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I know this is not a climbing question, but any help is much appreciated!

My wife and I may have need to head up to Portland and we would have one day completely free. Other than going to Powell's (I am on a seemingly never ending quest for a particular book), we are unsure exactly how best to experience the city. Any suggestions on how to best do Portland in a day?

Danke!

Bubba Suess wrote:... Any suggestions on how to best do Portland in a day?

Danke!

Well, actually it can't be done.


But, depending on which day, there are a great many things to see and do.

Downtown is an interesting mixture of shops, if you happen to have a weekend day as the open day, the Saturday market is interesting.

I like driving around the west hills looking at houses.

Antique stores are plentiful. There is one section on the east side of the Willamette river near where I-5 bends sharply to the west (southbound). A Google search will net you a few good locations.

The zoo and science center is west on I-405.

Restaurants a plenty. One I like is the Old Spaghetti Factory (http://www.osf.com/).

Take a drive east on old highway US-30 along the Columbia River gorge. Nice views.

Since you posted this on a climbing site, and not on a 'visit cities as a tourist' website, I'll second the opinion that you hit up the Columbia River Gorge if the weather is nice. Mt. St. Helens is visitable in a day if you love driving ALOT and get an early start. But the Gorge has a lot of good short hikes, scenic overlooks, waterfalls, a weeks worth of nature things to do.

I agree with take a drive up the Gorge. But if you are staying in town, OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) is a cool place. McMinniman's is a good restaurant and they have their own microbrews.

Almost forgot, if you are history buff, Fort Vancouver across the river in Vancouver, WA is pretty neat.

Portland is a nice medium-size city. It has a number of moderately interesting places to visit. The Columbia River Gorge, however, is special. Carved by floods at the end of the last ice age, the Gorge is a scenic wonder. I have lived in Portland most of the time since 1941 and never tire of visiting the Gorge. If you are committed to doing the city you could still spend a worthwhile several hours driving as far as Bonneville Dam on the Interstate with a stop at Multnomah Falls.
In Portland, Council Crest, the Washington Park Rose Garden and the Pittock Mansion offer good views of the countryside. There is a restaurant with a view in the US Bancorp Tower.
A walking tour of downtown that features fountains (info on the internet) gives a focus for walking around downtown. The fountain in front of the Civic Auditorium is of particular interest.
The World Forestry Center in Washington Park near the zoo is something to see. It is an easy drive from downtown and is also served by light rail by way of the deepest transit station in North America.

If you're looking for good (oh fuck it...GREAT!) places to eat in portland, here are my picks:
Pok Pok, Thai (careful, all other Thai places will taste like fast food after that one...)
Pambiche, Cuban
Noestra Cuccina (sp?), Mexican
Saburo, Sushi

...& if you have time after eating, then you should see the Gorge too.

Drive from Portland down I-84 through the Gorge to Hood River, take Route 35 south into the Hood River Valley (really neat to have Hood at one end, Adams at the other and scenic orchards and farms between, take Route 26 back west and hit Timberline Lodge for their huckleberry bbq pulled pork sandwich (it's messy but awesome), then back to Portland. This is commonly called the "Fruit Loop" drive.

If you don't want to drive and just see Portland:
Powell's
Saturday Market
Zoo/Japanese Garden
Hawthorne Street - Aladdin's and all the restaurants
Pioneer Square (shopping at the mall/nearby stores and people watching in the square)
The Pearl (trendy stores, restaurants, galleries)
Google "Portland CitySearch" for clubs, music ideas
I like Pittock Mansion, you can park at the MacLeay lot, hike up in half an hour to the mansion, take the tour and enjoy the views over Portland (or you could just drive up there too)
NW 23rd Avenue (although I hear a lot of the stores and restaurants closed in the recession and it's not what it once was)

Have fun!
Brian

I will definitely add to the gorge comments, as well as doing the "fruit loop," if you have the time and are not sick of driving.
Brian's comments about the city stuff are good. Rose and Japanese gardens are a must.
Just depends what you're into, ie. city stuff, walking down streets, looking in shops, etc. or, exploring a bit of the gorge, etc.
Have fun.

Go to the Gorge! Drive around Mt. Hood! Other than the zoo and that book store, Portland is boring!

mrh wrote:Go to the Gorge! Drive around Mt. Hood! Other than the zoo and that book store, Portland is boring!

As opposed to say, Grangeville, Idaho

Snowslogger wrote:

mrh wrote:Go to the Gorge! Drive around Mt. Hood! Other than the zoo and that book store, Portland is boring!

As opposed to say, Grangeville, Idaho

Ha, figured I'd get a response with that. Grangeville rocks man. We got mountains, giant canyons, four wilderness areas, rocks, montane rainforests, prairie, endless whitewater rafting, steelhead, salmon and just one damn traffic light for hours around. Can't beat it.

Thanks for the ideas everyone! Much appreciated!