there is a little cluster of gay bars (and a bath?) on the border between downtown and the Pearl; you might still hear it called "Vaseline Alley." however, the overall gay scene seems pretty well integrated into city life.

Dan Savage had an article in the Portland Mercury (alternaweekly sister to his own Seattle Stranger, and until recently half-sister to our own Reader) about the strange lack of a real "gay scene" in town even compared to mellow Seattle. I'll find it, although personally... I wouldn't mind one bit.

even as a Wicker Park-er, I felt a little intimidated by how hipster-ed PDX is -- it's almost as tragically hip as Brooklyn. Pioneer Courthouse Square on a weekday seemed about as lousy with hoodies and "emo combovers" as Bedford Avenue, and over on Hawthorne it looked like a record fair had exploded.

edit: Vaseline Alley is on SW Stark. the Savage piece was in the 2006 gay-pride issue:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portl...es?issue=39757