Transportation
Transportation
Getting to Portland, OR
By Plane
Portland International Airport (PDX), an award winning airport, is located nine miles north of downtown Portland and is conveniently connected to the city center via MAX light rail train.
For airport information including arrivals and departures go to Port of Portland.
By Shuttle - Conference Special Rate!
Blue Star Transportation offers shuttles to and from the airport (PDX) and downtown Portland, including Portland State University. No reservations are required from PDX. Blue Star is there every half hour from 7:00am to 12:30am, 7 days a week. From downtown Portland to PDX, reservations are required 24 hours in advance. Attendees can call (503) 249-1837 to make a reservation.
Mention the 'TAC Dance Conference' and the special rate will apply of $11 per person, one way.
By Light Rail
The MAX light rail Red Line is the easiest way to travel to and from the airport. Here are some quick facts:- The trip between the airport and downtown Portland takes about 38 minutes.
- A one-way adult ticket costs $2.40. A “two-zone” ticket is required to reach the convention center or downtown. MAX ticket machines return change in coins, so small bills are recommended. There are ususally information staff right at the airport to assist travellers.
- You can roll your luggage on board.
- The first train of the day arrives at PDX at 4:45 a.m. The last train departs PDX at 11:58 p.m.
- The MAX station and ticket machines are located on the lower level, next to the south baggage claim area (turn right at the base of the escalator).
- The trip to PSU will require transfer to the streetcars, for exact details plan your trip on the trimet calculator.
By Taxicab
The average taxi fare from the airport to downtown is approximately $35 before gratuity. Radio Cab offers a discount with coupons available on their website for $28.50. The one-way trip takes 20-30 minutes.By Train
Union Station is served by three Amtrak intercity passenger trains:
With three daily departures between Seattle and Portland, as well as daily service to Vancouver, B.C., and Eugene, Ore., the Amtrak Cascades is a convenient link to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
The Coast Starlight operates daily, connecting the West Coast's most popular destination cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
Running daily, the Empire Builder begins in Portland and heads east to Chicago with stops at Whitefish, Glacier National Park, Minot, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and other locations.
Union station is located at the foot of the Broadway Bridge in Old Town/Chinatown, just minutes from the center of downtown. Union Station is within the Free Rail Zone, a 330-square-block area in the central city where there is no charge for light rail and streetcar rides. The Portland Transit Mall, which carries many bus lines, as well as the MAX light rail Green and Yellow lines, is one block from Union Station.
By Car
Downtown Portland is ringed by Interstate 5, the main north-south route from Canada to Mexico, and Interstate 405, a loop that encircles downtown and the Pearl district.
Interstate 84 originates at I-5 on Portland’s inner east side and continues east to Portland International Airport (accessible via the connecting Interstate 205), the Columbia River Gorge, and on to Idaho and Utah. Interstate 84 is also known as the Banfield Expressway, or just “the Banfield.”
Running west to the coast and east to Mount Hood is U.S. Route 26. The westbound stretch is also known as the Sunset Highway and leads to Beaverton, Hillsboro and Forest Grove, terminating at Seaside on the Oregon Coast (about 75 miles east of Portland). Eastbound Highway 26 is dubbed the Mount Hood Highway. Mount Hood is about 55 miles from downtown Portland; the highway continues east to Nebraska.
| Distance chart between Portland and selected cities across Canada (in kilometres) | Distance chart between Portland and selected cities across the United States (in miles) | |||
| Calgary, AB |
1255 |
Billings, MT |
891 |
|
| Edmonton, AB |
1548 |
Boise, ID | 425 |
|
| Lethbridge, AB |
1172 |
Eugene, OR | 105 |
|
| Saskatoon, SK |
1828 |
Reno, NV | 578 |
|
| Vancouver, BC | 504 |
Salt Lake City, UT | 748 | |
| Victoria, BC | 411 |
San Fransco, CA | 636 |
|
| Winnipeg, MN |
2623 |
Seattle, WA | 174 | |
One more note about driving in Oregon: It’s one of only two states in the nation that don’t allow drivers to pump their own gas (the other is New Jersey).
Maps
A map of downtown Portland including streetcar and trains is available here.
A view of greater Portland can be found here.
Portland State University - Broadway Residence
625 SW Jackson
Portland Oregon 97201
Google map to the Broadway Residence