Getting Around

Bike Travel. It's tough to find a more bike-friendly city in America. Visitors are impressed by the facilities available for bicyclists—more than 300 mi of bike lanes, paths, and boulevards.

Car Travel. I-5 enters Portland from the north and south. I-84, the city's major eastern approach, terminates in Portland. U.S. 26 and U.S. 30 are primary east-west thoroughfares. Bypass routes are I-205, which links I-5 and I-84 before crossing the Columbia River into Washington, and I-405, which arcs around western downtown.

From the airport to downtown, take I-205 south to westbound I-84. Drive west over the Willamette River and take the City Center exit. If going to the airport, take I-84 east to I-205 north; follow I-205 to the airport exit.

Traffic on I-5 north and south of downtown and on I-84 and I-205 east of downtown is heavy between 6 am and 9 am and between 4 and 8 pm. Four-lane U.S. 26 west of downtown can be bumper-to-bumper any time of day going to or from downtown.

Most city-center streets are one-way only, and SW 5th and 6th avenues between Burnside and SW Madison are limited to bus traffic.

Though there are several options, parking in downtown Portland can be tricky and expensive. If you require more than several hours, your most affordable and accessible option is to park in one of seven city-owned "Smart Park" lots.

Rates range from $1.50 per hour (short-term parking, four hours or less) to $3-$5 per hour (long-term parking, weekdays 5 am-6 pm), with a $15 daily maximum; rates are lower weekends and evenings. Participating merchants will validate tickets and cover the first two hours of parking when you spend at least $25 in their stores. There are numerous privately owned lots around the city as well; fees for those vary.

Street parking is metered only, and requires you to visibly display a sticker on the inside of your curbside window. The meters that dispense the stickers take coins or credit cards. Metered spaces are mostly available for 90 minutes to three hours; parking tickets for exceeding the limit are

regularly issued. Once you get out of downtown and into residential areas, there's plenty of nonmetered street parking available.

Car-rental rates in Portland begin at $30 a day and $138 a week, not including the 17% Multnomah County tax if you rent in this county, which includes the airport. All major agencies are represented.

Taxi Travel. Taxi fare is $2.50 at flag drop plus $2.30 per mi for one person. Each additional passenger pays $1. Cabs cruise the city streets, or you can phone for one.

Contacts

Broadway Cab 503/227-1234.

New Rose City Cab 503/282-7707.

Portland Taxi Company (503/256-5400. www.portlandtaxi.net.)

Radio Cab 503/227-1212.

TriMet/MAX Travel. TriMet operates an extensive system of buses, streetcars, and light rail trains. The Central City streetcar line runs between Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Nob Hill, the Pearl District, downtown, and Portland State University. To Nob Hill it travels along 10th Avenue and then on NW Northrup; from Nob Hill it runs along NW Lovejoy and then on 11th Avenue. Trains stop every few blocks. Buses can operate as frequently as every five minutes or only once an hour.

Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX light rail, links the eastern and western Portland suburbs with downtown, Washington Park and the Oregon Zoo, the Lloyd Center district, the convention center, and the Rose Quarter. From downtown, trains operate daily 5:30 am-1 am and run about every 10 minutes Monday-Saturday and every 15 minutes on Sunday and holidays.

Bus, MAX, and streetcar fare is $2.50 for all zones.

Day passes for unlimited system-wide travel cost $4.75. Three-day, weekly, and monthly passes are available. As you board the bus, the driver will hand you a transfer ticket good for one to two hours on all buses and MAX trains. Be sure to hold on to it whether you're transferring or not; it also serves as proof that you have paid for your ride. Bikes are allowed in designated areas on MAX trains, and there are bike racks on the front of all buses.