What to do in Portland

[sgeeeee]

I'm spending a couple of days in Portland, OR later this week. Anyone got suggestions for food, drink or entertainment?

 

[Brat]

Oh my, where do I start....

If you like books and are in Portland to not spend an evening at Powell's would be a sin. W. Burnside at 10th. www.powells.com

The yuppy neighborhoods (restaurants, bars, cutsie shops) are in the Pearl District and NW 23rd. That is not to say that you won't find great places elsewhere, but that is where the 'buzz' is. Portland has always been a 'dine out' town, restaurants come and go. For a guide: Best Places Portland: The Best Restaurants, Lodgings, and a Complete Guide to the City (Best Places Portland) (Paperback) Beer is to be savored: http://www.realbeer.com/destinations/portlandoregon/breweries.php Here is a tip sheet I found on line that includes several of my favorite places bakeries and eating establishments (I like my pastries French, my bread sour): http://www.extramsg.com/uploaded_misc/portland_tipsheet.html#bakeries

Oregon has no sales tax, shopping is a major sport. Prices are generally lower than Seattle. Home of Columbia Sportswear, Pendleton, Nike (factory store in N. Portland has prices comparable to the employee store), Adidas. Find a 'Made in Oregon' store to pick up a souvenir if you are short of time.

Jogger? Run through Washington Park. Walk through the NIKE campus, sneak a run on the berm.

The newest thing is the tram to OHSU. http://www.portlandtram.org/

Oh yes, ride the MAX.

Enjoy your visit. I said VISIT!!!

 

[sgeeeee]

. . . Enjoy your visit. I said VISIT!!!

Don't worry, Brat. I love the Southwest. I love to visit the Pacific NW, but there's not much chance I'm moving there.

I'm going to be at a place called the Portland Paramount on Taylor Street if that makes a difference in terms of recommendations. I'll be in meetings for most of the day Friday, but should have quite a bit of time to VISIT Thursday and some time Friday. Your list of recommendations is greatly appreciated.

 

[Linney]

Brat already posted some of the best ideas. Here are a couple more . . .

1. A self-guided tour of the public art works in downtown Portland:
http://www.racc.org/publicart/docs/WalkingTour.pdf

2. And if you are here on Sunday and have your bike with you, join us for the

Worst Day of the Year Ride - Sunday, Feb 11
"Don't worry about winter: get on your bike! That's what the organizers of the Worst Day of the Year Ride are saying with their annual, quirky event. This ride, a benefit for the Community Cycling Center, takes riders on an 18- or 40-mile tour of the Portland area, including a challenge loop over the West Hills to Hillsboro. But don't wait to sign up, this ride will sell out. Is your costume ready? Are you putting a wig over your helmet? Every costume contest entrant will receive a free set of Tireflys wheel lights and will vie for great prizes like rain gear from Showers Pass. And better yet, when you come in costume, you join a gigantic group of decorated riders who will be circling the city - perhaps the largest bike parade to ever hit Portland."
http://www.communitycyclingcenter.org/wdyr.html

(or you could just find a nice pub somewhere along the route and enjoy the wacky view)

 

[BOBOT]

If you can spare more time & will have a car, consider going up to Mt St Helens. It's a bit of a haul but well worth in IMO

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Drive east up the Columbia River Gorge. Take H30 out, stop at all the
waterfalls, take the freeway back. A nice half day.

 

[SecondCor521]

More a thing for the kids but can be interesting to grown ups as well if you're that kind of person:

http://www.omsi.edu/

2Cor521

 

[Brat]

I agree with a Columbia River Gorge drive, and add visiting Timberline Lodge if you don’t mind a drive to Mt. Hood in the snow.

Ah yes, OMSI. Great place. Took the grandson there over Thanksgiving holiday, could hardly drag him out. A hidden Portland treasure is the Columbia Gorge Model Rail Road club, usually open to the public only around Thanksgiving.

The Paramount Hotel is down town. Parking will be competitive, competitive with your wallet. The best value can be found at a garage with the “Smart Park” sign. http://portlandor.about.com/od/cityservicesgovernment/a/parking_FAQ.htm

Your hotel is convenient to both the streetcar and the Max. The streetcar runs from NW 23rd to the Tram, passing by Powell’s bookstore and through the west side of the Pearl District. That is the best transportation for a restaurant, bar or pub crawl. http://www.portlandstreetcar.org/ The Max will get you to and from the airport: http://www.trimet.org/howtoride/max.htm

The bus routes that go near Washington Park (63 & 51) don’t run too frequently. The easiest way to enjoy the park is to take the Max to the Zoo stop, then walk/run through the park down hill.
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewFile&PolPdfsID=88&/Washington Park Site Map.pdf

Shopping:
Made in Oregon stores: http://www.madeinoregon.com/visit-store.aspx
NIKE Town : 6th & Salmon
Columbia Sportswear flagship store: 911 SW Broadway
Pendleton Store: 210 NW Broadway
Adidas Store: 1039 NW Couch St

Both NIKE and Adidas also have stores on Martin Luther King Blvd.

[fixed typo]

 

[bosco]

Bridgeport brewery tour

Horse's Brass pub and Belmont Station beer store (45th and Belmont, in east Portland). Pub not the cleanest but absolutely great selection of on-tap beer. Belmont station is next to it and second best beer store in the Northwest (1st place IMO is Bottle Works in Seattle, at least for selection. Although Belmont Station treats the beer better.)

Lloyd Center is fun, but not a mandatory stop

McMenimin's (spelling?) Kennedy School pub. This company takes over schools and other historic buildings and turns them into great pubs.

 

[sgeeeee]

Thanks all. Great stuff. I wish I could extend my trip and do it all.

I really appreciate all the tips.

 

[Brat]

So, how was your trip?

I walked by your hotel a couple days ago, it was formerly the Aero Club. Those in the know, that dates me.

 

[Peaceful_Warrior]

How's the weather in Portland?

Since we're on the topic, my wife and I are considering moving to the Portland or Vancouver area. We've been up there a few times, and so far we've found people to be much friendlier and not so much as in a hurry as here in the SF Bay Area.

Only limiting factor right now is the weather. We're used to 13" rain/yr here, and Portland is 40"/yr. We've heard that there's usually 1-2 months where it just rains constantly with no breaks, and then for another 2-3 months it rains some during the day with broken clouds the rest of the day.

Can people who live there shed a realistic light on the weather situation there?

 

[Peter]

Re: How's the weather in Portland?

We've heard that there's usually 1-2 months where it just rains constantly with no breaks, and then for another 2-3 months it rains some during the day with broken clouds the rest of the day.

Maybe a bit optimistic? See statistics for Portland here:

http://tinyurl.com/3cpp52

Peter

 

[sgeeeee]

So, how was your trip?

I walked by your hotel a couple days ago, it was formerly the Aero Club. Those in the know, that dates me.

My stay in Portland was great -- too short to do much and my meetings ran very long. I did get a chance to eat some nice sea food and walk around downtown. I'll be going back for about a week in November and maybe one other time before then.

 

[Linney]

Re: How's the weather in Portland?

Only limiting factor right now is the weather. We're used to 13" rain/yr here, and Portland is 40"/yr. We've heard that there's usually 1-2 months where it just rains constantly with no breaks, and then for another 2-3 months it rains some during the day with broken clouds the rest of the day. Can people who live there shed a realistic light on the weather situation there?

7 years ago I moved from the SF Bay Area (Mountain View / Fremont) back to the Portland metro area. SF Bay Area weather -- anywhere but San Fran itself -- is the best weather I have experienced in my life. Absolutely wonderful.

Some people like the rain. I'm not one of them. My reason for the move was to be close to family again. Summers here are glorious, simply the best. Spring and Fall are variable -- 3 months each of partly cloudy / partly rainy weather, cool but not cold. Winter is cold, wet and dreary. All 3 months of it.

Okay, that said, there are moments of respite. Like the week I spend in Hawaii each year Kidding aside, about a week ago it was so warm and sunny that my husband and I went for an afternoon bike ride . . . and wore shorts. It isn't ALL rainy and dreary, but there sure is a whole LOT of it.

Good luck in making your decision. The hiking here is fantastic. Kayaking, windsurfing, bicycling all great. People are friendly, they love dogs and a great microbrew. Just don't move here for the weather.

 

[unclemick]

Portland - another old stomping ground where I'm forty years out of date. Born in Vancouver. My parents had lots of friends in Portland so got to go visiting growing up. And the nearest 'Big City' to Longview while I attended Lower Columbia JC.

Portland lite tho - students are broke most of the time.

heh heh heh

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I grew up in Portland (in the Multnomah County Libraries, used book stores and OMSI--I was there when it opened).

Is Jake's Crawfish House still there? Louis' Oyster Bar (where Crab Louis was invented)?

Are the merry-go-rounds still on display around the city? (Relatively recent phenomenon.)