By Nancy Levenson
Top 20 Ways To Get Portland Style
Here's the inside scoop on how to pass for a local in no time.
 
1. Best place to feel like a local:
Fife, for local people and locally grown food; 971/222-3433 or fiferestaurant.com

2. Best radio station:
KINK FM 102

3. Best coffee shop or local brew:
Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Nirvana in a cup; stumptowncoffee.com

4. Best place to be seen:
Mint Restaurant. If you don't have a reservation, perch at the bar; 503/284-5518 or mintrestaurant.com.

5. Best place not to be seen:
swimming in the Willamette River (in a word: yuck)

6. Best shoe to wear:
comfy sneakers with retro styling. 29 Lotus by KangaROOS, $54.99; for retailers visit kangaroosusa.com.

7. Best local dive (for meals and/or beers):
Dots Cafe; 503/235-0203

8. Best free local paper (for events and happenings):
Willamette Week. Pick one up at stands around town, or visit wweek.com.

9. Best flea market:
Saturday Market (underneath Burnside Bridge on the west side). Shop for crafts made by locals and sample scrumptious fare; saturdaymarket.org.

10. Best bag to carry:
bike messenger bag. Half-Mass Bag by Patagonia, $79; 800/638-6464 or patagonia.com

11. Required reading:
Best Places Portland, by John Gottberg, $19.95; powells.com

12. Best local celeb:
Gus Van Sant, movie director (Good Will Hunting)

13. Local hero:
Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons

14. Hottest cottage neighborhood:
Mount Tabor, named for the neighborhood's extinct volcano (now a city park)

15. Best art source:
the Pearl

16. Quirky city icon:
Oregon Convention Center, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.; 800/791-2250. Visitors tend to ask "What is that?!" when they see it on the skyline.

17. Best workout:
hiking in Forest Park

18. Most chic label:
Find Portlander Claire la Faye's duds on celebs and at Seaplane; 503/234-2409 or e-seaplane.com.

19. Best bumper sticker:
Keep Portland Weird

20. Best pack and ship in the Pearl (for what won't fit in the overhead bin):
United States Post Office, 715 NW. Hoyt St.; 503/294-2596
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