advice on trip to portland

[Case]

I'm going on a trip to Portland OR in a month or so.  Flights are booked.  Plan is to backpack for half the trip (on a trail along Mt Hood or something like that) and then spend the rest of the time doing city stuff (or maybe a brewery or vineyard).

Currently trying to figure out best way to get from airport out to the mountains and back, and then travel around the city, and eventually get back to the airport.
Car rental for the full length of the trip seems to be the easy way to do it.  But since this is the MMM forum, thought I'd check with the frugal folks who have better knowledge of the city than me.  For example, maybe I can rent a car for a couple days to handle the backpacking trip, then drop it off and rely on public transportation for the rest?
Also, recommended places (neighborhood, hotel vs other, etc..)?

I'm not familiar with Portland at all so any hints are appreciated.

[Cgbg]

Portland has an excellent public transportation system, including light rail, bus and street cars. Light rail runs from the airport - literally the terminal - to downtown. So unless you are immediately setting out for the mountain, you can just rely on public transportation until you need a rental. There are rental car agencies downtown - one fairly close to the Voodoo donut shop. There is also at least one just over the burnside bridge in inner NE portland.

[theknitcycle]

For the mountain portion, check into finding a shuttle to Timberline Lodge.  I know there is one but don't know much about it beyond that.  It might be cheaper to get a shuttle there and back than to rent a car just to park it for several days.  Or maybe even get an Uber driver to drop you off at a trailhead and pick you back up a few days later?  Might still be cheaper than parking a rental car.  Run some numbers anyway.

You can definitely do without a car for the city portion.  Portland's light rail train system is named MAX, and its Red line runs from the airport to downtown.  MAX trains all accommodate bikes pretty well.  I'd encourage you to rent or borrow a bike for the city portion.  A combination of MAX + bike can get you pretty much anywhere you need to go, without the bother of learning the bus system (since you're starting the trip with multi-day backpacking, I'm assuming you're fit enough to get around by bike easily).

Portland has breweries like Seattle has coffee shops, so the only difficulty in working that into your trip will narrowing down the list.  Wine country is well outside of town, so adding a vineyard to the list would put you back into car rental territory.

If your trip timing will have you in town during the first Sunday of the month, there's a regular Mustachian potluck you could drop in on.

For lodging, the closer you are to the river, the more central you'll be to all the things, but also the more expensive the place is likely to be.  The west side of the river is downtown, denser urban stuff, trendy jewelry shops.  The east side of the river is more neighborhoods and the Portlandia parts of Portland.  I'd look for a place on the east side, but not TOO too far east so that you can get to everywhere else easily.  You want to stay fairly well centered on a N-S axis as well -- both the Deep South and the Far North can be a little tricky to navigate out of if you're going car-free.  Given that, an Air BnB in a relatively close-in SE or NE neighborhood might be a good thing to aim for.  Some of them probably even come with bike-borrowing privileges.  If you find a few of them that you're considering, you could post them back here and I'd be happy to advise some pros and cons of each location.

That's all I have right off the bat, but if you come up with any more specific questions as the trip gets closer, ask away!

[Bracken_Joy]

I've heard great things about the Portland International Hostel in NW district. I can't speak to the hostel (although I know FuckRX stayed there when he visited, and then moved nearby), but I can speak to NW district. A- it's miserably goddamn hot right now and there is SO much construction going on. B- it is an incredible place, the streetcar gets you very close to Forest Park, and a hike up Wildwood trail is awesome- especially during the week when there are fewer other people.

Transit will really get you just about anywhere in this town. Like someone else said, most good stuff is close in to the river on either side.

The Widmer tour is great fun and you can get there from the MAX (yellow line I think?). If you're a foodie, you'll be in heaven. It can be reasonably priced, too. Parks galore. There are a lot of mustachians up here, so keep posting if you have questions or run into trouble or anything!

[Ricky]

I'm visiting on the 15th for a week. Plan on renting a car. ~$250 for a week isn't all that bad for peace of mind. I'd probably pay nearly $100 for a bike/wk (or $200 for both of us) so really not saving much, if anything, by biking and public transit. I plan on staying in the city though, and weekly rates are better than daily, so your situation is definitely different. I'd just try to get a taxi/Uber to where you're going for the duration of the hike and come back down and try to rely on public transportation.

[Case]

Portland has an excellent public transportation system, including light rail, bus and street cars. Light rail runs from the airport - literally the terminal - to downtown. So unless you are immediately setting out for the mountain, you can just rely on public transportation until you need a rental. There are rental car agencies downtown - one fairly close to the Voodoo donut shop. There is also at least one just over the burnside bridge in inner NE portland.

Excellent, thanks!

[Case]

For the mountain portion, check into finding a shuttle to Timberline Lodge.  I know there is one but don't know much about it beyond that.  It might be cheaper to get a shuttle there and back than to rent a car just to park it for several days.  Or maybe even get an Uber driver to drop you off at a trailhead and pick you back up a few days later?  Might still be cheaper than parking a rental car.  Run some numbers anyway.

You can definitely do without a car for the city portion.  Portland's light rail train system is named MAX, and its Red line runs from the airport to downtown.  MAX trains all accommodate bikes pretty well.  I'd encourage you to rent or borrow a bike for the city portion.  A combination of MAX + bike can get you pretty much anywhere you need to go, without the bother of learning the bus system (since you're starting the trip with multi-day backpacking, I'm assuming you're fit enough to get around by bike easily).

Portland has breweries like Seattle has coffee shops, so the only difficulty in working that into your trip will narrowing down the list.  Wine country is well outside of town, so adding a vineyard to the list would put you back into car rental territory.

If your trip timing will have you in town during the first Sunday of the month, there's a regular Mustachian potluck you could drop in on.

For lodging, the closer you are to the river, the more central you'll be to all the things, but also the more expensive the place is likely to be.  The west side of the river is downtown, denser urban stuff, trendy jewelry shops.  The east side of the river is more neighborhoods and the Portlandia parts of Portland.  I'd look for a place on the east side, but not TOO too far east so that you can get to everywhere else easily.  You want to stay fairly well centered on a N-S axis as well -- both the Deep South and the Far North can be a little tricky to navigate out of if you're going car-free.  Given that, an Air BnB in a relatively close-in SE or NE neighborhood might be a good thing to aim for.  Some of them probably even come with bike-borrowing privileges.  If you find a few of them that you're considering, you could post them back here and I'd be happy to advise some pros and cons of each location.

That's all I have right off the bat, but if you come up with any more specific questions as the trip gets closer, ask away!

The other benefit of the car rental is that it gives us a place to house our luggage (we wont have that much in addition to our backpacks, but we probably will have some).

Thanks for the advice, I will work on narrowing things down!

[kendallf]

My wife and I spent a week in Portland last summer with no car, just bikes (I brought one and we rented one for her; there are multiple bike rental shops in the city.)  Between the rail, bus, and bike, you're golden even if you don't know your way around the city (we did not).  Google Maps knows where the bus and rail stops and schedules are, and there are bike lanes everywhere.  Portland is the first city I've been in where I had to check for traffic before riding into the bike lane.  :-)

I second the East side AirBnB recommendation.  We rented a place that was basically a small 2 story apartment with a full kitchen and a queen sized bed in a loft upstairs, for something like $80/night.

[pdxvandal]

Good advice here. Some more words of advice:

* Avoid Voodoo Doughnuts. Tourist trap, long lines and shitty doughnuts.
* Downtown is OK, but the eastside and north is where it's at (Mississippi, Alberta, Belmont, Hawthorne, etc.)
* It's worth renting a car to check out wine country. It's 45-50 minute drive away and there are easily over 50 wineries, many with stunningly gorgeous locations.
* Public transit is very good. Just go to trimet.org and you can easily plan your trip, whether bus, light rail or streetcar (trolley).
* Try as many restaurants as possible. The food is amazing, not to mention the beer.
* Find some live music. Pick up a Willamette Week newspaper and it will tell you what's going on in the city that week, which will be a lot.

Have fun!

[TonyPlush]

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.

[JJNL]

[/quote]

The other benefit of the car rental is that it gives us a place to house our luggage (we wont have that much in addition to our backpacks, but we probably will have some).

Thanks for the advice, I will work on narrowing things down!
[/quote]

You don't need a car for this. Most youth hostels / hotels will store luggage for you if you've stayed there. Hostels usually don't even charge anything for that.

[2ndTimer]

If you like Lebanese food try Nicholas.  Split the meat mezze (spelling?) between two people and order extra bread (free).  Visit Next Adventure for used outdoor stuff.  The basement is amazing.

[Bracken_Joy]

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.

West side is great! To be fair, you're staying outside of downtown, but it is still completely doable. There are many breweries to be had in NW/slabtown. Hiking can be had in Forest Park. I recommend sunset or sunrise from Council Crest. Wherever you are, it's easy to get elsewhere, because the Max line will take you lots of areas. For example, Widmer is right off the Max yellow and has a fun brewery tour and tasting. Around that whole area (Downtown/NW/Pearl) you can ride the streetcar. With where you are staying in Arlington Heights, be sure to hit the Rose Gardens (free!) and the Japanese Gardens (not free, obscenely expensive, I've never been for that reason but it is supposed to be lovely).

As for makes Portland, Portland. You'll get lots of that just on the Max and wandering around, but I also recommend seeing Alberta and Mississippi neighborhoods, and the PSU farmer's market on Saturday. All very popular for visitors.
Instead of renting a car to go to the Gorge, chat with someone or find a mustachian and make it a socialble day trip! Multnomah is of course obscenely popular, but I recommend parking at Horsetail falls, and doing the upper Horsetail to Triple falls loop, and then just driving by Multnomah falls.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

[TonyPlush]

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.

West side is great! To be fair, you're staying outside of downtown, but it is still completely doable. There are many breweries to be had in NW/slabtown. Hiking can be had in Forest Park. I recommend sunset or sunrise from Council Crest. Wherever you are, it's easy to get elsewhere, because the Max line will take you lots of areas. For example, Widmer is right off the Max yellow and has a fun brewery tour and tasting. Around that whole area (Downtown/NW/Pearl) you can ride the streetcar. With where you are staying in Arlington Heights, be sure to hit the Rose Gardens (free!) and the Japanese Gardens (not free, obscenely expensive, I've never been for that reason but it is supposed to be lovely).

As for makes Portland, Portland. You'll get lots of that just on the Max and wandering around, but I also recommend seeing Alberta and Mississippi neighborhoods, and the PSU farmer's market on Saturday. All very popular for visitors.
Instead of renting a car to go to the Gorge, chat with someone or find a mustachian and make it a socialble day trip! Multnomah is of course obscenely popular, but I recommend parking at Horsetail falls, and doing the upper Horsetail to Triple falls loop, and then just driving by Multnomah falls.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Thanks Bracken Joy!

Regarding Alberta and Mississippi neighborhoods, is there a specific landmark/restaurant/building that will put me into the thick of the neighborhood feel? Maybe a street that has most of the action?

[boy_bye]

posting to follow cos i'll be in portland for a month starting tomorrow!

[Bracken_Joy]

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.

West side is great! To be fair, you're staying outside of downtown, but it is still completely doable. There are many breweries to be had in NW/slabtown. Hiking can be had in Forest Park. I recommend sunset or sunrise from Council Crest. Wherever you are, it's easy to get elsewhere, because the Max line will take you lots of areas. For example, Widmer is right off the Max yellow and has a fun brewery tour and tasting. Around that whole area (Downtown/NW/Pearl) you can ride the streetcar. With where you are staying in Arlington Heights, be sure to hit the Rose Gardens (free!) and the Japanese Gardens (not free, obscenely expensive, I've never been for that reason but it is supposed to be lovely).

As for makes Portland, Portland. You'll get lots of that just on the Max and wandering around, but I also recommend seeing Alberta and Mississippi neighborhoods, and the PSU farmer's market on Saturday. All very popular for visitors.
Instead of renting a car to go to the Gorge, chat with someone or find a mustachian and make it a socialble day trip! Multnomah is of course obscenely popular, but I recommend parking at Horsetail falls, and doing the upper Horsetail to Triple falls loop, and then just driving by Multnomah falls.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Thanks Bracken Joy!

Regarding Alberta and Mississippi neighborhoods, is there a specific landmark/restaurant/building that will put me into the thick of the neighborhood feel? Maybe a street that has most of the action?

Depends on what you like I suppose. I'm a very food driven person, so my answers will reflect that. I personally think the Alberta co-op will give you a good feel of the area. Food carts, of course. (I love the cultured caveman cart- their chicken strips are to die for). People love Pine State Biscuits and Tin Shed, but I've never been to either. If you're in Alberta arts area, I also highly recommend Podnah's BBQ. Not mustachian, but quite delicious. Their green chili mac and cheese is such a dreamy side to a big plate of brisket.

As far as Mississippi- Bar Bar and Missisippi Studios are great. There's a little nursery with miniature chickens which is a lovely and happy place. You can pick up some green coffee beans for roasting at Mr. Green Beans. Lodekka is an old double decker bus that sells vintage clothing. Very portland, and fun to visit. In general, thrifting is an entertaining passtime in Portland- but don't expect to save much money, haha. Oh! And the ReBuilding Center is SO COOL.

Portland actually has a very useful tourism page, broken down by neighborhood- http://www.travelportland.com/things-to-do/neighborhoods-regions/  Honestly, just park somewhere and walk around a neighborhood. Anywhere a tourist is likely to end up in Portland is pretty dang safe. Deep NE is having some gang violence this summer, but not likely to affect anyone visiting. Someone might ask you for cash, and Old Town can *feel* scary, but the only real "danger" of any appreciable sense is property crime. Basically, a lot of car windows get broken, so don't leave valuables out in view.

Other miscellaneous places-
Coava coffee
Blue Star donuts- there is a mississippi location and a 23rd St (NW district) location
The Grotto is very deep NE Portland, but if you have a spiritual/nature loving side, I highly recommend. Cheap to get into as well. If you come out to deep NE, give me a heads up and I'll gladly throw something on the grill for a fellow mustachian.

Edit to add: There are some really fun McMinnemans (sp?) out here. I especially enjoy Kennedy School in Concordia neighborhood and Pool Hall on 23rd street. Service is slow as snot, but the tots are tasty and the environment is neat.

[Bracken_Joy]

posting to follow cos i'll be in portland for a month starting tomorrow!

Oooh a month is a long time! Anything in particular you want to find or experience?

[boy_bye]

posting to follow cos i'll be in portland for a month starting tomorrow!

Oooh a month is a long time! Anything in particular you want to find or experience?

Yeah we are considering a move here! We booked a place near Montana and Killingsworth, pretty close to the MAX station. Seems like a pretty good location for exploring.

I love food, art, art supplies, food, and biking! My husband is into long walks with big trees. We both definitely want to explore Forest Park and I would like all the tacos and fried chicken, please :)

Haha sounds like a personals ad. But I would love to hear any of your pointers. Thank you!

[Bracken_Joy]

posting to follow cos i'll be in portland for a month starting tomorrow!

Oooh a month is a long time! Anything in particular you want to find or experience?

Yeah we are considering a move here! We booked a place near Montana and Killingsworth, pretty close to the MAX station. Seems like a pretty good location for exploring.

I love food, art, art supplies, food, and biking! My husband is into long walks with big trees. We both definitely want to explore Forest Park and I would like all the tacos and fried chicken, please :)

Haha sounds like a personals ad. But I would love to hear any of your pointers. Thank you!

Oooh, you will love Collage in Alberta Arts district. Backspace is an arts/performance/computer/cafe place downtown that I think you would enjoy. Glyph is a cafe/art gallery that I've heard of, but I haven't been there.

Fried chicken- Blue Star donuts on Mississippi/23rd ave has a fried chicken maple donut. Just sayin'. As far as good ol fried chicken, I honestly haven't found anything that great =\ Honestly it's better to just drive to Ezell's in Seattle, hahaha. If any Portlander knows of good traditional fried chicken, please enlighten me.

Biking- you'll love it here. There's a great trail along the waterfront in Sellwood that is great fun. And of course, ride over the bridges and look at the river.

For a good taco, you should come to my neck of the woods- deep NE. Angel Food and Fun on 60th is unbeatable. Their panucho is great. I know people are obsessed with Por Que No?, but I have never been. Unfortunately, I haven't found any good baja style fish tacos in town. It's a work in progress.

Long walks with big trees- Forest park, of course. The gorge- there are endless hikes, seriously, it never gets boring. Every length and difficulty imaginable. Need a car to get to them though. Personally, I love Eagle Creek to Tunnel Falls and Dog Mountain- the drive over the Bridge of the Gods is really cool. If you have a car and want to drive a ways, Silver Falls in Salem is neat. Outside of Government Camp on Mt Hood there are lots of good hikes too.

Good call staying on the Max line. You can get lots of places via the Max and a bicycle. All the cars have bike racks mid-way along the car so you can ride with your bike.

I enjoy these 'dating ads' haha. This is fun! I'm remembering all sorts of cool places I've been and haven't thought about in a long time.

[kimmarg]

First step, you're going to the wrong Portland!! ;) when you arrive at PWM I'd be happy to recomend all Portland, MAINE has to offer......

[PawPrint53]

Stay away from the Sellwood area until the bugs abate, especially the Springwater Corridor.

We walked from the tram to the MAX stop at the zoo, through some lovely wooded areas and including Council Crest.

[Meowmalade]

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. :/

Hi Tony, I live in this area and you should definitely go to the Rose Gardens (free!) and Japanese Gardens (not free, but well worth the visit, and try to go at the right time for a tour-- but note they're closing on Sept 8 for six months for renovations).  The Hoyt Arboretum is also very close if you'd like to go for a walk in the forest.

The Portland Walking Tours are really awesome and they're filled with historical information and tons of humor.  The gastronomical tour used to stop at Bridgeport Brewery and that's a great place for beer and happy hour.  You could always do a BrewCycle and it would be a fun way to get around town to hit the breweries.

Someone mentioned something about tacos?  I recently discovered Mi Mero Mole and it's one of my new favorite places.  Inexpensive and delicious!  I love the gabacho bowl which includes beans and rice and guacamole with your choice of meat(s).  Must also get the platanos fritos (like Puerto Rican maduros) for dessert.

I am really really really into food and am happy to offer recommendations.  There is really no dearth of good food in Portland, though, and Yelp is usually a good way to look.  There's a whole square block of food carts at 10th and Alder, and plenty of food cart clusters scattered throughout the city!

Also, there's the usual Portland tourist stuff: visit Powell's, go to Saturday Market (which is also open on Sundays) for local crafts/gifts, go to the Farmer's Market at PSU on Saturday-- it'll be crowded, but there are tons of great vendors, live music, and excellent food options.

[boy_bye]

hey i'm here now! the neighborhood i am staying in is not fancy but so far the food is bananas out of this world. had a carnitas burrito at this place yesterday and it ruled.

[Bracken_Joy]

hey i'm here now! the neighborhood i am staying in is not fancy but so far the food is bananas out of this world. had a carnitas burrito at this place yesterday and it ruled.

Welcome! Enjoy the heat! Should cool down after a couple days, it doesn't usually stay super hot for too long at once.

[boy_bye]

hey i'm here now! the neighborhood i am staying in is not fancy but so far the food is bananas out of this world. had a carnitas burrito at this place yesterday and it ruled.

Welcome! Enjoy the heat! Should cool down after a couple days, it doesn't usually stay super hot for too long at once.

yeah it cooled down nicely today! it's basically perfect right now!

just been exploring in overlook/mississippi/alberta so far, as i've had a lot of work this week ... but am excited to hit some new places this weekend. i walked almost all the way over to collage today and forgot to look for it -- it looks incredible based on the website, though, so i'm definitely going to bike over and check it out either tomorrow or saturday.

[Meowmalade]

You should go get a meal at Bollywood Theater if you like Indian food!  It's not traditional, but is a take on Indian street food, and it's really good.  My faves are the fried okra to start and then the paneer kati roll.  I also really like the roasted corn when it's in season (now!).

I'm actually working on a food-focused guide to Portland but it's not really ready for public consumption (haha) yet-- want to write about at least 30 restaurants before I share it with folks!

[TonyPlush]

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.
-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.

[Bob W]

Thanks for that report.   I have only seen the TV show and for that reason would have never considered going there. 

[zoltani]

Thanks for that report.   I have only seen the TV show and for that reason would have never considered going there.

That is about the dumbest thing I have read, but you seem to constantly one up yourself.