Hey everyone,
I'm going to Portland in a few weeks for 4 days. The first 2 days I am staying in Arlington Heights and the last 2 days I am staying in a "Cottage in the Woods" even more West in the West Haven-Sylvan area. I booked these places before I read this thread saying east of the river is where you want to be. :/
Anyway, just looking for some general advice. I've never been to Portland, and really don't know what it's all about. My naive wishlist includes:
-A Brewery Crawl. Ideally one where I can uber to "the brewery neighborhood" and walk from Brewery to Brewery until I uber back to my Arlington Heights bed.
-See whatever neighborhood uniqueness there is that makes Portland, Portland.
-Check out some natural beauty. Maybe a hike, a river, rent a bike to go on a nice bike ride, etc. I heard sunsets at the Bluff are nice?
I am debating whether to rent a car to go somewhere like the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, or if there will be a sufficient day hike or nature near enough to where I'm staying downtown. Appreciate any help, thanks everyone.
Well guys, I had a wonderful Portland trip last week. Here's a general recap, advice, etc.
-The MAX line runs from the
airport to downtown at a low price of $2.50. Takes about 50 minutes.
-
The Portland Saturday market is a fun, free stop. It's mostly a crafts market with some food trucks mixed it.
-The breweries really are everywhere. I got my fix on the first day within the Pearl District.
Bailey's Taproom, The Big Legrowlski, and Deschutes Brewing are all a short walk from each other with cool atmospheres. Be sure to stop by
Ground Kontrol Arcade if you fancy a game of Pacman or Pinball with your beer.
-
Powell's bookstore is another fun, free stop. It's huge, and it's awesome to see a book store so popular.
-Stayed in
Arlington Heights the first two nights. Beautiful historic area that feels like its own world, and is only a $10 uber ride to downtown.
-
Oregon Zoo is very nice, but costs around $11 per person.
-
International Rose Test Garden is interesting and free, but we had trouble being entertained for longer than 20 minutes here.
-
Portland Japanese Gardens is about $10 per person. Very beautiful, glad I saw it, but felt slightly overpriced. I'd say it offers somewhere between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours of entertainment depending on your pace.
-We actually went nonmustachian and rented a car for three days. Used it to drive to
Trilliam Lake, which was one of the most beautiful places I've ever experienced. State park admission of $5. Favorite stop of the whole trip.
-
Multnomah Falls is stunning, and free. As is the drive along the
Columbia River Gorge between Portland and Hood River, along Highway 84.
-If you have time, I recommend a drive to the
Oregon Coast. Stop in Tillamook for a free tour of the
Tillamook Cheese Factory. Tourist trappy, but a fun upstairs viewing area of the assembly line.
-As for the Oregon Coast, we stopped at
Three Arch Rocks (free) and
Cannon Beach (free). The drive along 101 is very scenic between the two, as is the trip from Portland to the Coast.
-
McMenamins is apparently a series of historical buildings around Portland which have been converted to bars/hotels and feature free music. We stopped at the
McMenamins Crystal Hotel location, and saw a surprisingly good cover band (The Coastline) for the price of a beer.
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Forest Park is huge and free. Definitely stop if for nothing more than a 15 minute hike. Beautiful, and experiencing nature this dense so close to downtown is quite the experience.
Food notes:
Pok Pok - delicious wings and thai food. Michelin Star recipient in its NY location with reasonable prices.
Blue Star Donuts - listen to the locals, skip the Vodoo Donuts tourist trap and come here instead. Amazing donuts.
Nong’s Khao Man Gai - Chicken and Rice so good it has a cult following. This is part of an awesome food cart park near Alder St. and 10th ave. If you are a foodie you have to take a stroll here.
Portland was an amazing city that stole my heart. It is beautiful, unique, loaded with nature, and could definitely be done on a tight budget given enough planning. That said, I highly recommend splurging and renting a car for the beautiful scenic drives to Mt. Hood, to the Coast, and along the Columbia River Gorge. These nature experiences were my highlight of the trip.