Weed tourist - Vancouver or denver

[LowFalutin]

@lowfalutin, @thesloppy & others..
How does buckman neighbourhood sound?
Also guys do you know i there are any tours of gardens available? Would love to see some of the operations out there
We are all jealous in the UK!!!

buckman's a good close-in, east-side 'hood, location-wise:
funky social/eating scenes on hawthorne, clinton, and division are there.
(similar to van, bc's commercial drive scene)
a lot of dispensaries are located around there.
(zoom in on this map to see where http://projects.oregonlive.com/maps/marijuana/dispensaries )
and you'll be close to (west) downtown, just a bridge away.

kush tourism is the only company i know that does tours
http://kushtourism.com

the city-data forum is also a great place to ask (non-weed) questions
http://www.city-data.com/forum/oregon/

check out the horse brass, for portland's idea of an authentic UK pub
http://www.horsebrass.com

cheers

 

[thesloppy]

Yay! Buckman is my 'hood, you chose good! Plenty of stuff to walk to, and convenient to many other parts of the city. Hawthorne street/district is Portland's art/counter-culture district (though there's nearly identical neighborhoods everywhere on the eastside these days) similar to Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco.

Farma is a dispensary in Buckman I think is worth checking out. It's one of the most impressive dispensaries in terms of product and aesthetic...but FYI it's also one of the most expensive shops in town.

Ladd's Circle/Addition is a nearby, weird diaganol pattern of streets/alleys stuck in the middle of Portland's grid of streets, depending on when you visit it can be beautiful, with some of Portland's oldest homes, 4 separate rose gardens and a circular park in the middle.

Architecture - I feel like it should be noted that Portland's architecture suuuuUUUUUuuuuucks. There's a handful of interesting old homes, but the state's relative youth, wet climate, and wood-based economy have all contributed towards the city's lackluster skyline & buildings. Especially for anyone coming from Europe, the nature is beautiful here, but don't come looking for any buildings/constructions of interest.

I haven't heard anything about folks offering a garden tour, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open.

 

[Genghis Kush]

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[matt11]

Denver for sure.

 

[LowFalutin]

route maps and schedules for light rail, street car, and buses...
http://trimet.org/schedules/index.htm

here's a northerly view from the upper terminus of portland's aerial tram,
http://www.gobytram.com
showing some of the bridges that connect the east and west sides
of downtown. volcano mt. st. helens in the distance...

tram in flight, and the new peds/bikes/transit-only tilikum crossing bridge
(over the semi-mighty willamette river)
http://www.travelportland.com/article/tilikum-crossing/

 

[thesloppy]

Division st has some shops.

Division is nuts these days....I used to walk/bus that route every day to ye olde Cleveland high school back in the '80s, and it was all appliance repair shops, sketchy bars, and pawn shops. Nowadays I can barely afford to eat/shop on Division, it's swank.

I'm not one of these folks who are gonna sweat Portland's growth though...all my friends are cranky and want to talk about how it used to be, but it also used to be racist and violent, and there used to be 4 restaurants worth taking a piss in, but nobody remembers those bits.

 

[LowFalutin]

Division is nuts these days....
...Nowadays I can barely afford to eat/shop on Division, it's swank.

last saturday i walked the length of division to 39th (to hit the rite aid)
after taking tilikum crossing.
there's a seriously nice food cart pod (aka Tidbit) at 28th

I'm not one of these folks who are gonna sweat Portland's growth though...all my friends are cranky and want to talk about how it used to be, but it also used to be racist and violent, and there used to be 4 restaurants worth taking a piss in, but nobody remembers those bits.

i moved here thanksgiving w/e of '97 (from SF/north beach),
and there's already huge differences here since then.
speaking of, "blue sky portland" dispensary's giving 25% discounts 'til
8pm tonight.
https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/blue-sky-portland/menu

 

[vikinglace]

Wow that mountain looks insane! I feel really ignorant here as I can't see how to mark a post as helpful, but thank you because they very much are! Can't wait. If any of you guys find yourself in the UK some time I'm your man / guide. :friends:

 

[thesloppy]

If it's not entirely obvious in that pic, Mt. St. Helens is missing it's top half after erupting in 1980. Mt. Hood is about an equal distance from Portland, and equally beautiful on a nice day. From Buckman it's a good walk to Mt. Tabor, which is a city park built on a volcanic crater, and from that elevation you can get a great view of the city & the surrounding mountains:

Mt. St. Helens & Mt. Hood are both about an hour and a half drive from Portland. St. Helens is to the north, in Washington and is a popular destination for hiking and rock climbing. Mt. Hood (pictured above) is to the East of Portland, is Oregon's tallest mountain, with 3 ski areas (including the lodge used for the exterior of The Shining) and a dozen glaciers that never completely melt, which allows Timberline/Mt. Hood to offer the only year round skiing in the US, as well as hiking and rock/ice climbing throughout most seasons. The snow/terrain quality aren't comparable to places like Colorado or Utah, but there's some more than decent stuff to be had, when the weather co-operates...and the Pacific Ocean & beaches are just a couple hours in the other direction, which very few mountain towns can say.

 

[vikinglace]

So, about two months to go and can’t wait to get to Portland  Good job too if Mr Trumps rhetoric keeps on. Sounds like US will bar any visitors who have had a kebab or a fajita come November if he gets elected!

So I have the following I want to tick off my list if the local Portlandians (big respect going out to Thesloppy and LowFalutin ) have some good suggestions….

1) Really want to try some good organic grown smoke. I favour Sativas, and would like to try some landrace strains, or some of the real cut’s that aren’t really available outside of US. Thinkin some nice long flowering Thai, Mexican types that I’d never be able to grow at home.

So if anyone has some suggestions of dispensary’s that sell this type of bud let me know. I grow organics, and really don’t want to be shoving a load of chemical bud down me.

And also strains. I mean, true NYC Diesel, Strawberry Cough are two that come to mind, and apparently clone only, but very open to suggestions  I suppose whilst I’m there I better take in a proper bit of OG, but again suggestions as not common to see over here. I’ve grown a Fastbuds auto Westcoast OG which was nice. Sure theres lot better examples though. No couchlock wanted!


2) I see no concentrates or edibles not yet for sale to rec users. Q - can you normally get sorted for this from a kind medical users in dispensary’s, or is this a big no no. Someone mentioned going across to Washington to get edibles. Reckon I might.

3) Anywhere hire Vapes? I’m tempted to clean my Crafty and bring it, but maybe bit asking for trouble.

4) Best Burger in town folks? I mean I’m talking a proper filth bag of a burger, Man versus food style, but quality more important :

5) What must I try food / drink wise before leaving Portland / Oregon.

6) Any ideas roughly how much in a cab to Buckman / Division area from the airport?


7) How’d about getting some edibles home?! Must be some that look exactly like sweets and easy enough to get home….hmmm I’m thinking treating my boys back home to some of the US of A’s finest would be a delight and cement our special relationship…that or I end up in the Pen!

 

[aridbud]

Try YELP for foodie, other reviews on questions posed. Don't go with the expectation of what strains you want to try....walk in, then peruse the menu.

Try UBER for transportation....less expensive than a taxi.

Have fun! Good luck!

 

[vikinglace]

Sure will look at trip advisor etc, but nothing beats the knowledge of a local compared opposed to that 'brought' via online reviews..

As for strains, come one, you know that a lot of strains are rehashes, but i was hoping to try something thats a little bit rarer. We generally only get chance to grow from seed over the pond...cuttings = high plant numbers = more problems with the law..

Do you not get dispensaries that focus on certain strains, types?

 

[thesloppy]

Sure will look at trip advisor etc, but nothing beats the knowledge of a local compared opposed to that 'brought' via online reviews..

As for strains, come one, you know that a lot of strains are rehashes, but i was hoping to try something thats a little bit rarer. We generally only get chance to grow from seed over the pond...cuttings = high plant numbers = more problems with the law..

Do you not get dispensaries that focus on certain strains, types?

The dispensaries here are loaded with the latest hyped cuts: cookies, gorilla glue, Bruce Banner, and dawgwalker are pretty much everywhere, so you really shouldn't have any problem finding something hyped that's rare in the UK.

As far as dispensaries for long flowering sativas, I think I've mentioned Farma before, which is in Buckman. It's expensive, but has a great selection of organic, boutique buds, and I've gone in there specifically to buy sativas like malawi and panama red before.

I haven't used Uber since they got permission to run in town, and frankly the cabs in this town suck, but I think you can still get to Buckman from the airport for around $30. Depending how comfortable you are just jumping blindly on local public transport, you can take the bus/light rail from the Airport for $2.50. The public tanspo here is completely safe and very popular and will get you practically anywhere in town, for whatever that's worth.

On the burger front you're going to get 10 different answers from every person you ask. Just in the neighborhood I'd recommend Lardo, Little Big Burger, Le Pigeon, The Doug Fir, or even our Oregon version of fast food, Burgerville. Those are all going to be some version of a relatively fancy burger (pork belly! heirloom tomatoes! kimchi relish!), for straight old school cred I'd recommend Stanich's which is a couple miles away, but has been serving Portland's version of a monster burger since the '50s and it's a beast, with a slab of ham and a fried egg on top.

As far as oil/edibles go you can't buy 'em in Oregon, but can legally buy in Vancouver Washington, which is literally 20 minutes across a bridge or three. You might be able to find a friendly medical user in/near a dispensary who will hook you up, but I don't think you can count on it and the dispensary might frown upon such actions. Believe it or not edibles and oil are incredibly easy to find on Craigslist these days, and you could probably find someone willing to deliver you some dabs to your door, an hour after getting into town, at some extra risk. I've used CL literally more than a dozen times to source weed/clones/oil since legalization and haven't even had the slightest single problem, for whatever that's worth, it's a weird weedy world in PDX these days.

Have fun!

 

[Genghis Kush]

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[lawlrus]

Denver's a cool place (CO in general is amazing really) but the rec pot in Denver proper is fucking garbage.

 

[thesloppy]

its better to rent a car if you can. it would vastly improve your experience.
Portland is easy to drive around.
---

I'd lean in the opposite direction. Depending on where you're at there's numerous parts of that Buckman/lower-Hawthorne area that are an absolute clusterfuck to drive and park in, even if you're not used to traffic going in the opposite directions.

 

[Abja Roots]

I've definitely seen some clubs which seem like they would have good product. Farma, which was already recommended, seems nice. There's another shop named Calyx, and one called Five Zero Trees. Those are three shops I would recommend, without having checked them out personally.

Thanks for the info on the TidBit food pod. I'll be up to visit soon and that was one place I wasn't aware of that sounds good. Great pics of the Aerial Tram as well.

For those that have lived or spent time in the bay area. Is there an equivalent to the Oakland Hills area in Portland? In Oakland we have the flats, and then the hills to the east. Those houses tend to have great views of the bay, city, and sunsets. So it's a more desirable area to live.

 

[thesloppy]

For those that have lived or spent time in the bay area. Is there an equivalent to the Oakland Hills area in Portland? In Oakland we have the flats, and then the hills to the east. Those houses tend to have great views of the bay, city, and sunsets. So it's a more desirable area to live.

Maybe the west hills neighborhood, over near the zoo/rose garden? I think technically they're called Arlington Heights and King Heights. That's where Portland's 'old money' has seemingly always been, and there's some nice, old Gatsby style mansions stuffed away in those twisty streets....it's a fun little drive up and around there, and easy to combine with one of the dozen things going on near Washington Park. My not-so-secret 'back way' is up SW Park Place, a street that exists for only 5 blocks south of Burnside near SW 23rd, which takes you right up to the doorstep of Washington park with a short scenic drive through a bit of the west hills neighborhood (and also takes you away from the Burnside rodeo).

...which serves as a good reminder that the rose garden is probably another great recommendation for any visit in the spring/summer. It's free, easy to get to, surrounded by lots of other things to do and shows off Oregon's natural beauty, in all the roses and the surrounding park and overlooks.

On the east side there's a nice pocket of neighborhoods surrounding the aforementioned Mt. Tabor. The Eastmoreland neighborhood on the SE side, near Reed college and the Eastmoreland golf course, has some nice old homes and beautiful winding roads. On the NE side the Irvington/Kerns/Alameda neighborhoods are super nice little pockets, and there's some really beautiful old homes directly surrounding Laurelhurst park (like the Bitar Mansion, and the H. Russell house).

 

[thesloppy]

Further on the food stuff, Portland is kind of young foodwise, even relative to most of America, or just the west coast, but it's really catching fire. There's still not much of that fine dining/michelin star style scene, but that doesn't fit Portland very well anyway. There is a ton of folks just pitching together a cart and selling the food from their native region, so you can find all sorts of weird street food from around the world that you might not expect....but that might actually be less appealing to someone like vikinglace whose UK origin is already closer to much of that stuff.

...you know what, call me crazy, and it's probably not what a 'foodie' would recommend, or most people's first thought, but for someone from the UK just looking to stuff their face with good local food I'd say eat a ton of mexican food. It's tasty as hell, something that's probably relatively rare in the UK, and you can find great, authentic representations of various flavors of Mexican food, from cheap ass street tacos, to regional-based fine dining, all over Portland. Find the place with the least white faces and the most signs in Spanish and you'll probably be guaranteed of something tasty at the cheapest price. I would sell my mom even for a good, greasy street taco or burrito, and I've been eating them semi-daily for like 40 years, so I'd have to imagine they'd taste even better to someone who rarely gets the authentic stuff. In the Buckman neighborhood, Taqueria Portland is my personal jams.

Otherwise for a young (or young at heart) stoner on a casual tour of Portland, I'd say spend a lot of time (and money) at the various food carts & pods, you'll probably end up being disappointed at least once, but you'll probably also come across something delicious, and it's always kind of sociable and you'll meet a few folks, you'll have a genuine PDX experience, get further recommendations for whatever neighborhood you're in, and things will always be relatively cheap.

A handful of Restaurants in Buckman that I will personally vouch for:

Bunk Sandwiches, Lardo, and Meat Cheese Bread all make great sandwiches, usually baking their own breads and using locally sourced top-quality ingredients. I loves me some sandwiches.

Zell's Cafe serves great breakfasts and lunches, and has been in Portland for pretty much as long as I have, looks exactly like the day I first toddled in, and still has that old school Portland brunch vibe, but be prepared to wait on the weekends. My mom started taking me here when I was like 10, and I live around the corner now, so I know Zell's well. Get the corned-beef hash, yo.

The aforementioned Taqueria Portland. They make a chimichanga that is deep-fried burrito heaven.

Thai Restaurants. Pick one. There's one on every corner.

Nicholas Restaurant. Old school relatively packed and occasionally trashy Lebanese joint.

As far as bars go, there's a million, and you're probably best served just wandering around and shuffling into one that looks interesting. There's a little homey, but dedicated euro soccer (I'm sorry, football) bar run by a balkan family/group in the Buckman neighborhood called the 4-4-2 that might appeal to fans of UK football.

I like a joint called Roadside Attraction, which is half-a-dive, full of velvet paintings an old jukebox, and has a big courtyard with a massive bonfire going every night.

You should probably put in some time at Sassy's, one of PDX's most venerable and popular strip clubs and a good introduction to Portland's unique, weird stripclub based drinking scene. On a weekend night Sassy's will be more likely to be full of touring bands, or rowdy groups of young lesbians than dodgy old dudes in trenches...though there will always be some of those too (no, that's not me passed out at the end of the bar). I don't dig the white drugs personally, but cocaine is still the backbone of that industry, for whatever that's worth.

Head down to Dig A Pony and/or Rontoms for at least five minutes on a weekend night and exclaim "Sweet Jesus! What in THEE fuck is going on here?" it's like hipsterpocalypse up in that shit. You may not enter with a beard, but you'll somehow have grown one, and all your clothes will have shrunk 2 sizes by the time you leave.

 

[thesloppy]

...also, at some point someone will unavoidably tell you that if you're going to Portland you HAVE TO wait in line for an hour to get some Voodoo Doughnuts. Do not do that. Voodoo Doughnut is absolutely a Portland institution, fun and weird, owned by good folks with massive street cred and lots of PDX history....it's also a place where every out-of-town knob waits in a really long line for really mediocre donuts.