Portland, the secret gem of the West coast, is almost too good to be true. Imagine a city where a bookstore occupies an entire city block. A city where brewing beer has been elevated to an art form; a city containing both the world's smallest dedicated park and largest forested city wilderness. No sales tax, old-fashioned gas stations, the only volcano within city limits, and a world-renowned transit system. You would have to be imagining Portland, and you wouldn't be dreaming. Secret?Portland is the only guide that takes the time to explore the city's scores of lesser-known treasures - the secrets that make it a place worth dreaming about. Leading you to the spots that only locals know, Secret?Portland is readable, quirky and intimate, exposing little-known histories and legends, the best ethnic eateries, chicest cheap hotels, and locally favored nightspots.
Don't miss the opportunity to watch the weather machine in Pioneer Courthouse Square, choose a favorite blossom at the International Rose Test Garden, ride the only three-door elevator west of the Mississippi, or embark on an epic pub-crawl to the city's celebrated microbreweries. Let Secret?Portland show you a side of the city you'll never forget.
Secret?Portland is the latest in the acclaimed and award-winning Secret Guides series. To date, we've unlocked the secrets to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Providence and Newport, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal.
Portland, the secret gem of the West Coast, is almost too good to be true. Imagine a city where a bookstore occupies an entire city block. A city where brewing beer has been elevated to an art form; a city containing both the world's smallest dedicated park and largest forested city wilderness. No sales tax, old-fashioned gas stations, the only volcano within city limits, and a world-renowned transit system. You would have to be imagining Portland, and you wouldn't be dreaming. Secret Portland is the only guide that takes the time to explore the city's scores of lesser-known treasures - the secrets that make it a place worth dreaming about. Leading you to the spots that only locals know, Secret Portland is readable, quirky, and intimate, exposing little-known histories and legends, the best ethnic eateries, chicest cheap hotels, and locally favoured nightspots.
Don't miss the opportunity to watch the weather machine in Pioneer Courthouse Square, choose a favourite blossom at the International Rose Test Garden, ride the only three-door elevator west of the Mississippi, or embark on an epic pub-crawl to the city's celebrated microbreweries. Let Secret Portland show you a side of the city you'll never forget.
Secret Portland is the latest in the acclaimed and award-winning Secret Guides series. To date, we've unlocked the secrets to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Providence and Newport, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montréal.
On other books in the Secret Series: "This jewel of a book [Secret Toronto] with amazing photos by Linda Rutenberg, aims to lead the inquisitive astray" -- NOW Magazine
"Secret Toronto guides locals and visitors to the unusual, frivolous, and downright quirky attractions of the city. No pre-planned tours or planned itineraries here." -- Globe and Mail
There are dozens of published guides to New York City, nearly all of them covering the same well-trodden territory of pricey restaurants, major hotels, and shopping at pick-your-pocket prices. Here's a tourist guide with a difference. New York insider and Village Voice columnist Robert Sietsema has assembled a topic-focussed book:
* "Secret Metrocard," for example, explains how to get the most bang for your buck from this new transit card. It tells you how to turn a free transfer into a free round trip, and how to exploit the 18-minute secret grace period.
* "Secret American Indians" tells you where to find a hidden Indian cave right on the island of Manhattan.
* "Secret Cheap Eats" reveals where to get a delicious, multi-course meal for less than five dollars.
There are chapters on how to plug into the Japanese underground, where to find the best bagel and egg cream, where to find the rock clubs that the hipsters frequent, where to rent a bicycle to tour the city, and where to ride it so you don't get run over. Secret New Yorkgives you the inside information that natives use to get by in -- and even over -- this challenging metropolis.
