Mission
The Portland Zine Symposium aims to create greater communication and community between diverse creators of independent media and art. This fun and free event helps people promote their work and to share skills and information related to zines and zine culture. Through workshops, panels and discussions, Portland Zine Symposium explores the role and effect of all types of zines.
How do I participate?
Show up! The Portland Zine Symposium includes workshops, panels, discussions, and raffles. As well as tables upon tables of creative folks trading, buying and selling zines. Admission is free.
There will be also be social activities in the evenings during the PZS, more on those as they develop..
How do I get there?
PZS will be held at the Portland State University campus in downtown Portland, Oregon. If you'd like to hook up with a rideshare, you can use our messageboard.
VIA TRAIN
Amtrak offers a number of train lines into the Rose City. There is one train daily from the south (the Coast Starlight) connecting Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Eugene, and intermediate points. There is one train daily from the east (the Empire Builder) connecting Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Spokane, and intermediate points. Additionally, there are four trains daily from the north (Cascades) connecting Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and intermediate points, plus two additional trains from the south connecting Eugene, Salem, Albany-Corvallis to Portland. Portland's Union Station (800 NW Sixth Ave, cross street Irving) is conveniently located at the north end of the Transit Mall downtown. (You can't miss the station, it's got a tower that says "Go by Train!") If you're coming from Vancouver, B.C. or other Canadian points, there is one daily train (plus several busses) connecting Vancouver's Pacific Central Station to Seattle's King St. Station. For more info regarding Canadian rail travel, go to Via Rail Canada. A tip to the wise: Amtrak frequently runs behind schedule, whether it be 5 minutes to a couple hours. Be prepared for this (ESPECIALLY if you take the northbound Coast Starlight!)
VIA BUS
Greyhound has a station at NW 6th Ave at NW Glisan (one block south of Union Station). Greyhound has many routes in and out of Portland, and is especially useful for points not served by Amtrak.
VIA AIR
Portland International Airport is located on the outskirts of town, where I-205 meets the Columbia. To get from there to downtown, you can a) hail a cab and pay upwards of $20 (plus tip), or b) take the new Airport MAX, which is inexpensive, runs frequently, and takes about 20 minutes to get to downtown.
(and finally) VIA CAR
The primary north-south artery in and out of Portland is Interstate-5 (I-5). This superhighway (or, if you will, "freeway") goes from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, slicing through Seattle, Eugene, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego. If you're coming from the bay area, take I-80 east, where you'll connect with I-5 in Sact-o. If you're coming from any of California's spectacular and numerous cities of the Central Valley (Fresno, Modesto, Bakersfield, etc) you can take California Highway 99 north to Sacramento and connect with I-5 there.
FROM THE SOUTH: I-5 North will split around milepost 299. Go to the left--Exit 299B to I-405 N (toward City Center/Beaverton). You will have to get to the right immediately upon getting on I-405, and take Exit 1C to 6th Avenue. The exit puts you right on SW 6th Ave. After a few blocks, turn left on Harrison. The Smith Center is on SW Broadway, which is one block west of SW 6th, between Harrison and Montgomery. Cramer Hall (the building with the workshops) is between Montgomery and Mill, also on SW Broadway.
FROM THE NORTH: Take I-5 South to Exit 302B (toward Beaverton/St. Helens). Take Exit 302B to get onto I-405. Stay to the left on the bridge, following the signs to Beaverton. Take Exit 1C, to 6th Ave/Ross Island Bridge. Shortly after exiting, take a sharp left onto SW 6th Ave, at the sign that says "6th Ave, City Center, Auditorium." As soon as possible after turning, get over one lane to the right to avoid getting back on the freeway. After a few blocks, turn left on Harrison. The Smith Center is on SW Broadway, which is one block west of SW 6th, between Harrison and Montgomery. Cramer Hall (the building with the workshops) is between Montgomery and Mill, also on SW Broadway.
An alternate route from the south is US Route 101, which connects to Los Angeles and San Francisco, but closer to the coast than I-5. From San Fran, US-101 crosses the Golden Gate Bridge (oooh! aahhh!) and hugs the Pacific for most of the many miles to Astoria, passing through Eureka/Arcata, Coos Bay, Newport, and the coast redwood forests! It's a slower, more meandering route than straight-shot I-5, but if you have the time, it just might be worth it.
To get to Portland from US-101, you can take Oregon Highway 6 east from Tillamook and then connect to US-26 (the Sunset Highway) which will bring you into Portland. From the east, Interstate 84 (I-84) connects Portland to Salt Lake City, passing through high desert metropoli like Pendleton, La Grande, and Boise. This is probably your best route from most of the Great Basin or the Central Rockies utilizing connections to I-80 and I-15 in Salt Lake City.
If you're coming from central/eastern Washington state, Northern Rockies, or Montana, take either I-90 west or US-2 west into Spokane and then take US-395 south to the sprawling Tri-Cities. Then take I-82 east, crossing the Columbia, connecting with I-84 just west of Pendleton. Take I-84 all the way to the end, past Exit 1. There will be two choices: North or South. Go to the left, to I-5 South (toward Beaverton/Salem). This road will split shortly, and you should stay to the left to merge onto I-405 N (toward Beaverton/Salem). Take exit 1C, to 6th Ave. The exit puts you right on SW 6th Ave. After a few blocks, turn left on Harrison. The Smith Center is on SW Broadway, which is one block west of SW 6th, between Harrison and Montgomery. Cramer Hall (the building with the workshops) is between Montgomery and Mill, also on SW Broadway.
Once in the City...
You can park on the street at a meter, but most of them will only let you stay for a couple of hours, so you have to move your car a few times a day. If you want to park in the PSU parking structure, enter on 6th Street (Parking Structure 1). Buy a day pass at the kiosk. It's free on Sunday. On Sunday, the meters are off, so you can park on the street for free as well. You can also utilize either your bike or Portland's great public transit system, TRI-MET.