Travel Tips & Adventures

Portland’s Saturday Market is misnamed – it is also open on Sunday. Unlike most craft fairs that come and go, the Portland Saturday Market is open from the end of February through December 24.

Portland Saturday Market - or part of it

And, this is one of those places that is a must-see if you’re coming to Portland. The array of hand-crafted items to see and purchase is dizzying. Creativity abounds!Also, there are enough food vendors to start a mini-United Nations of food. Starting with burgers, ice cream, coffee and pizzas, the food then heads into Asian, Creole, Greek, Lebanese, Mexican, Polish and Thai choices. There are also ATM machines in the vicinity, so if you have money in your account, you won’t go hungry!

On to the crafts…

The glass work of Richart Glass was especially colorful and appealing, but there was also pottery, twirling metal mobiles, and other original items to catch your eye.

Richart Glass is one of the Saturday Market artisans who creates attractive original artwork

Candles and other crafts

 Children were playing in the water at the street fountain, drummers were playing plastic buckets – quite the viruosos! – and there was a sense of festivity even though it was drizzly. The street musicians can be very talented as well as the scheduled musicians who span genres including blues, jazz, hillbilly, funk, ragtime and more.

The dancing fountains

About the Portland Market

In operation since 1974, Portland Saturday Market is a fun way to spend part or all of a day. Getting there is easy since a light rail stops right in the midst of the area at the Skidmore Fountain Max Station. If you’re trying to find the Portland Saturday Market, it’s near the west side of the Burnside Bridge. (It used to be under the bridge, but it was recently relocated just a little bit south.

 
After you shop, a stroll along the Willamette River on the Westside Riverwalk is a great place to see the scenery and stop for a few minutes to nibble your food or review your purchases.

View from Riverwalk of Willamette River

Hours: Saturday 10-5; Sunday 11-4:30. This year, it has been open from February 28-December 24.

 
The Portland Saturday Market is a great outing for a family!  And, it’s a good feeling to buy something directly from the craftsperson who made the item.

http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/

Tags: Art, Crafts, Food, fountains, Oregon, Scenery, Shopping, Travel

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Art, Family Fun, Food, Portland Oregon, Scenery, Shopping, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.