The Public Living Room

Pioneer Courthouse Square is a large brick square in the middle of downtown that serves as a focal point for this part of town. There's often something going on in this "living room" of Portland. If not, it's the best place in town hang out and people watch. Grab a honkin' huge burrito from the nearby food cart, find a place to sit on the square's steps, and enjoy the diverse crowd that hangs out there. Be sure to also check out the forecast from the automated weather machine art thing. It's the large pole with light bulbs and a wind vane at the top which predicts the weather for the next 24 hours. A dragon at the top means rain, a sun means, well, sunshine, and a blue heron means the default Portland day - gray drizzle. It comes to life and makes it's prediction most days at noon with some music, a display of the different symbols, and a mist.