Where To Stay

• Solo travelers have plenty of options for accommodations in Portland. If you're looking to go cheap and make some instant friends, stay at one of the two hostels relatively close to the city center. The Northwest Portland International Hostel is located east of downtown and near the sophisticated Pearl District, while the Hawthorne Hostel puts you in the heart of the bohemian shopping wonderland of Hawthorne Boulevard. Other great choices for hip and single-friendly hotels are the Jupiter Hotel, a modern-furnished motel throwback that surrounds one of the city's most popular clubs, The Doug Fir; or the Ace Hotel, an eclectic boutique-style hotel downtown.
  
  

How To Get There

• Renting a car for just one person can be an exorbitant expense, but a necessary one in many strange towns. Not so in Portland --- getting around is entirely possible either on foot or by pedal. Downtown Portland and the inner east side (inner Portland east of the Willamette River) are accessible by the area's mass transit trains or by bus. If you arrive at the Portland International Airport, an employee from TriMet, the area's transit authority, will be there to provide directions on how to board the Red Line train into the city. If you arrive at the train or bus stations downtown, you can catch a TriMet Max train for free and ride anywhere within the downtown corridor. When you arrive at your hotel, inquire about house bicycles, as some, such as the Jupiter Hotel, provide loaners to their guests. With more than 100 miles of bike lanes in the city, Portland can be a great place to explore on bike.
  
  

What To Eat

• In Portland, almost anywhere is within stumbling distance of a great place to eat. For single travelers, Portland solves the problem of eating alone in a crowded restaurant by providing an abundance of food carts. You'll find the small trailers, campers and sheds all over downtown and in many "pods" throughout the Hawthorne, Belmont, Mississippi and Alberta neighborhoods, as well as in abandoned lots all over town. If you're thinking of hot dog stands, think again: these carts serve up delights like brick-oven pizza, crepes, gourmet sandwiches and every ethnic fusion imaginable. To get a feel for what's out there, visit the lively Portland Food Carts blog.
  
  

What To Do

• Portland offers you the chance to find serenity, party scenes or whatever mix of the two you'd like to pursue. One of the highlights not to be missed, and totally cool to stroll into alone, is Forest Park, the nation's largest urban forest. Trails leading through the dense green wonderland start right on the west edge of downtown. If you're up for a nice long hike, stroll from downtown to the Japanese Garden, near the Oregon Zoo, then take the Max back to downtown. Also not to be missed is the Classic Chinese Garden and Teahouse, with its stunning array of native Chinese plants. If you're in town on a Saturday or Sunday, buy some local handicrafts at the Saturday Market along the west riverfront, and grab some Oregon berries (and check out more food carts) at the downtown farmer's market, or one of the many that dot the neighborhoods. Get into the culture by checking out a yoga class at Yoga Pearl or one of the many other open studios, and finish it off with a night at one of the city's many music venues.