Skip to main contentOur roundup of some of the city's overlooked treasures. It’s a celebration of us, and of you, and of the best people, places, foods, goods and services that make Portland what it is.
Calling anything “the best” in Portland requires accepting that there are two kinds of bests. You can crown the most excellent performer in a given category, or you can applaud those who transcend category altogether. We delight at the chance to craft a long list of—strictly nominal—awards for all that’s admirably novel and, ideally, strange and beautiful. Think of it as a yearbook for the city.
In summertime, when the weather’s hot and people seek fun, it’s traditional for news organizations to liven things up with a reader poll tallying the best of the city. At WW, we have one of those too—you can find the results here. But we also like to celebrate the secrets—the overlooked treasures of Portland that deserve some recognition.
A celebration of the Portlanders nurturing this city and giving it their best. Our annual Best of Portland Issue is both a celebration and a reflection—a moment when we can’t help but think about the city’s current state.
Our annual celebration of underdogs, unrecognized efforts, overlooked places, and charming misfits is testament to the city’s enduring greatness, even in the face of adversity. Rooting for the underdog isn’t easy, but it’s almost always interesting.
More than a guide to the place we all call home. It’s a celebration of us, and of you, and of the best people, places, foods, goods and services that make Portland what it is.
Our annual Best of Portland issue is dedicated to the small, inspired and, yes, weird ways people have made their lives here. To truly understand any city, you have to dig beyond the prevailing narratives.
It’s Best Of time, in the worst of times. The irony is not lost on us. An issue celebrating all the odd, awesome and inspirational stuff that makes Portland special couldn’t be more out of step with the current civic mood if the Cascadia subduction zone had opened up and swallowed the city whole.
Every year around this time, we choose to put the big stories on hold and instead spotlight the people, places and projects operating in the background—the little things that tell us what it’s truly like to be a Portlander.
