Not that there was anything wrong with the Portland of old. It was, and is, a solid city, comfortable in its midsize. Its downtown is compact, its short blocks make it eminently walkable, and it has a light-rail loop in the center of town. Downtown activity centers around Pioneer Courthouse Square, a one-time parking garage whose demolition in the early 1980s gave Portland a chance to create a true city center. That's what this unusual open space has become.
Roman columns flank two ends.
Courthouse steps descend to the open plaza, where you may see an amateur mime doing his bit, students snoozing in the sun or a businessman striding briskly to an appointment. Smack in the middle of the plaza is Portland's renowned Weather Machine. It's a branch of the huge main store, the world's biggest with nearly a million books, which is situated a mile away at 10th Avenue and Burnside. Despite its size, the main Powell's store is manageable. It furnishes you with a map so you won't get lost in the stacks and puts new, used and paperback copies of the same book next to each other, so you have an immediate choice.