News & City Life

Editor’s Note

An Argument for Befriending the Willamette

Our river, ourselves.

06/23/2025 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden

As Seen on TV

Why Is PBS Teaching Me How to Sell Things Online?

The Portland-produced doc Generation: Freedom has a complex relationship to the problems it hopes to solve.

06/18/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Paddle to the People

These Kayakers See Climate Justice as Community Work

With a kayak lending library and social paddles, Mosquito Fleet wants to shift how we relate to the Willamette.

06/17/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

LGBTQ+

Portland Pride Guide 2025

Our annual roundup of LGBTQ+ parades, pageants, concerts, drag shows, and festivals.

06/11/2025 By Portland Monthly Staff

No Reservations

Is Downtown Portland’s Tourism Industry Bouncing Back?

Five years after COVID, Portland hotels are filling back up—but nowhere near 2019 levels.

06/09/2025 By Winston Ross Illustrations by Matthew Billington

Local Legends

All the Things We’ve Done to Joan of Arc

One hundred years ago, the patron saint of France landed in Portland as a Great War monument. What does she mean today?

05/23/2025 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Michael Novak

Q&A

Ripping the City with Brett Brown, Portland’s Favorite Reality Star

‘I don’t think there could ever be a Love Is Blind in Portland. It’s too small.’

05/14/2025 By Dalila Brent

Big Picture

In 1925 Portland, a Day of Bike Races and Costume Contests

Our city has always had fun on two wheels.

05/09/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

Pub Time

Me, My Parents, and the Horse Brass Pub

A personal history of Portland’s most English bar.

05/08/2025 By Alex Frane Photography by Michael Novak

Love Letters

An Illustrated Ode to Dyke Hoops

The queer-friendly pickup games are still serious—but about building inclusive community.

05/05/2025 Illustrations by Shay Mirk By Shay Mirk and Brooke Jackson-Glidden

Style & Shopping

What Does Sustainable Fashion Mean to Portland in 2025?

DIY runway shows devoted to upcycling set a tone in the aughts that today’s students and designers are bringing back around.

04/22/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

onstage

5 Standouts from the TEDxPortland 2025 Lineup

Soccer star Christine Sinclair, a psychedelic psychotherapist, and a Laika animator are billed for the local TED offshoot.

04/21/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Ultimate Frisbee

A Professional Ultimate Frisbee Alliance Lands in Portland

Soar and Steel are now slinging discs in the Concordia neighborhood.

04/21/2025 By Alex Frane

talking trash

Artist-in-Residence, at the Dump

In the annual Glean program, artists rehash the city’s refuse. “Maybe this trash isn’t trash,” says the program manager.

04/16/2025 By Jaydra Johnson

Editor's Note

Portland’s West Side Is Cooler Than You Think

With its blend of unique shops, ambitious restaurants, and beautiful architecture, the west side deserves a second look.

04/09/2025 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden

History

To Know Old Town's Past Is to Hope for Its Future

My grandmother’s Old Town was a vibrant, bustling place for all. Despite what handwringers say, it still is.

04/07/2025 By Lauren Yoshiko

Teen Spirit

In a Former Strip Club, Portland’s All-Ages Music Scene Finds New Life

With the Off Beat, nonprofit Friends of Noise is set to open the city’s first dedicated underage concert venue in over a decade.

03/31/2025 By Shannon Daehnke Illustrations by Amanda Lanzone

Index

The New Portland Airport Terminal, by the Numbers

After nearly four years of renovations, the new PDX terminal is now open to the public, with millions of feet of Oregon lumber.

03/24/2025 By Alex Frane

Long Story Short

At Oregon Ballet Theatre, Dani Rowe Takes on Marilyn Monroe

Rowe, the first woman to serve as the company's artistic director, has wanted to tell Monroe's story since Kim Kardashian wore the actor’s dress to the Met Gala.

03/24/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson Photography by Jason Hill

Public Health

Portland’s Fraught Fluoride History, Explained

The city has voted down fluoridation four times. How did we get here?

03/19/2025 By Erin Ross

Portland Monthly