MAX at night on wknd - safe?
 

Ddrewgirl and I are landing in PDX around noon on a Saturday in Mid April and will be leaving Sunday morning. We'll probably stay at the Sheraton by PDX. It seems that taking the MAX from PDX to downtown is the best solution.

I think we'll probably head back to the hotel around 10-11pm (last train). How safe would it be then?

One other question, if we miss the train, how much would a taxi be?

For sightseeing, we'll probably hit Japanese Garden, Powell's, walking around downtown, and hit some microbrews :)

Thanks for the help!

drew

I live in Seattle, not Portland, but I have taken the MAX a few times on my visits down there. As far as safe goes, this is Portland you are talking about, not NYC. Plenty safe.

Portland is a great town to visit. Have a good trip.

Sadly the MAX has had to put on special police and even consider abandoning their free fare zone due to many problems on the trains. Including several high profile assaults on board the trains; but these were all on the Gresham train (Blue line) and a different line (Red line) goes to PDX -- which has not had any problems. So, it cannot be said that Portland is any safer than NYC this year ...

The rest of the OPs plan is good, however I would highly suggest staying downtown instead of at an airport hotel. Portland has a very nice downtown, with great restaurants and entertainment and very walkable. Plus hotels at all price points; and the Sheraton is just a very ordinary airport hotel.

Well that's good to know. I've ridden it in the evening several times and have never felt threatened in any way.

I think you will be fine. Most of the assaults have for the most part taken place on the Gresham line (as previously mentioned) and I think that the assaults have taken place on the platforms. Having waited for a train once in Gresham late at night I can attest that it is pretty creepy and feels very unsafe.

Downtown is pretty safe. I would avoid waiting in the Old Town/Chinatown area though. Some Riffraff in that area at times. I would also say that since there are two of you together, your safety level increases significantly.

I agree that you shouldn't bother to stay at the airport Sheraton. A downtown hotel would be much more convenient and probably nicer.

I don't know how much a cab would cost. I think they tack on a $20-$25 fee to go to the airport. At least they used to. I haven't ridden in a cab to the airport in over 15 years though. I always get a ride or take the MAX.

Thanks for all the info. Out flight on Sunday leaves at 8AM. That's the main reason why we would stay in PDX area. I used a $50 off coupon from the expedia deal as well (coupon is pulled now).

Next time we go to PDX, we'll definitely stay downtown.

drew

Yes, there have been some high-profile assaults, but naturally the vast, vast majority of people who use MAX are perfectly fine. If it makes you feel better, a suggestion is to sit as near to the front of the train as possible so as to be directly behind the "driver".

As for a cab ride to PDX, the last I did it was in 2006 and it was $27, and that was to the south waterfront area, which would be a slightly longer ride than downtown. Taking a cab would also eliminate the hassle of waiting for the hotel shuttle once you got back to PDX, since walking from the terminal to the hotel would not be a very safe thing to do at night (not pedestrian friendly).

Since two MAX tickets would be about $4, the net cost of the cab ride would be around $25 including tip. It's just a matter of cost versus convenience.