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Pokémon GO came to the US July 6 and has rapidly captured the hearts of the public. But if you are of a generation that did not grow up with Pokémon or just need to know where best to start, here are some tips for navigating the newly Pokémon-infested Portland.
Where To Contact Other Trainers
If you have any inquiries or tips you'd like to share with the rest of town, check out Portland's page on Reddit, which has a mega thread devoted to Pokémon GO that is almost 500 comments strong and growing at the time of writing this article.
This comment thread will eventually be phased out after the first few days of hype, though. So, for Portland trainers in it for the long haul, check out /r/pokemonPDX and /r/pokemongoPDX. Neither of these sub-reddits are very active right now, but once the commenters from /r/Portland migrate to these subs, one of them will surely take off. At the moment, it seems like /r/pokemonPDX is going to be the place to be.
There is also a page made more recently for all of Oregon called /r/OregonPokemonLeague.
Where To Mine Pokéstops Around Town
There are Pokéstops scattered all throughout the city where you can find free poké balls, items and eggs. But some areas of town are more populated with stops than others. Here are some of the areas that commenters in the mega thread say are most abundantly populated with Pokéstops for your harvesting pleasure.
- Tom McCall Waterfront Park
- Holladay Park
- Laurelhurst Park
- The Oregon Zoo
- Hawthorne Avenue, between 39th and 49th Streets
- Northwest 23rd Avenue
There is also a Portland Pokémon GO map that is being updated somewhat frequently with Poké stop locations and rare Pokémon sightings. The map is not very full right now, but still provides handy information like a Mewtwo sighting at the Tigard Public Library and a Pikachu near Amigos Del Sol. Anyone can use and add on to this map, so help out by adding any points of interest you find.
Best Places To Catch Pokémon Around Portland
There are now Pokémon everywhere in Portland, and the whole point of Pokémon GO is to get people out and exploring the city. But, a few of the more popular places for trainers are easily accessible and great places to meet other Pokémon GO players.
If you go anywhere along the waterfront, you can find a good mixture of water-type Pokémon near the river, as well as other types in the park. And if you go to Pioneer Square, there is almost always a bunch of other trainers dropping lures around the square that you can bum off of.
Good luck!
Willamette Week