Readers Respond to the Influx of Tourists in Portland: “Might be Time to Get Out of Dodge”

“Yo, WTF is a weed bus? Asking for a friend.”

Rose Festival. (Wesley Lapointe)

Last week, WW wrote about the increasingly large flocks of tourists coming to Portland ("The Visitors," WW, June 5, 2019). In record numbers, people are coming here to hog our trials, smoke our weed and drink our beer. We joined them on weed buses, helicopter tours, brew barges and hiking trails. Here's what readers think of Portland's visitors.

Jay P, via Twitter: "All roads should lead back to California."

David Jay, via Facebook: "Last I checked, we need other people to smoke all our weed."

FFzilla, via Twitter: "No problem, come, and visit all you like. Just remember to leave."

Darren Evans, via Facebook: "I love Portland, but I never have liked its aversion to newcomers. It has always been a city of newcomers, but once someone has lived there for five years or more, they start bitching about the new guys. Enjoy the fact that you live in one of the best cities in the world, but work on being more welcoming!"

Denise J. Poole, via Facebook: "Good, keep them off our rural trails."

Hawtsprings, via Reddit: "Yeah, I gave up on hiking around here a few years ago. Just fuck it. You gotta go further afield and do different sports."

Bourbon, via Twitter: "Yo, WTF is a weed bus? Asking for a friend."

Jason Sabourin, via Facebook: "Portland residents feel this way?! Imagine how the rural communities that you all use as your playground feel."

Mike Gooding, via Twitter: "And nothing to show for it. Drop the income tax and go to a sales tax. Get money from the tourists that clog our state."

Kyle Palen, via Facebook: "I'm thinking it might be time to get out of Dodge."

Jemiah Jefferson, via Facebook: "Making a list of places to generally avoid…thanks, this is useful!"

Clive_Bigsby, via Reddit: "You mean walking up a trail, butts-to-nuts with a thousand other people, EDM music blasting from a shitty Bluetooth speaker, isn't your ideal day in the woods?"

Helicopters Are For the Birds

Sadly, for many residents (I can safely speak for a group of annoyed residents here in St. Johns), the success of Oregon Helicopters comes at a price to us lowly ground dwellers ["Go By Whirlybird," WW, June 5, 2019]. The noise is intrusive, especially during the night tours or during a hike in Forest Park.

It's unfortunate that these sort of tours go unregulated so that all that really seems to matter is profit and not city livability. I have contacted Oregon Helicopters and was kindly assured that they do indeed fly at the height limit, but alas, we often feel like ducking for cover when they fly over, sometimes many times a day. We have contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and the city regarding the noise. Other cities regulate. I hope Portland will get there one day too.

I was dismayed to see that your writers enjoyed the ride so much. I see more helicopter tours coming down the river as I read . . .

Stef McCargar | North Portland

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