Prep the thick-rimmed glasses and drainpipe jeans! Portland is the hipster capital of the West Coast. Awash with quirky cafes and bubbling breweries, the town identifies with the forward-thinker, the vegan, the liberal, and perhaps most importantly, the laid-back. Set midway up the western haunch of Oregon State, it’s also something of an outdoorsy hub, with the highland wonders of the Mount Hood National Forest to the east and the backpacking trails of Tillamook State Forest to the west. This mixing of hikers and bohemians makes for a real variety of boutiques and bars on the meanders of the Willamette River in the centre of Portland; a place where grunge courtesy of Seattle can mix with Miles Davis, craft beers meet champagne lunches and politics is the favourite talking point by a long shot. And once you’re done sipping homebrews and chatting Democrats and Republicans, don’t miss the curious château of Pittock Mansion in the hills around town, and take a dive into the city’s thriving arts scene (where Portland tour guides can reveal everything from IMAX theatres to planetariums to modernist arts and crafts), or wonder at the Victorian-American edifices of the historic Old Town.