That Oregon Life · Stories & discoveries
Earlier stories from the Portland Stories & Local News archive. Return to the latest stories →
If you've spent much time in Oregon, you've probably heard the claim before: Portland has more strip clubs per capita than any other city in the United States. Whether you're a lifelong Oregonian or just visiting…
For most of us, Oregon exists as a collection of familiar things. Highways winding toward the coast. Farm fields stretching across the Willamette Valley. Neighborhood streets in Portland. Tiny eastern high desert towns. Fences separating properties.…
There are certain Portland restaurants people mention with a kind of reverence. The kind of place locals insist you have to try at least once, visitors plan entire mornings around, and hungry diners willingly stand in…
Portland has never been a city that settles for ordinary. It’s a place where creativity spills into the streets, where old buildings are given new life, and where some of the most memorable spots are the…
We're going a bit out on a limb here at That Oregon Life. This story began as a sort of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" compilation, but after a giant list of my own and a slew…
There are restaurants you try once… and then there are the ones you grow up with. The ones where the coffee is always hot, the booths feel like they’ve heard a thousand stories, and the pie…
Fair warning… this is not the kind of place you go when you’re trying to “be good.” Fogo de Chão has officially opened at Bridgeport Village in the old McCormick & Schmicks building (RIP), marking its…
If you’ve ever wished you could press pause on the noise of everyday life without actually leaving Portland, there’s a place that quietly delivers exactly that. Tucked into a basalt cliff in northeast Portland, The Grotto…
After nearly six long years in protective custody, emotional counseling, and what sources describe as “a very intensive bronze detox program,” Portland’s beloved elk statue is finally returning to downtown on April 12, 2026. City officials,…
If you’ve been watching HBO’s The Gilded Age, you’ve seen the nation’s transformation play out in gas-lit parlors and drawing-room duels; steel barons and railroad titans building empires as socialites spar over who’s allowed into high…
I grew up in Springfield, Oregon, born in 1981, and when I was a kid in the early 90s, I remember hearing about a wild little place up in Portland called the X-Ray Café. As a…
RingSide Steakhouse has served premium steaks, seafood, and legendary onion rings in Portland for over 80 years, offering a classic dining experience with award-winning wine and timeless charm.
