Visited on a Friday afternoon after going to Powell's City of Books. The walk over was along a bit of sketchy areas (walked along Burnside) and the fountain area itself was a little sketchy. Litter, dirty, homeless, abandoned buildings. It was ok in the day but I wouldn't recommend going at night. The fountain itself is ok--not a major destination in itself. There was a fire station just to the south that appeared to have historical fire fighting equipment inside which was interesting. We continued on to the waterfront and walked along the path--the area seemed to get nicer the further south we went. We walked back to our car along Morrison -- much nicer street, felt much safer. Not sure where to park specifically for this fountain. Parking in downtown Portland seems to be a nightmare. Street parking and lots are all pay 7 days a week. The cheapest lot we saw was $4/hour with most of them being $5/ hour and $14 for the day. Some stores may have lots (Powell's books has a lot, not sure if it was paid or not, it was full when we arrived).

While the fountain itself is beautiful and in close proximity to the Saturday Market, the area in general has dropped off significantly in the past 5 years. It's a shame because this is such a great area of Portland. Go during the day.