesn't have as much commerce going on downtown, the blocks are smaller, and its much flatter than Seattle, so it does give it a different vibe, but I wouldn't necessarily call it more urban than Seattle.
I am curious which parts of downtown Seattle you feel to be "restricted"? Are you counting the ship yards and SODO (south of the stadiums) as part of downtown? I can't think of any weird industrial areas myself. First Hill, Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, Belltown, and to a lesser degree Queen Anne are all directly connected to downtown. Portland doesn't have as much commerce going on downtown, the blocks are smaller, and its much flatter than Seattle, so it does give it a different vibe, but I wouldn't necessarily call it more urban than Seattle.
I consider Pioneer Square and Belltown to be part of downtown...As for wierd areas, Im talking about the area sort of by Denny and 9th there, near the Pink Elephant carwash, and coming in from Dexter...There are areas where you could walk for a while without finding a restaurant or bar, for example. I actually think Portland's downtown has more commerce per capita considering the smaller space, and no matter where you are in DT Portland, youre near a commercial establishment.
Are you kidding around with this thread or are you serious? Seattle is a top tier city with big business and serious buildings and major tunnels and digs and viaducts and waterfront tourism and ships and a huge port and ferry systems and freeway interchanges and everything else a major city has.
Portland is smaller, less commerce, not many skyscrpaers and barely a mid-tier city with a local appeal. Portland's downtown is walkable because its small and you can walk from one side to the next in a half hour (ever been to Austin?). Overall comparing downtown Tacoma or Bellevue (size-wise) may be more apples to apples than comparing that little hippie commune you call Ptown to our Emerald City.
And yes, I live in Seattle and spent 3+ years in Portland at PSU and working downtown on 5th and Main.
Well, I live in Seattle and have spent time in Portland. I disagree with the OP, but I see where's he coming from. Much of the NW and SW quadrants in Portland feels like downtown and there are tons of interesting bars and restaurants, and it does feel more connected and easier to navigate. Seattle, though, does have a much larger downtown with more distinct areas and overall feels more urban to me...
Also, sorry but Tacoma and Bellevue can't come close to Portland. I would say just 23rd Avenue alone in Portland has more than Tacoma (I like 6th Ave and all, but come on)
Quote:
Originally Posted by brandonlee206
Are you kidding around with this thread or are you serious? Seattle is a top tier city with big business and serious buildings and major tunnels and digs and viaducts and waterfront tourism and ships and a huge port and ferry systems and freeway interchanges and everything else a major city has.
Portland is smaller, less commerce, not many skyscrpaers and barely a mid-tier city with a local appeal. Portland's downtown is walkable because its small and you can walk from one side to the next in a half hour (ever been to Austin?). Overall comparing downtown Tacoma or Bellevue (size-wise) may be more apples to apples than comparing that little hippie commune you call Ptown to our Emerald City.
And yes, I live in Seattle and spent 3+ years in Portland at PSU and working downtown on 5th and Main.
I consider Pioneer Square and Belltown to be part of downtown...As for wierd areas, Im talking about the area sort of by Denny and 9th there, near the Pink Elephant carwash, and coming in from Dexter...There are areas where you could walk for a while without finding a restaurant or bar, for example. I actually think Portland's downtown has more commerce per capita considering the smaller space, and no matter where you are in DT Portland, youre near a commercial establishment.
Yes, the area you are describing is sort of a triangle bounded by belltown, south lake union, and midtown. Its definitely underdeveloped compared to the rest of "downtown", but its kind of stretching to include that neighborhood as part of downtown. I don't consider the Space Needle or Seattle Center to be downtown at all. It's not really an industrial area either, its more commercial than anything. If you spent most of your time around that area, I could see how you could say Seattle was less urban than Portland.
Seattle by far. Way more going on, and way more people come downtown, not to mention better shopping. Portland is really just a small city compared to Seattle.
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