Conference Venue
The conference will be held at the Benson Hotel in Portland, Oregon, USA
Address:
The Benson Hotel,
309 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205, United States
Homepage:
https://www.bensonhotel.com/
Additional information about the accommodation will be provided in the second half of April.
About Portland
Getting around Portland and practicalities
The main downtown area of Portland is quite compact; you can walk to most places of interest from the conference venue. The city is divided into West and East sides by the Willamette river (pronounced with the stress on the "am"). The conference is in the main downtown area on the West side. The main North-South streets in Portland are numbered avenues, except for Broadway (which would be 7th Avenue) and Park (which would be 9th Avenue). The East-West streets are usually named. In the South-West quadrant of the city near the Benson, these have no particular pattern, but in the North-West quadrant the names are alphabetized (Broadway, Couch, Davis, Everett, ...). You can find a good map of the downtown area here, and another good one here.
Portland is also well-served by public transport including the MAX light rail, city street car and numerous bus lines. These all belong to a common organization called Tri-Met, so all tickets work for multiple forms of public transport if you need to change during your trip. If you are spending much time traveling in a given day, you may want to consider buying an all-day pass. Travel in the main downtown area near the Benson belongs to a `fareless square' where all public transport is free.
Shops in downtown Portland
The downtown area has numerous shops, restaurants and cafes in walking distance. For example, the Pioneer Place shopping mall, located on the two blocks framed by 3rd and 5th Avenues and by Morrison and Yamhill streets (these streets also have the two MAX lines), contains many specialist retailers, an underground food court, and a cinema. If you need a pharmacy, the closest is probably Rite Aid at 622 SW Alder Street, just a few blocks away from the Benson. There are numerous small convenience stores scattered around the general area, but to get to a larger grocery store you will need to walk 10 minutes or so. The three closest are probably the following:
- Whole Foods, 1210 NW Couch Street (organic food, quite expensive)
- Safeway, 1030 SW Jefferson Street (general grocery store with pharmacy)
- Fred Meyer, 100 NW 20th Avenue (grocery, pharmacy, household items, electronics)
Bibliophiles will probably want to visit Powell's Books, arguably the best bookshop in the English-speaking world. Their large main store is at 1005 W Burnside Street, a few blocks North-West of the Benson. However, for their scientific, technical and mathematical books, you will want Powell's Technical a few blocks away on 33 NW Park Avenue. There are several popular shopping districts, including:
- The Pioneer Place shopping mall mentioned above. Its nominal address is 700 SW Fifth Avenue, but it covers two blocks between 3rd and 5th Avenues and SW Morrison and SW Yamhill Streets.
- The Pearl District is a newly fashionable area North of Burnside Street with numerous art galleries, antique shops and restaurants. The heart of the area is just to the North of Powells.
- NW 23rd Avenue, on the Western side of town to the North of Burnside Street, is a popular shopping street, with many unusual shops and restaurants. This is quite a long walk, but you can get there by streetcar, or take the MAX to PGE Park which is much closer.
- The Lloyd Center is a large indoor shopping mall. It is on the East side of the Willamette, but you can travel by MAX (Red or Blue line, but not Yellow) to the Lloyd Center stop which is just a short walk away.
Some attractions in Portland
- Portland's Old Town / Chinatown district is to the East of the Pearl District and to the West of the Willamette river. As well as many Asian shops and businesses, it has a classical Suzhou-style Chinese garden at 127 NW 3rd Avenue.
- The Portland Art Museum has a large collection with a particular emphasis on Japanese artwork, and frequently hosts superb special exhibitions.
- The Saturday Market arts fair happens every Saturday and Sunday. It has recently moved to Waterfront Park.
- Washington Park is a large park near the heart of the city. The area closer to downtown offers superb views over the city on a clear day, and includes the Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden. These areas are just about walkable from downtown if you're determined: the walk is uphill and takes about half an hour, but takes you through some pleasant areas. You may prefer to get there by bus or taxi, or drive yourself. Another region of Washington Park containing the Zoo, Children's Museum, World Forestry Center and Hoyt Arboretum is easily accessible by MAX: take the Red or Blue line Westbound and get off at the Washington Park stop. This is underground (the only MAX station that is) and you take the elevator up to the surface right in the middle of the area.
- Washington Park also has many hiking trails. For example, the Wildwood Trail stretches between the two areas of Washington Park mentioned above and leads on up to Pittock Mansion. Even if you aren't feeling energetic enough to hike there you may want to visit it by car for the beautiful mansion and the fine views it affords. Around this hilltop Washington Park merges into the larger and wilder Forest Park, the largest park in any urban district of the USA.
- OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, offers numerous exhibits and attractions for adults and children, and includes a Planetarium and an Omnimax Theater. On the nearby riverbank you can explore the USS Blueback submarine or take a Jet Boat excursion. Although OMSI is on the East Side of the Willamette, it's not actually such a long walk over the Hawthorn Bridge.
- There is already a special lunch cruise on the Willamette organized by Portland Spirit straight after the ARITH program on June 10th, 1pm-5pm. Everyone is encouraged to join this. However, if you can't make it at that time or want to go on a longer cruise up the Columbia river, you may want to make your own arrangements. The main office is just South of OMSI but there is also a kiosk in Waterfront Park on the West side.
- You might want to try taking the Portland Aerial Tram just for the unusual experience and to enjoy the view. It connects the waterfront area to Oregon Health & Science University up on the hillside.
A few restaurants
There are far too many good restaurants to list here. For more comprehensive information see, for example, the Best 50 Restaurants list published by the Willamette Week. But here is a biased selection of a few that some of the organizers happen to know and like:
- Jake's Grill (611 SW 10th Avenue): upscale restaurant with classic American food.
- Moonstruck Chocolates (340 SW Morrison Street, in Pioneer Place): Oprah's favorite chocolatier in the US. There are a few locations, but it originated in Portland.
- Papa Haydn (701 NW 23rd Avenue): dessert specialist in NW 23rd.
- Portland City Grill (111 SW 5th Avenue): restaurant on 30th floor of downtown "skyscraper" with panoramic views of the city.
Further afield
If you're willing to drive 20-100 miles, there are many other interesting attractions. Here are a few:
- To the West, you can reach the Pacific coast in about 90 minutes, driving West along 26 and perhaps stopping to eat at Camp 18. Once you reach the coast, you can drive either North or South along the coast road (Highway 101, which stretches all the way down to California). You will come across towns (Lincoln City, Newport, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Tillamook, Astoria, ...) with large beaches and other amenities, as well as smaller secluded beaches, campsites etc. Other attractions include a nautical museum, aquarium and even a cheese museum! The whole coastal area is beautiful, but be aware that the sea is extremely cold, near the lower limit for comfortable swimming without a wetsuit.
- To the East, you can drive along the spectacular Columbia river gorge visiting places such as Multnomah Falls and the Bonneville Dam. Eventually you reach Mount Hood (it might remind you of Mt. Fuji), which offers skiing and other activities, as well as Timberline Lodge, a resort including an excellent restaurant.
- Yamhill County Wine Country: over 30 wineries
- Evergreen Aviation Museum: home of the Spruce Goose (Howard Hughes)
- Old Sellwood Antique Row: over 50 antique shops
- Mount St. Helens, the volcano which famously erupted in 1980 covering much of the area in ash, is still somewhat active.