What to do in Portland?

[goldilocks]

I am taking a trip to Portland (actually, Beaverton) over the holiday weekend. Any great places to eat, shop and see?

[gertdog]

I've only been to Portland once, but I had a few memorable meals there.

Typhoon! is an excellent, friendly Thai restaurant. I took a friend who had never had Thai food before and we both enjoyed ourselves tremendously. 2310 NW Everett Street, Portland (in the Imperial Hotel)

Also in the Imperial Hotel is a breakfast place that we enjoyed. Definitely not light... they sell their pancakes by the "acre". A half-acre is more than enough for anyone. The blueberry pancakes were delicious. They also served us, as a complimentary appetizer (at breakfast!) cute little fruit parfaits in champagne flutes.

We also went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)... lots of stuff for kids, but fun even if you are traveling without kids.

[mandarin2j]

Goldilocks:

What are your interests? Family fun/places you can take the kids? The outdoors? Historical places? Food? (as if I have to ask that one on this board!) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

I have lots of favorite places here, but you'll probably want a fairly narrow list for a three-day weekend.

-Amanda

[aggie94]

The Japanese gardens are beautiful, although you've probably missed them in their full bloom. The Chinese gardens downtown are new, but I was a bit disappointed when I went there over Christmas -- it was VERY crowded and much smaller than I had expected. But a friend, who had recently toured a number of gardens in China, said it was as nice as anything he saw in China. So very authentic.

The Heathman Hotel downtown also serves a fabulous breakfast, as does the Bread & Ink Cafe (more casual) in SE Portland. Esparza's is great Tex-Mex, and my favorite place for delicious, fresh seafood is Jake's or Jake's Grill downtown (Jake's Grill offers more steak selection, with a smaller seafood menu, but they're the same owners). There are also some fabulous restaurants in NW that are escaping me right now (Wildwood comes to mind, but I haven't actually eaten there before). And if you like Caprial, you might think about trying her restaurant. I also haven't been there, but maybe someone else has. There are quite a few Portlanders on the board -- Amanda? If you're thinking of someplace nice for dinner, you'll want to make reservations, even for a weeknight.

I'll second gertdog's suggestion of OMSI. They have a great Omnimax theater there that we caught Everest on a few years ago. VERY impressive.

Whatever you decide to do, have a great time!

[goldilocks]

Thanks everyone for posting!

Amanda - It's just my husband and me and our two friends. We don't have kids. We are interested more in great places to eat, and cute places to shop. We could also be up for some historical/sightseeing things too. Please let me know what you think.

Also, I posted this on another thread, we are looking for a B&B/hotel somewhere along our route from Oregon back to San Francisco. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.

[goldilocks]

Just bumping up as I am leaving Thursday morning. Thanks!

[RobinC]

I live in the Portland area. Here is my 2¢

Food & Shopping
NW Portland - 21st Ave is filled with shops and restaurants. My favorite Thai place is on NW 21 & Johnson - Beau Thai. I know the owners really well. The salad rolls are wonderful.

Powells City of Books on W Burside & 12th or 13th(dangerously close to the NW area mentioned above)

Saturday Market. This is also on West Burnside and Front Street (12 - 13 blocks east of Powells), under the Burside Bridge. Everything sold here is hand made. There is lots going on here. It is a great place - I think this would work well in your "cute places to shop" goal. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

The Multnomah Falls area is a great place for day hikes. It is east of town. Take I-84 East and watch for Multnomah Falls

Pittock Mansion - built in 1914, it is now a museum. 3229 NW Pittock Dr Portland OR 97210

Food Thoughts

McCormicks & Schmicks - good seafood

If you like Indian Food, give Bombay Cricket Club or Plainfields (more expensive) a try. Both will probably need reservations.

You can also check out http://portland.citysearch.com I use this a lot to look up restaurants and other things around town.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

[SusanJoy]

Papa Hayden's is our favorite - the food is great and the desserts are amazing. I second a vote for OMSI ....

Have a great time!

Susan

[mandarin2j]

Shopping: NW 23rd Ave & NW 21st Ave bounded by W Burnside & about NW Marshall is a great shopping district. It's nicknamed "Trendy Third" 'cause it's where all the young hip thangs go to see and be seen (think Union St. in SF). But there are also a lot of very cool stores. There's a Mamma Ro pottery store on 23rd & Lovejoy, a Kitchen Kaboodle on 23rd & Flanders (kind of like Crate & Barrel), & loads of neat little clothing stores like Elizabeth Street at NW 23rd & Irving. For lunch while you're shopping, Papa Haydn (sp?) on NW 23rd & Irving is great. They're known especially for their desserts.

If shopping gets old, it might be nice to pick up some goodies at Elephants Deli in the Uptown Shopping Center (W Burnside, just west of 23rd Ave.) or Zupan's (across Burnside from the Uptown Shopping Center) and head up to the grounds of the Pittock Mansion (I don't have exact directions, but it's Mapquestable), which has a fantastic view of the city, for a nice picnic. Or, you could take your picnic goodies up to Washington Park, to the rose garden above the reservior, and enjoy the city (and mountain) view from up there.

Other shopping: The Hawthorne District, bounded by SE 39th Ave on the east, approximately SE 30th Ave on the west, along Hawthorne Blvd. It's a bit funkier than NW Portland, more along the lines of the Haight in SF. There's a fantastic Italian grocery, Pastaworks, on Hawthorne between 37th & 38th. It's attached to Powells Books for Cooks, a must-visit for foodies! Our favorite restaurant is on SE 37th at Hawthorne. It's called 3 Doors Down and specializes in Tuscan-style cuisine. Yum! They don't take reservations, and on weekend nights, the list can get pretty long. It's best to show up well before you're hungry and while away your wait time checking out the area. Greater Trumps, a little bar next to the Bagdad Theatre, makes a great place to kill some time. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

NE Broadway & NE Weidler (they are a block apart and run parallel, one in each direction) from about 8th Ave to about 20th Ave also have great shopping. Lots of funky clothing stores, another Kitchen Kaboodle, & a Peets Coffee & Tea to make you feel at home. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

No visit to Portland is complete without a visit to Powell's city of books at W Burnside & 10th Ave. It takes up the whole block and several floors, and is filled to the brim with an amazing assortment of new & used books. In fact, I just picked up my autographed hardcover copy of Mistress of Spices for the CL Book Club, used for $10.95. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Our other favorite restaurant is Pambiche at NE Glisan & 28th Ave. It serves amazing Cuban cuisine, and the owner is a former pastry chef at Papa Haydn, so the desserts are out of this world!

For Thai, we go to Thai Orchid which is on W Burnside at about 22nd Ave, adjacent to the NW 23rd shopping district. Best Pad Thai anywhere.

We're also quite fond of India House, located downtown at SW 11th and Morrison. Great Indian food, especially the chicken tikka masala & their kheer.

You might want to catch a second-run film at any of the McMenamins theatres. They are a local microbrewerey that have restored several old theatres around town. The movies are cheap, and you can enjoy a good beer or two while watching them. Here's a link to their site:
www.mcmenamins.com (http://www.mcmenamins.com)

The Laurelhurst Theatre on E Burnside & 28th Ave. also serves beer and shows a greater assortment of second-run flicks. They also get their food from Pizzacato, a local pizza chain that makes Caesar salads that would do the Stinking Rose in North Beach proud.

Mt. Hood & Timberline Lodge make a lovely day trip, if you feel like it. The lodge was created in the '30s by the Works Progress Administration, and it's a model of regional craftsmanship and indigenous materials. Beautiful. If it's clear, it also makes for an amazing view.

If you have time & don't mind driving, you really ought to get out to the Columbia River Gorge. It's amazing. You can drive out the Washington side on Hwy 14 past Camas, or you can check out the historic Columbia River Highway that begins in Troutdale, Oregon. It takes you past a breathtaking array of waterfalls and lush green forests. I never get tired of going there. We were married in the Gorge at a little inn just above Crown Point along the old highway. I can't think of a more beautiful setting.

If you're feeling a little hippie, you could finish off your drive by crossing the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, Oregon, and then driving east on Hwy. 14 until you come to the turn-off for Carson, Washington. Signs will direct you to the Carson Hot Springs Resort, where you can imerse yourself in stinky, sulphurous water (sounds appealing, no? But really, it's pretty cool!) in ancient clawfoot tubs at the bathhouse. The resort was built by the first white guy to find the springs in the late 1800s. It was billed as a place to rejuvinate body & spirit, a lot like how Bath, England got its fame. The place is a total trip. But it's not for the modest. Though the bathhouses are segregated by gender, the men's bathhouse has no privacy screens at all. The women's has shower curtains in between each tub, but you have to get from the communal changing room to your tub with a bath towel the size of a hand towel covering you. Not for the shy. After your soak, an attendant covers you in blankets as you rest on a cot and sweat out impurities. The place is a total trip, and is a fantastic stop after an arduous Gorge hike.

For B & Bs on the way back, I'd recommend The Palm in Ashland, which is almost in the middle if you travel I-5 and not the coast route. If they're booked, ask about their sister property, a restored hotel right in the theatre district. Here's a link to their site:
http://www.palmmotel.com/index.shtml

We've never stayed there, but we checked it out on our last trip to Ashland last summer when we ended up at the yucky Best Western (clean, convenient, but no personality, and in Ashland, that's almost a crime!) off the freeway. We were desperate 'cause the rain ruined our camping trip down there, but we spent some time checking out other properties for future visits. We liked The Palm the best, and have already booked our anniversary stay for this August there.

Safe travels, and have fun! If you want any more info, just let me know.

-Amanda

OH--I just noticed an error in gertdog's message-The Imperial Hotel is downtown, not in NW. It's on SW Broadway at Stark (or is it Oak...anyway). The address on NW Everett might have been where Ron Paul, a now defunct good restaurant, was at one time.

[This message has been edited by mandarin2j (edited 05-23-2001).]