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Comment by steviedotboston | Hacker News Reader

I attended a conference in Portland in 2022. The conference itself was fine, but Portland was a wreck. There were homeless encampments all over the place, open fires right on the sidewalks, needles and trash all over the place, boarded up buildings right in the middle of downtown. It was just bizarre and I felt pretty uncomfortable unless I was walking with other people.

I don't see why anyone would choose Portland as a conference location now. The city is in really bad shape, it's just not the same place it was even just a few years ago.

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Same. I went to Portland in 2022 for Railsconf. Me and my wife both went thinking to visit the city a bit before/after the conference. It was awful. Downtown was mostly boarded up and did not feel safe at all. Chicago, Philly, Baltimore, Detroit, any of these "violent" cities unironically feel safer and I would rather be in that portland.

I tried to make the most of it and look past this stuff, but after I went home and reflected on it I realized no, this isnt normal, this wasn't good, and I looking over my shoulder the whole time to make sure nobody was following me isn't something I've done in any other city.

It’s changed a good bit since last year. Since your talking about boarded up buildings I assume you were near Pioneer Square? They’ve taken that down (including the crazy dystopian metal grate around the Apple Store).

This conference is also east side at the convention center, I highly recommend checking out all the awesome restaurants on Williams and Broadway (Eater has lists for both).

Despite some validity to what you are saying, it has always been the case that the convention center is unusually crappy in terms of food options. It's surprising given where it is. So many other areas have better and more awesome options. I would never suggest the convention center area as the region to go to if wanting to explore great restaurants.

They just finally passed a ban on camping in the streets. I think given proper enforcement we may finally see some of this start to get better

Based on what a few people have told me, I'm mildly regretting booking a few days in Portland prior to spending a week out by Mt. Hood. I initially wrote it off as people not familiar with the realities of the downtown areas of a lot of West Coast cities. But it sounds as if Portland may be worse than others.

Where are you staying? There are some parts of the core downtown (Old Town) that you might want to avoid, but the rest of Portland is not what the media portrays. Hell, even my family in the burbs (Beaverton, Cornelius) think it’s some crazy wasteland and constantly ask us if we feel safe and I have to laugh at them every time.

Go for a walk, rent a bike, and check out the amazing restaurant and brewery scene!

Downtown (10th Ave.) though I'm not locked in. I'm reasonably familiar with Portland though I've mostly (always?) stayed near the Convention Center for the dearly departed OSCON. I'm sure it will be fine. Probably go the West Hills, the Pearl, maybe a Willamette Valley wine tour one day.

I live in Portland. My advice for you would be to avoid staying (or even visiting if possible) in downtown and Old Town. The Pearl is not too safe either, although things are starting to look up. However, there are plenty of neighborhoods that are thriving. The Nob Hill neighborhood in Northwest Portland, Clinton/Division in Southeast Portland for example are alive and buzzing. Try staying there and explore these neighborhoods. I guarantee you'll have a wonderful time.

I went to Portland in 2019 and 2022. The difference was striking. Yeah there were homeless people in 2019 (PNW has kind of always had more homeless people that other parts of the country), but its more than that. It's just total dysfunction from what I saw. Businesses closing, antisocial behavior happening in the open, crimes happening and the police not taking any action. Overall the vibe just seemed pretty depressing.

Seattle definitely has problems, but there are narrow areas where the homeless and tourist populations overlap, and if you’re lucky you won’t see the worst of it.

Except for Pioneer Square, you may be closer to these areas at your hotel than going to the sights.

I live here. Do not leave anything in your vehicle or it will be broken into! The springtime brings so much theft and crime from what I’ve personally seen. If you go downtown ~50% of blocks have evidence of recent break-ins. It happened to me a few weeks ago right when the weather was getting warmer, a very apparent rise in crime this season.

When I was there someone pointed out to me that people leave their car windows rolled down when they park downtown to avoid smash and grabs.

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