PORTLAND -- This city is a blessing in the spring, when pink blossoms appear on riverfront trees, festival tents are pitched and squinting Oregonians emerge to play after a long, gray winter of wet. That's because, at its heart, Portland is decidedly an outdoors city with large festivals, weekly art gallery walks, sidewalk dining, and strolls through world-class gardens.

Sure, often it keeps raining. But Portlanders come outside anyway. That's because the city is a perfect hub for so many nearby outdoor adventures.

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