Zinester's Guide to Portland: A Low/No Budget Guide to Living In and Visiting Portland, OR

by Nate Beaty, Nate Beaty (Designer)

Billed as a "low/no budget guide to visiting and living in Portland, Oregon," the  Zinester's Guide to Portland  breaks down the PDX grid by neighborhood with descriptions of good restaurants, thrift stores, bars, bridges, places to loiter, etc. (lots of etc.). The newly overhauled and illustrated fifth edition gets shoulder-deep into the history and local lore, providing a well-rounded argument as to why (fill in the blank) deserves your time. It also demystifies the TriMet public transportation system, bike events and culture, outdoorsy stuff, the public libraries—basically anything you need to know as the new kid in town. To the wrong eyes the book's title might imply a guide to Portland zine culture, but as editor Shawn Granton says in the introduction, the  Zinester's Guide is not just for zinesters, that "It's always been about sharing the interesting and unique things that make Stumptown great, and also helping people get by that aren't swimming in scads of money." For those of us that can't so much as dogpaddle most days, this is "community" at its mightiest.

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction, Cities

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2005

About the author

Human cartoonist being coder.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this before I moved to Portland it is way better than one of those tourist-y, landmark-only Fodder's-type travel books. This book is actually about the city itself, as though Portland were a character in a book. It's written by people that have actually lived here and can describe the essence and the flavor that is Portland. It describes what the culture of the city is like, gives some interesting, surprisingly little-known facts about the origin of the city, explains the different neighborhoods (South West, North West, South East, North East, and North), as well as different sub-sections of these areas (The Pearl, The Historical District, University District, Burnside, Hawthorne, Sellwood, Nob Hill, etc.). The book divides into sections, and gives the reader a description of each neighborhood and the places the locals actually go when they want a good meal, to see a show, get good doughnuts, or go shopping and the like. It explains the city's amazing transportation system and how it works. And probably best of all, it allows you to get a feel for Portland before you've even been there. I've since bought other books on Portland (eat.shop.portland; versions 1 and 2), and this book is far superior despite its lightweight appearance. Even for someone that lives here or is a longtime resident, this book may likely stock some underground surprises. Either way, it's an interesting read, and well-organized. I believe they have one for Olympia, WA and possibly Seattle as well, but this is all I've read so far. But I'd recommend anything they've published.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this and highly recommend!! Very entertaining and gave great background on the neighborhoods/culture in Portland

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first edition long ago. I need another to show me the cool places in Portland to find bargains.

[Dan]

Acquired Jun 20, 2010
Gift from Jenn

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute, helpful little book! The book itself is very Portland-y, was going to give 4/5 because it left out a couple of my favorite places, but I figured it will probably help me find new places... so I gave it an extra star.

[HeavyReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so I didn't read every single word in this guidebook. It's not the kind of book you have to read cover to cover in order to know it's excellent.

Cassidy received this book while he was in prison, and he sent it to me when he was done with it. Before he sent it to me, he had his Portland friends annotate it. It rocks! Written in next to the Goodwill bins are the words "It's God!"

This book describes the Portland of most interest to the zine set, sector by sector.

I read the opening sections describing Portland as a whole and sectors and neighborhoods too. Then I skimmed the attractions of each sector and made note of which ones I have seen and which ones I want to see.

I plan to keep this book around as long as I live in Portland. It's good for the Portland resident, as well as for the Portland the visitor.

[Philip Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little, inexpensive ($5) book on Portland, with a history overview, details on each of the five regions, and lots of stuff missed by all the other Portland guidebooks. I defy you to find one guidebook out there that has entries for "Zoobombing", The Red & Black Cafe (run by a collective of anarchists), and Food Fight! (one of the very few, if not the only, vegan convenience stores in America.)

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this guide for $4 from Microcosm Publishing--an amazing deal for an amazing little book. It's written by locals and includes drawings of Portland neighborhoods and landmarks by Portlanders. I'm looking forward to eating at many of the recommended restaurants and really appreciated the extended chapters on public transit, biking, and miscellaneous Portland yore. I'll have more to report after I visit PDX in July.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not made a trip to Portland yet (perhaps later this year). This guide certainly fans the fire. I like the way the guide breaks down the city sections and the short, (mostly)unbiased reviews of the various establishments. What's best about this guide is that it is totally DIY with mostly independently owned businesses listed. Many of the the areas are hand illustrated by artists.

[Jamie Felton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best guide to Portland I have found. It's written by people who live here about the places that make Portland special. Also, it's broken down by neighborhood which makes it easy to navigate around.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must for anyone on their way to Portland, zinester or not. Great information about all the best places to get delicious meals, hot coffee, art supplies, bevvies, bikes, books, and yes, comics and zines.

[Allison]

portland is pretty rad.

[TK Goldenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable little book that will truly help you feel your way around Portland.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't judge; it's saving my life these days.

[Derek Neuland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best city guide i have ever read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great guide to Portland on the cheap with lots of great suggestions. I'm going to Portland in Sept. Let you know then if it works practically.

[bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me to find a lot of neat places around the city when I first moved here.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assumes a hipper-than-thou stance at times, but ultimately really informative.

[anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

so handy when you're in the city of roses!

[Annie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference guide for Portland visitors or recent transplants looking for the non-tourist experience in the city. Although the touristy destinations are included and called out as such. All in all, a great source of info.