24 Hours in Portland OR.

[LindaM]

DH and I are driving from Calgary to California and are going to stop in Portland Oregon for a day or so. Any suggestions on what to do and where to eat on a Sunday afternoon/night. We are staying at the Red Lion (Jantzen Beach).

We won't have any kids as they are meeting up with us, in San Francisco so we are up to any suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[cirquelovers]

I would suggest BJ's, it's one of my favorite places to eat up there. They brew their own beer and hard cider. They have a wonderful root beer too! The food is great, a lot of it is comfort food. I have enjoyed the meatloaf, the pot roast is divine( both can be served as sandwiches over toasted cheese bread), pasta dishes, salads and soups. They also have many wonderful pizzas to choose from. My favorite appetizer is the onion strings. They are lightly battered onion strings and they are divine. Last weekend after the football game we had onion strings and a bbq chicken pizza! Save room for a pazzookie. It's a fresh baked cookie topped with ice cream, plenty to share and they can even do half and half on the cookie flavor!

Ok, now I'm dying to go BJ's again. Oh by the way, it is over by the McDonalds in front of the mall.

There used to be a Disney outlet store on the back side of the mall but I'm pretty sure it was a teporary location.

I don't think there are any races scheduled but you check and see, as the race track is right there too. A lot of places to shop up there in Vancouve ror at the mall.
There is a lot to do on the other side of town, like plays, zoo, OMSI, clubs, music venues but not so much out there.
I like the river views from the Red Lion. It is a great place to spend the fourthof July and watch the fireworks right outside!

 

[bumbershoot]

Well I will always recommend a McMenamins for food. (lodging too, but you have that covered)

But my main bit of advice for Portland is to get several GOOD maps of the area, and really trying to familiarize yourself with the highways before you get to town. Some enormous (and ridiculous) arguments happened between my husband (then-fiance) while trying to navigate around Portland (we got married around there so went there quite often while planning).

That said, I think that hotel is just over the WA border, right? So you're just barely into Portland at that point. Definitely go further in, to the downtown area...they have a light rail that's fun and shows you a bit of the city...there are some nice neighborhoods to walk around. Again, good maps are good for finding those.

 

[LindaM]

Great, thanks!! We are leaving tomorrow and will be in Portland on Sunday.

 

[abby]

The weather is supposed to be good here this weekend, make sure you go downtown, where you are staying is just in Portland on the river. If you like Zoo's we have one of the best, if you are into science try the Oregon Museum of Science and industory (called OMSI around here). Wander around downtown and do some shopping, or go up to Washington Park (a little West of downtown and see the beautful area.

 

[mamacatnv]

I too love McMenamins but I prefer the Ruby Ale to their food

I don't live in Portland but visit often since my mother lives there and I am her legal guardian.

I love the zoo, OMSI and Saturday market. For a leisurly afternoon I would take MAXX to Pioneer Square and head to Powell Book Store and brouse.

 

[thunderbird1]

If you're up for going into the city, the MAX train is great fun and would give you a break from all that driving (http://trimet.org/max/stations/index.htm). You can get an all day pass, with unlimited on/off, for <$5. The train makes stops at or near:

Rose Garden Arena, where the Trailblazers play;
Saturday Market, which is also open Sundays (http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/);
Chinatown, with many restaurants and the Chinese Garden (http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/);
Pioneer Square, the main downtown mall area, where Macy's Christmas lights are already going up;
Oregon Zoo (http://www.oregonzoo.org/), Forestry Center (http://www.worldforestry.org/) and Children's Museum (they all share a parking lot).

If you find that you're exhausted, there are some beautiful walking paths along the river just east of the Red Lion. Restaurants include Joe's Crab Shack (a national chain, but a fun place to eat nonetheless http://www.joescrabshack.com/), Who Song and Larry's (Mexican), McMenamin's (a small, local brewpub chain with a laid-back atmosphere http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=33&category=Location Homepage), and Beaches (My IL's favorite, both for the fun, friendly atmosphere and good eats http://www.beachesrestaurantandbar.com/).

HTH!

ETA: Whoops! I should check my dates before I post--you're probably back already--hope you had fun! And maybe my looooong diatribe will help someone else <grin>.