The Moda Center home of the Portland Trailblazers (and Damian Lillard; one of Daniel’s all time favorite NBA players)! Formally known as the Rose Garden the newly named Moda Center houses over 20,00 people for concerts and hosts many different events throughout the year including Monster Jam and arena football.
Be aware though that since this is a basketball arena there are limited direct line of sight seats. There will be plenty of floor seating but most seating outside of that will not have a direct view of the stage. Not to say that the view will be bad from any seat, just be aware that this is going to be a unique concert set up as it is with any arena.
Given that this is a big city and a huge draw there are several ways to get to and from the venue, you can use public transit like the TriMet bus or MAX light rail. There’s a bus stop that stops right at the Moda Center for convenient entry.
Parking wise it’s very limited, the Garden Garage which is attached to the Moda Center has 1,038 parking spaces which cost around $40 a spot. While there are parking garages around the arena, they’re super limited, so we recommend that you Uber or take public transit from where you’re staying to get the full effect of being in Portland.
Portland is a beautiful city which is home to plenty of gardens, notably the Lan Su Chinese Garden which is in the Old Town Chinatown district which is only about 3/4ths of a mile from the Moda Center. Also, the Portland Japanese Garden is about a 15 minute ride away and is very much worth the time! This garden is tranquil and has a waterfall, zen garden and beautiful flora.
Food wise people RAVE about Frank’s Noodle House which is a family run Chinese noodle restaurant. Spirit of 77 is a bar that’s located just a half mile away (DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE IT’S ONLY A HALF MILE! JUST WALK!!! - but also be safe walking, please) and it’s best described as a sports bar with a modern twist. They have several taps and tons of can and bottle options, along with food and some basketball arcade games. This is one with Wednesday and Scott T. Smith on the line up and they will both continue to bring an amazing addition to this tour!