Standpipe Park

«Wanna see the best view in the whole city?»
That’s the phrase to use with people visiting you. If they haven’t already fallen in love with our fair city, the extraordinary view of Portland from Standpipe Park will do the trick (and for those who are already besotted, this will be the icing on the cake). I accidentally found this park when I was apartment hunting. We had just viewed a beautiful, quintessentially indie, and perfectly charming bungalow-​esque apartment on Quebec St. and — knowing how fast the market moves in Portland — we knew we had to make a decision that night about whether or not we wanted it. Across the street from the apartment was a large green park area with many luscious trees, so we thought we’d take a seat there and discuss our potential future abode. Little did we know that the two benches at the end of the park overlook the entirety of Back Cove and most of Portland proper.
Stunning.
Just. Stunning.
No, we didn’t take that apartment, but we did find a new place for us to hide away at since many, many people in Portland have never even heard of the park. It’s about as local as local gets (as in — only folks in the East End neighborhood really know where/​what it is). I’ve also taken every single person from out of town who comes to visit me here, because it’s just so unexpected and so breathtaking. One summer the Friends of Eastern Promenade Concert Series was held here — and it was one of the most perfect ways in the whole world to spend dusk at. Any chance you can get to come here (it’s on North Street across the street from the Portland Observatory), you should… I promise, the view will stay with you for days and weeks and years to come.

I love this spot. It’s as simple as it gets — some grass, a path, and two benches. But the view of Portland is SO AMAZING. It’s tucked away on North Street — you could drive by it a million times and never know. But make a point to pop over there, especially around sunset… swoon!