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The Pacific Northwest's hippest city is also its greenest, most friendly, and a fun place for a weekend away with the family.

When my family heard that Portland's outdoor "Saturday Market" had become a Saturday-Sunday Market due to popular demand, we figured Oregon's largest city must be a good place to spend a summer weekend. We were right; in summer, the locals are out in full force enjoying their annual allotment of sunshine. This place is even fun on winter weekends, when the city's unique coffeehouses are crowded with book-lovers savoring a cup of Chai. The only Portlanders outdoors in winter's temperate but drizzly weather (and the city only gets an annual 36.3 inches of rainfall -- less than Seattle, as locals boast) are jocks and young families steering mountain bikes along the shore of the Willamette River.

The Saturday-Sunday Market

All year round, the two million or so Portlanders seem to be prosperous, offbeat, young, and in love with their very green, beautiful, and friendly city. Just count the number of Hummers with carseats, or the Porsche convertibles with windblown dogs in the luggage well, and you'll get a sense of the Portland lifestyle. Living this laid-back and environmentally correct lifestyle is key to enjoying your visit, so from March to December, the Saturday-Sunday Market is the place to begin.

The centerpiece of the oldest restored section of Portland, this functioning food, produce and dry goods market is a fun place to dine from ethnic foodstalls, see the work of more than 350 crafts vendors, and catch budding local talent performing for spare change.

Dole out allowance for the friendship bracelets, wood carvings, batik scarves, antique tea pots, Native American beads, fine art and more that reflect the affluent and eclectic tastes of the natives. In this low-key, car-free environment you can hobknob with locals who range from forest rangers to Southern California retirees, Nike executives to Reed College students.

Portland's Great Outdoors

Oregon may be America's capital of The Good Life, with more environmental activists, skateboarders, book readers, and pinot noir drinkers per capita than any other state, according to their tourist office literature. We began our initiation with a full-day bicycle ride, on terrific rental mountain bikes from Riverfront Cycles in the RiverPlace Marina development. This is a safe activity for all ages, as the Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park in front of the marina offers a mile-long, car-free zone to practice. Keep in mind that this park was a four-lane highway until the 1970s, when far-sighted citizens had it removed. The U.S. Census has found that 5,000 Portlanders now commute to work by bicycle, using the city's 29 miles of car-free bikeways and 156 miles of bike lanes.

Washington Park, the city's crowning gem, should be the first stop. It has enough uphills to provide a workout, and enough land to encourage off piste mountain biking. Within the park are pretty gardens including a Japanese one; the 185-acre Hoyt Arboretum for serious botanists and hikers; The Portland Children's Museum (503/223-6500) where infants to pre-teens can find water play, art studios and moving toys; and the intriguingly named World Forestry Center. The noted Oregon Zoo (503/226-1561) fosters many conservation and public education programs and entertains families with a summer concert series, a winter Zoolights Festival, and a fun Zoo Railway.

The World Forestry Center Discovery Museum ( 503/488-2117) is far from what tree-lovers may expect. Its mission is to educate visitors about sustainable forestry practices, including logging and wildfire control. Kids will love an opportunity to "drive" an enormous electric log cutter remotely by video, saw a huge tree off its base, then try to stack it on a logpile. There are interactive displays simulating the craft of the smokejumper, the logger, and others around the world who rely on forests for their livelihood.

Discovering the Willamette River waterfront is a must, as Lewis & Clark and countless other explorers have before. From late April to early October, speed demons can park their bikes and strap themselves in for a guided Willamette Jetboat Excursion ( 503/231-1532; 888/JETBOAT). The one to two-hour trips depart from the pier at 1945 S.E. Water Avenue next to the USS Blueback submarine (part of OMSI), and the longer ones take in the city sights as well as the bird and marine life on the way to Willamette Falls. Seeing Portland from its river provides the perfect opportunity to study some of the many notable bridges, which range from vertical lift models that allowed tall ships to pass underneath, to suspension and classic drawbridges. Keep an eye out for the world-renowned skateboarders who build make-shift ramps and rails under the pylons and entertain passersby.

Another riverfront attraction from a bygone era is the Oregon Maritime Center & Museum (503/224-7724) housed in the sternwheeler tugboat, Portland. You might recognize the steam-powered boat from the Jodie Foster/Mel Gibson film Maverick; open Friday to Sunday only. Look for some Benson Bubblers while you're at the waterfront; 20 of these constantly percolating bronze water fountains were donated to the city in 1912 by lumber baron Simon Benson, who hoped to decrease saloon sales by providing cold running water free to thirsty Portlanders.

Outdoorsmen associate Portland with Mount Hood, a year-round skiing and snowboarding mecca. But the region is also known for its rock climbing, and the Portland Rock Gym ( 503/232-8310) makes it possible for visiting beginners to try. There are day passes, special Friday night beginner classes and other clinics daily; kids under 11 receive a discount on admission and classes and 6-years is the minimum recommended age. Armchair athletes may appreciate the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum ( 503/227-7466), which exhibits Terry Baker's Heisman Trophy and other awards among several interactive sports challenges.