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When the Portland International Airport diverted travelers to new exit lanes on April 15, some locals had one big question: What would the new meet-and-greet areas be like?
Earlier this year, when the Port of Portland prepared to unveil the latest renovation at the airport (a 300,000-square-foot piece of the larger $2.15 billion terminal project), officials offered few specifics about the meet-up areas, promising “some number of seats” just outside security exits, where new restrooms and concessions would also be available.
The big stadium stair seating, the de facto meet-and-greet spot since the renovated main terminal opened in 2024, would no longer serve that purpose, they said, as arrivals would no longer be routed through that area. As it turns out, the big steps were never intended to serve as a meetup spot, even if that turned out to be a great use of the space.
“We never necessarily planned on exiting the middle of the terminal building where we did,” George Seaman, engineering project manager for the PDX Next project, said earlier this year. “But we really enjoyed seeing how that was embraced and accepted by the community.”
The final plan, unveiled in the days that followed the April 15 opening of the exit lanes, was two cozy seating areas situated atop squares of the iconic 1980s-era PDX carpet.
Some chairs have built-in power outlets in the new meetup spots. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
People wait for arrivals at the north side meet-and-greet area.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Inside a spacious new all-user restroom outside the south exit lanes. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
A new exit lane outside the B and C terminals at the Portland International Airport features a mural by Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk,Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The meet-and-greet spots on each end of the airport — one by the B and C terminal exit and another by the D and E terminal exit — are almost identical. They feature cushy chairs, coffee tables, electrical outlets and potted ferns. Both areas are adorned with new art, and both have new convenience stores: Topaz Farm and Sheridan Fruit Co.
While those stores carry the branding of Portland-area businesses, the shops aren’t exactly offshoots off their namesakes. Each has a selection of local goods up front (and Elephants Delicatessen food in the coolers) but inside, the shelves are primarily stocked with the same candy, chips, drinks, magazines and phone chargers that you would find anywhere else.
Crucially, the shops are open early and late, offering something for red-eye travelers and those picking them up. Topaz Farm is open daily from 4 a.m. to midnight, and Sheridan Fruit Co. is open 24 hours a day.
As of Wednesday, only one of the two areas had open restrooms, though the plan is to have restrooms on both sides. The brand-new facilities are all-gender with individual locking stalls and a communal area with sinks and seating. The restroom by the south exit, which opened first, features a large, colorful image of blooming flowers that reflects in the oval-shaped mirrors, with the ceiling open to the wood-beamed roof.
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The latest additions are just part of the 300,000-square-foot remodel, which is opening on a rolling basis. Already new storefronts have popped up throughout the airport, including Powell’s City of Books, Portland Gear and Smith Teamaker (all of which had been operating out of temporary kiosks since 2024), and a few more are expected this spring.
Next to come are the new escalators that will lead straight from the security exits down to baggage claim, expected to open May or June, the Port of Portland said. New large-scale art installations by local Indigenous artists Lillian Pitt, Marie Watt and James Lavadour are going up throughout the season.
The latest phase of the renovation project is expected to wrap up by June, when this vision for PDX will finally be complete.
Jamie Hale
Jamie Hale is the outdoors and travel reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, helping guide Pacific Northwest travelers to the region’s best trails, towns and attractions. Jamie also co-hosts the Peak Northwest…more