Bike Around Portland: Bridges, Neighborhoods, Poetry and Roses

Judith, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the talking; just as a note to future guests, we do include some narrative in our bike tours, as we find that it's one of the demands that most tour participants agree on. We won't be reducing the amount of history, cultural and art narrative we provide, as that's what this tour is about. I chatted with your guide, and he said that he rode the longest route we usually do -- about 10.5 miles. If you're looking for a ride without talking, we suggest you come to us to rent bikes and we'll send you on your way!

Hi there! I've chatted with your guide and his impression was that you were having a rough time with some of the stories about Portland's activism, which is understandable; we are a lot more progressive than other cities. As we got great reviews from the other guests that day, I feel like this may have been a situation where your expectations of the city were not matched by the realities of the city. We can't wow everyone, Paris or New York this is not. For those reading through the reviews to the end, we definitely don't intend to show you architectural wonders of the world on this tour, but the unique and (we think) awesome things that make Portland so different from larger cities and those with a less activist viewpoint. If you're visiting Portland and not New York or Paris, we believe that our tour will show you the true city, with all of its adorableness and some of its struggles.

Kelsey, I’m sorry you felt the tour was boring. It’s worth noting that your review came in at the same time as another review from your very same group that absolutely loved the guide and the tour content, so I’m left without a lot of helpful feedback for my guide, who I know to be a wonderful resource with plenty of great information. It seems that you didn’t personally connect with either her or the city; I guess that is the nature of Portland’s quirky soul. It’s been a challenge for us as people begin their first trips after COVID; some are glowingly happy and others seem to have expectations vastly different than the experience we offer. It is not a fast ride through a flashy city with an enormous variety of famous sites; that’s just not the city Portland is. We don’t visit a whole section of town just because they have good bike infrastructure, and I’m curious if you had an opportunity to hear the guide tell the stories of the neighborhood’s development and the aerial tram that you surely visited in that neighborhood. Certainly if you prefer not to meet locals or interact with other tour guests, the Nike bikes and google maps are the way to go!