95 WALK SCORE | 100 BIKE SCORE
One of the best things about discovering a new city is finding the hidden funky neighborhoods that shape the fashion and art undercurrents found around town. Alberta Street, in North East Portland, is one of these. For years it was known as a problem neighborhood that was underserved, but in the early 90's, as Portland hit a growth spurt, Alberta was cleaned up and reborn as an epicenter of youth and culture. Branded an ‘Arts District’ you’ll see murals everywhere making this neighborhood colorful and vibrant. As other areas in Portland have succumbed to chain stores and cookie-cutter condos, this scrappy street has become a new hub for the creative class.
Northeast Alberta Street is now lined with colorful galleries and boutiques where visitors can browse for street art, shop for a handmade felt hat, overhaul a bicycle with used parts and even get acupuncture at a tea shop. Hipsters and bohemians on bikes park in front of the Alberta Cooperative Grocery for vegan and local foods. There are as many bikes as cars gliding down the street. The people pedaling yell to friends on the sidewalk before continuing on their way. They'll pass more than twenty international restaurants and pubs catering to a wide variety of tastes, from Thai to Ethiopian, from vegan burritos to fish and chips. You will regularly see long brunch lines at the many café’s and eateries along the street, spots that draw out of town guests, socialites, and the local flannel-and-fleece crowd to their quaint and artistic digs.
