USA - 5th > 4th

July 4-6

Hello everyone!

One of the many joys of travelling the world is seeing how different groups of people celebrate important milestones. I was excited about the fact that I would be in the United States of America for its biggest, brashest day. July 4th: Independence Day.

USA Independence Day fireworks in Portland

Flares being set off at a Portland Timber MLS game

I have been here for this once before. Way back in 2007, I was working, and vaguely remember chiding my colleagues with jibes about my country loaning them their independence. 2025 is a more mature version of myself, and a time when these jokes may be…misinterpreted.

I look different from 2007, but not this old!

Themed biscuits in a Seattle shop. Didn't realise the French are involved...

My plan was to enjoy this special day in a new state: Portland, the largest city in Oregon. I was also excited to take an American Amtrak train, an experience I don’t think I’ve had before.

The train goes from Seattle to Los Angeles

Many Amtrak trains are double-deckered 

I still haven’t. Power lines had fallen further down the track. The train that was supposed to leave at 9:55am hadn’t left at 12:55pm and wasn’t planning on leaving for a long time, at which point I hopped off the train, cancelled my ticket and found a bus leaving a couple of hours later. 

The delay allowed me to continue my hunt for each state's
number plate, finding the up-to-now elusive Alaska

I’ve since found that the train left at 4:21pm - I made the right choice!

The bus arrived shortly after 8:00pm, giving me little wiggle room for dragging my case up to my hostel before heading out to the waterfront, where I had read a firework display would happen at 10:00pm. My ankle didn’t appreciate that.

Portland is in the very north of the state of Oregon

The Willamette River bisects Portland - I was staying on the west side

I arrived at the waterfront at about 9:15pm, snaffled an overpriced hot dog to get in the spirit, and had a look around. It didn’t feel like much of a party, with people standing and sitting in the park seemingly out of duty rather than fun.

Hot dog: messy to eat

Crowds gathered in Waterfront Park

The fireworks happened and were pretty, if a bit repetitive and quiet. The largest bangs were coming from wonderfully-dubbed ‘mortars’ that are loaded like in war movies. I assume in war, as well, but can’t verify that. I also am aware that the fireworks over the river probably were incredibly loud for people near them. The problem was that they were being fired out of a boat on the river, so no one was near them. 

Fireworks over Portland's bridges

The main feeling I had when leaving at its conclusion 25 minutes later was that of being underwhelmed. Oh, and being on edge as I hobbled through quite a dodgy area of Portland.

Independence Day fireworks

The city has reputations, you see. Some are very evident - homelessness and drug use are common. Like Seattle, marijuana is decriminalised here, leading to occasional pungent whiffs of weed as you move around. Other drugs like fentanyl are used; you can see this from people wandering around out of their minds, often talking to themselves very loudly.

A group of users (I know that as I walked by
them) on a street corner in downtown

Statistics indicate that fentanyl is the unerlying cause
of nearly 70% of drug overdose fatalities in the US

Other reputations and badges of pride need a bit of surface scratching to uncover. Portland sells itself as being weird. Weird sights, such as a US Navy submarine partially visible in the city’s Willamette River. The fact that the river is pronounced Wil-LAM-et. A building with a fish sticking out of it. 

The USS Blueback was the US
Navy's last diesel-electric submarine

The sculpture of a salmon swimming through
a brick building is called 'Transcendence'

It also has a reputation for independence. When I arrived and needed to find food whilst heading to watch the fireworks, I looked for a place that would more likely be open on a holiday: McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC. I couldn’t find one. On a walking tour later on in the weekend, I was told that this is a conscious choice, and that there is only one McDonald’s…in the city. What it does have is a raft of independent ‘makers’. Approximately 70 different breweries, 80 different coffee brewers and 40 different wineries in the Portland area are a good example of this. 

Portland is known for its food trucks -
I got this arepa from one in Midtown

My hostel had a daily happy
hour for craft beer - happy days!

Some of these independent outlets are famous beyond city limits. Voodoo doughnuts is an almost 24-hour shop that sells doughnuts…and marriages. They’ve also gotten into trouble before for selling doughnuts with Nyquil and Pepto-Bismol to “wrecked party goers”. No such problem at Powell’s Book Store - your main problem in the world’s largest independent book store is getting lost, whether that be in the building or in a book.

The eponymous doughnut is covered with chocoliate
icing, studded with pretzels, and filled with raspberry
jam. A bit too much going on in my mouth!

The variety can be overwhelming as well

The building takes up an entire city block

The city seems to embrace inclusivity. The city hosts arguably the world’s largest naked cycling race. Pride - in the sexuality sense and in the city itself - seems to radiate from Portlanders. Bike rental is easy but, at over 40 cents a minute, was surprisingly expensive. The combination of this and a still sore ankle led me to miss some of Portland’s more renowned sites, such as its International Rose Test Garden.

This is a memorial to Zoobomb, a mad downhill race in the city

The sidewalks indicate the LGBTQ+ inclusivity of the city

They take particular pride in their sports teams. Portland doesn’t have an American football, baseball or ice hockey team in the major leagues. Whilst they do have a team in the NBA, the city has gone all-in on another sport: a globally more popular one…

Nike's main headquarters are found in Oregon

Portland Timbers playing at Providence Park

Welcome to Timber Town! Providence Park is home to one of Major League Soccer’s more vociferous fanbases. I went along to one of their matches without knowing much about them - it took a halftime internet search for me to find that they are managed by Man Utd hero (less so England Women’s manager hero) Phil Neville.

The team joined the MLS in 2011

The stadium hosts just over 25,000 people

The fans are loud. I would say it’s like being at a British football match…but it’s not. The crowd is far more active. One end of the ground, filled with their hardcore ‘ultras’ support, was constantly being orchestrated by three cheerleaders who almost never looked at the pitch. The middle one was an incredibly enthusiastic woman with a pink mohawk. Portland, innit.

You can see the pink-haired cheerleader with her arms outstretched

The atmosphere kicked up more notches when Portland scored their two goals. Green flares? Check. Mad flag waving? Check. Man with chainsaw chopping off part of a log before hoisting it high above his head to roars of approval from the crowd? Erm…check.

July 5th: loud

Ultimately, I felt that there was a better atmosphere at the football on July 5th than at the fireworks display on July 4th. Maybe that’s just Portland. Things are weird here, and they like it that way.

July 4th: fun but muted

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, grew
up here. He created this etching outside his high school.

Portland: independent

Love you all,

Matt