About 5 blocks west of the hotel, Pioneer Courthouse Square is a good place to begin a walking tour. A Visitors Center has brochures galore and helpful guides to answer your questions. We stopped here to ask where to go for dinner. One of the recommendations, Higgins, is reviewed separately.
A stroll along SW Park Avenue is highly recommended. Parks, statues of Roosevelt and Lincoln, and beautifully restored old buildings housing the theater district make an inviting cultural sight. Be sure to glance at the Oregon Historical Museum’s wall facing Park St. You’ll likely do a double-take at the 3-D mural.
Heading back toward the hotel, a walk down Stark St. takes you past the U.S. Bank Building with a magnificent, old, carved exterior. Cross Front Avenue to the Tom McCall Riverfront Park to view the Willamette River and the east side of Portland. From here, you can see the spires of the Oregon Convention Center and the three bridges connecting the east with the west across the river. This is a popular spot with joggers and dog walkers.