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Visiting Portland

Getting into Portland

If you’re flying in, you’ll want Portland International Airport, which is about 20 minutes driving from the city center or 40ish minutes by MAX light rail.

Things to know:

  • Portland has no sales tax (though there is a lodging tax)
  • The airport prohibits upcharging, so prices are the same as in the city
  • You can’t pump your own gas here (and must wait for an attendant instead)

Where to stay

With various events happening in Portland the same weekend of Affect, the closest hotel to our venue (Society Hotel) has been booked up. Other close options include Embassy Suites (0.3 mi from venue) and Courtyard by Marriott (0.4 mi).

Best for budget: Northwest Portland Hostel is 1.1 mi from our venue and includes an in-house cafe ($35-47/night for dorm beds or $109-129/night for private rooms).

AirBnB is also available in Portland.

Getting here

The University of Oregon White Stag Block’s entrance is at 70 NW Couch St, between NW 1st and Naito Parkway (and right next to the Duck Store). Fun fact: Couch Street is pronounced "Cooch".

When arriving, go past the reception desk next to the entrance and you should see conference registration down the hall.

Also: we have a page filled with accessibility info.

Public transit

TriMet is our public transit system, which encompasses the bus, MAX light rail, and streetcar. We’d highly recommend using their trip planner and real-time arrival tracker to plan, but the closest stops are:

  • MAX Red/Blue lines

    Skidmore Fountain (0.07 mi)
    Old Town/Chinatown (0.1 mi)

  • Bus Lines 4 & 8

    NW Everett & 2nd (0.2 mi)

  • Bus Lines 12, 19, 20

    W Burnside & Burnside Bridge (0.1 mi)

Parking

Nearby street parking is metered and limited to 2 hours, with two disabled parking spots (one general, one for wheelchair users only) within a block of our venue (on NW Couch, between NW 2nd Ave and NW 1st).

There are also two lots within a couple blocks:

  • SmartPark (garage)

    $15 daily max (entrance on NW Davis, between NW 1st and Naito Parkway)

  • City Center Parking (outdoor lot)

    $14 daily max (on NW 1st, between NW Couch and Davis St)

Biking

There are two racks located next to our venue. A Biketown bike share station is available at NW Couch and 2nd (about a block away), where you can rent bikes for $0.08/minute once you sign up and pay the $5 membership fee.

Cab

The best local cab option is Radio Cab (503-227-1212). There is also Uber and Lyft available.

Lunch recommendations

On Thursday, you’ll have 1.5 hours to grab lunch around downtown Portland. On Friday, talks start after lunch.

Sit-down spots

Food carts

Portland has a strong food cart culture, with pods and individual carts all over our city.

  • Aprisa

    Customizable (dietary-friendly) tacos and burritos (0.1 mi)

  • Mama Chow's Kitchen

    The best wontons. Plus lollipop wings + garlic noodles (0.4 mi)

  • Alder Street Food Cart Pods

    Portland's biggest (and busiest) food cart pod, with carts galore spread over blocks around SW 10th and Alder (0.7 mi)

Where to caffeinate

Coffee and tea will be available onsite, but here are recommendations just in case!

Coffee

Tea & cocoa