This is Portland: The City You've heard You Should Like

by Alexander Barrett, Andrew Dickson

This is Portland is a first-hand look at a city that people can't seem to stop talking about. It's a guidebook of sorts, but not to restaurants and sightseeing. Instead, Alexander Barrett is your friendly guide to the quirky characters and atmosphere of Portland, Oregon and how fun, beautiful, and ridiculous it can be. With its approachable, often hilarious tone, this book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about bikes, beards, beers, rain, and everything else important about the city you've heard you should like.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Humor

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Tatjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. There are a bunch of spellcheck and grammarcheck errors, but there are in every book I've read since 2002. It's a quirky enough book that I don't care. That's a first for me; usually errors in publishing make me crazy.

This book makes me happy.

I'm packing my van.

I'll be there soon.

Save me some spicy tots, k?

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute enough that I was unable to leave it on the shelf at Powell's, I needed to bring it home to install in my guest bedroom. The essay that made me laugh delightedly was the one about Portland traffic, because it was so, so true. It's not the end-all travel guide to Portland, but it'll do in a pinch.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this a little over a year ago during a trip to Portland to a paper planner convention in 2019. The world has changed so much since then (with the pandemic, protests, election). But Portland was and is a bright spot in my recent memory. It was as fun and cute and Pacific Northwest as I had hoped. This book captures it perfectly. I am so glad I brought this little piece of Portland back to Philly with me.

[Kyle Likens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't give this nice little paean to the best city in American anything less than 5 stars. Yes, it is a biased rating. No, i do not care.

I've been to Portland once & part of me feels like i never left. Or maybe i took a piece home with me.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up on a whim Powells a few weeks after moving to PDX and tbh I wish I could have my $4 back. Fatphobic comments and boring, tired jokes from an annoying cishet dude whose main personality trait is drinking beer. Skip it.
.

[Lucia M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book! I look forward to letting people who visit me borrow it :)

[Mari Mankle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this last year while I was in Portland and I wish I had read it then! This was cute and a bit informative, though I also think it was biased and privileged. Also, the writing was juvenile, at times. But that’s also the nature of the book, so I may just be being too harsh.

[Madi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh, not for me. A little more self-entitled than I wanted (but I guess what can you expect from someone who has lived here for a year and calls people morbidly obese?) and will be nice to give away to someone who is just moving here so I can say “this is silly—take everything with a grain of salt.”

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was developing curriculum on why Portland is so fantastic, this would be required reading. While not a comprehensive commentary on all of the attractions of our fair city, it's a charming little collection of anecdotes and illustrations that had tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks.

Could this little volume have benefited from an editor (or at least someone who knows where apostrophes belong and that sentences always begin with capital letters)? Absolutely. But if you're critiquing this book on its literary merits, I daresay you've missed the point and need to reevaluate some of your life choices, loosen up, and just enjoy something for once.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Portland native, I love This Is Portland for the same reason I like Portlandia: It's funny because it's true. Now, it's not an exhaustive coverage of the city and there are plenty of things that don't appear (same goes for Portlandia), but it's all true. Portland does have a shitload of bikes, beer, and beards. At least two neighbors within a block of my parents' house keep chickens in the backyard. Second-run theaters with beer and pizza are amazing. I love this city and I'm super excited to be going home to it tomorrow for the holidays.

[JustJay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fully convinced that every city needs to have a book like this: short, simple, cute, and catches the essence of the place. I got this book during my second trip to Portland (I regretted not buying it the first time, so I made damn sure to get it the next time), and it just gave me a happy buzz. It also makes me want to go back there ASAP. I don't live in Portland, so I can't say anything about the accuracies or inaccuracies of the book. But I have noticed that a lot of it is quite true, so there's that.

[Jamie Mobley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really cute and fun, but it was chock full of grammatical errors. Lots of apostrophes where they weren't necessary, missed capitalization at the beginning of sentences, the kinds of things that take me out of the story. However, I moved to Portland recently, and I mostly echo the writer's opinions on the city. He even alerted me to a couple new things to check out, which is great. The illustrations were also super cute, and all in all, I'd say easily worth the $6.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun + sweet essays about the new place I get to call home! Thanks Swift :)

[Jutta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious! I hope to visit the city in the near future. It seems amazing.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and quick read about Portland.

Though I also thought about downplaying this book so people don't know how great Portland is and how affordable it used to be this is a funny look at the city and some of its oddities and attractions.

The "outsiders" view of Portland and it's many cycle-suffixes and eco friendly travel options is nice. I wish it also talked about the racism that built the city and how gentrification further pushed people of color away from downtown, but I know that's not as fun to read or write about as IPA's and beards.

This is a pretty light and somewhat refreshing look at the city.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book! This book about Portland is amazing because it's so -- Portland. So authentic yet humorous, fiercely unique yet with deep care for others. The author captures these characteristics so well, and also demonstrates it through his writing. It's very meta.

If you want to learn more about Portland, beyond just facts and numbers and have a connection with the city, I highly recommend this book.

[Nipun Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently spent a year in Portland.The book brings back so many memories. After reading book , I m wishing if I could spend a little more time in the city and experience what I have missed. The cute drawings with each feature of the city makes the whole reading experience so realistic. I bought the book at the airport as souvenir for myself upon my return and now think that I chose the right gift for myself from the city.

[Jacob Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a relatively good job of explaining Portland’s eccentricities. Barrett says at the top that he had only lived in Portland for a little over a year when he wrote the book. While that limits his expertise, it’s actually quite a bit funnier to read the perspective of a relative outsider. And he’s clearly learned a lot in his short time in Portland - the books is loaded with good recommendations of must-visit Portland spots.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in small-town Oregon; when I moved out of my parents' home, I chose Portland. I lived on the West Side (mostly Northwest) except for a brief period on SE 72nd.

It's also worth knowing that I left Oregon more than 30 years ago. So, I was kind of prepared not to love this book. Portland tends to take itself pretty seriously.

Instead, the book was entertaining, factually accurate ... and did not take itself too seriously. It was actually fun.

So, I was pleasantly surprised!

[Ryan Hardin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely no useful information in this books.
Portland has a lot of tattoo parlors? Cool. WHERE? Which ones are reputable, what styles are popular, anything information at all!!!
One page legit just says "there's a lot of beer."....
NOTHING on where you should go get some.
The rest of the page is completely blank.
I swear this book sounds like a 5 year olds ramblings as they drove through Portland. Not 2 adults making anything close to resembling a guide book.

[Mirek Kukla · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fine way to spend a few session atop one's porcelain throne. Not "fine" as in "dining" - more "fine" as in "a McDonald's burger" - but fine nonetheless. While it reads a bit like a fifth grade writing assignment, there's some wit to be had, and a few times I legitimately lolz'd. A nice welcome-to-Portland housewarming gift.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything I love--witty, inoffensive, and beautifully brief. It's 62 pages if you read the reference notes, 59 pages otherwise. It can be read in one sitting if reading isn't something you struggle with and you--unlike me--don't multitask.

I would like to live in Portland someday, but even if I don't, it's good to know there are people out there I can jive with.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up at Powell's and read it while in Portland. Hilarious, witty, wry and absolutely PERFECT to read during or just before a trip to Portland. As a tourist, this seemed to sum up the city and its vibe in the most fantastic way. Also, about a fifteen minute read, so yay to that!

[Jennifer]

A fun quick read on what makes Portland quirky. The funniest part was when it talked about how much Portland loves its' protests. Considering Portland just made the news for protests it was quite true.

[Cate Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little grammar errors don't bother me much. It was a cute, one-sitting read. The illustrations are fun. The book also made me genuinely laugh out loud a couple of times. Worth the price to pick it up sometime! Makes a great addition to a coffee table or display bookshelf.

[Anya McNamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the not-so-subtle sibling rivalry between Portland and Seattle. To be clear, Portland is definitely the younger sibling who looks up to Seattle and Seattle lets Portland think they’re equals, with love.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Worth spending a few minutes to sit down and read in a hotel in Portland. Made me laugh out loud a few times. Most of it could also be applied to Seattle. I wish they’d have fixed a few typos by the fourth printing.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm impressed that this guy published a book about Portland but honestly there wasn't much in it that I didn't know. Most of it was his opinion on the people, traffic, etc. It was written in 2014, so some of it is probably outdated, but it was a quick read. Funny in some parts, but not funny enough to warrant more than three stars.
This book is so small that if you're thinking about moving to Portland (the writer clearly doesn't want anyone moving to the City of Roses) or even visiting there's not a lot of practical information. It's fun to read, but not an ideal guidebook

[Victor Calderin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barrett crafts a series of micro-vignettes that help capture the favor of Portland...though to be fair, I was only there for a couple of days. The food trucks were stellar...as was all the food I ate in Oregon. Note: that state loved to vary up the grilled cheese sandwich 🥪 😋 👌

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was too cute to just leave at Powell's. Perfect to read after having lived here for 3 weeks - you've had all these experiences and you share all these opinions.

Docking one star because it doesn't talk about the homelessness situation at all.