Best way to spend a day in Portland? (January 2007)

Hi all,

I%26#39;m going to be out in Portland the first week of January for business but am lucky enough to have one day to myself (Thursday). I was wondering what would be the best way to spend it...

For background info:

-I will be staying in Southeast Portland and have a rental car.

-I%26#39;ve been to Portland once before and got the chance to see Multnomah Falls/Columbia River Gorge, the Japanese and Chinese Gardens, Powell%26#39;s Books (loved all of them!)

I love hiking, snowshoeing, art, books, food, music... so I%26#39;m open to most suggestions. Thanks for your time!

Best way to spend a day in Portland? (January 2007)

I would consider Fenouil in the Pearl District for lunch. Then you could wander through the Nob Hill area of Portland. They have several nice boutiques there, it is a fun walking neighborhood. Paley%26#39;s Place or Wildwood are two of our favorites for dinner in this area. Escape From New York is fun for pizza.

The Pittock Mansion is also fun to tour, you will have gorgeous views from the back lawn, so bring your camera here. Pioneer Place is really fun for shopping, they have several nice stores here, it is in downtown Portland. If you want a meal in this area, I would suggest either the Heathman at the Heathman Hotel where we enjoyed a nice stay last summer or Higgins.

Take a stroll down by the waterfront area. If you like seafood, check out Harborside, they have good, fresh seafood and nice views from the inside. We like to sit up on the third tier here. Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a nice place to relax and people watch.

Enjoy Portland and Happy New Year! :)

Best way to spend a day in Portland? (January 2007)

Syrahgirl should be in a good position to respond here, since one day is about as much time as she spends on her infrequent Portland visits. But, unless you%26#39;re into Portland history and shopping, I think I%26#39;d pass on her recommendations. The view is nice from Pittock Mansion, and ';Nob Hill'; has funky-good shopping and dining, but neither is really unique.

Since it appears you%26#39;ve already seen most of the tourist-type attractions that Portland is noted for, I%26#39;d suggest you explore other interests. Mtngrl, another regular Portland forums poster can give you info on snowshoeing on Mt. Hood. I think she went last weekend with her family. If it%26#39;s of interest, there%26#39;s an ancient Egypt exhibition at the Portland Art Museum. Nothing like what you can see in NYC, but we%26#39;re pretty proud of it in Portland.

Have you been to Oregon%26#39;s wine country? It%26#39;s only 45 minutes SW of Portland. Wouldn%26#39;t be a bad way to spend a Thursday afternoon. All else failing, you can never go wrong with a drive to the coast. And if art is of interest, Cannon Beach would be the place. Some great galleries there. Not to mention Haystack Rock and Ecola State Park.

What kind of dining are you looking for? And where in Portland have you already been? The places syrahgirl suggests are, with the exception of Harborside, some good spots, but they%26#39;re generally standard Portland recommendations, and we might find something to suit you better.

Hi Gold Rush-

If you are interested in doing an out door pursuit by yourself(especially in the winter time), I might recommend hooking up with one of the many groups/clubs in Portland that offer hiking and snowshoeing trips for members and non-members alike.

Unfortunetly most trips are on the weekend, but you might get lucky and find a group doing something on that Thursday. You might have to do some web surfing to find a group. The ultimate hiking institution in Portland is the Mazamas. They have a link to other hiking groups in the area-I%26#39;m pretty confident that the groups linked to the Mazamas would be just as repuatable.

If that seems like too much work- a solo trip to the beach is always nice. I agree with mistletoe-Cannon Beach seems like your type of place.

Fenouil is nice ( syrahgirl, next time you are in Oregon, you have to try some new places) but there are so many good places for lunch in town...if you will be in the Pearl District, in case you want to visit Powells again , then you are a walk or streetcar ride from Silk on the Corner of Glisan and 10th..Vietnamese, bowls of hot soup (pho) and wonderful warming dishes..

Up the street is Cha Cha Cha, a popular neighborhood Mexican place, Glisan and 12th..

A great hot bowl of minestrone or a big bowl of pasta can be found at Piazza Italia..you can watch Italian tv while you have lunch :)

Since you will be in the Pearl, take time to look at the galleries scattered around, food/cooking shops such as In Good Taste and Sur la Table..and don%26#39;t forget Whole Foods!

REI is on NW Johnson and 13th..that is where you can browse/shop for hiking, showshoeing equipement/clothes ..

Since you say you will be here in January, odds are it will be chilly and wet .. the Pittock Mansion is lovely but I would skip trying to see the grounds in the winter, as I would skip walking along the waterfront in winter.

Some people who have only been here once or twice in the summer, like to recommend the waterfront but it is also very busy at this time with construction of one of the main roadways as well as a new apt buildings so it is not the prettiest place in Portland at this time.

I am afraid the only ';people watching'; you might do is to see a homeless person sleeping on one of the benches in front of the hotel down there lol.

Definitely take a stroll or streetcar to NW 23rd and just wander in and out of the shops there...

Downtown you will find the usual malls (Pioneer Place) and departments stores (Nordstroms) Since you are from NJ, I know you have great shopping there, so downtown might not be that appealing to you in the short time you have here.. .. but there is a great lunch or dinner spot called West Cafe on 12th %26amp; SW Jefferson..they have a fireplace also which makes them cozy in the winter.

Hope this helps..hope the weather stays dry for you :)

A Thursday would be great for getting out snowshoeing! You will avoid the masses, which is always good.

Go to REI and rent snowshoes, they are only $15 per day.

As mistletoe said, we were just out this weekend. Try Trillium Lake, up by Mt. Hood. Very easy to find, and if it is a clear day there is a great view of Mt. Hood from near the dam at the lake. It is only a 5 mile loop, but you can add to it if you like. We did the usual loop, but then did a loop right along the lake shore as well. It is also open to cross country skiing, if you want to do that. After a day of either, head up to Timberline Lodge and get a warm drink and a meal. The lodge is really interesting.

If you want to hike, try Forest Park up in the NW section of town. Lots of trails there, and you can hike from near the zoo up to Pittock Mansion.

Or head down towards Salem and over to Silver Creek Falls. The loop there is about 7 miles and there are 10 falls. Beautiful area.

If it were me though, I would go snowshoeing or skiing and hit Timberline.

As the other locals mentioned, hanging out in Portland along the waterfront in January is not the most appealing thing to do.

NJ.?? Have you seen the Oregon Coast? If not one day there would be great. Maybe Portland to Cannon Beach to Tillamook and back to PDX. It can be enjoyed from car. with brief stops to get out.

I hear the whales are out along the Coast too :)

Whales? Did someone say whales? That would be amazing!!

Another amazing thing is all the great suggestions you%26#39;ve all provided! One of the things that struck me most about Portland the last time I was there was how nice everyone is. Thanks so much for all your time :-)

I am now torn between the coast and snowshoeing at Mt. Hood. Being fron NJ (now don%26#39;t laugh too hard) I am very partial to the ocean. We have a few nice beaches here and I%26#39;ve always said I could never live somewhere that wasn%26#39;t along one of the coasts. But I did also just buy a new pair of snowshoes that I%26#39;ve yet been able to use due to our warm weather this year so it%26#39;s tempting to hit Mt. Hood. Maybe I%26#39;ll plan for both and make my decision upon arrive based on Thursday%26#39;s weather.

As far as food goes, I can%26#39;t remember the names of any of the restaurants I ate at last time. -I know I know, it%26#39;s sad- But I do remember having very good food and love just about anything so I%26#39;ll be sure to try at least one of the suggested restaurants. I%26#39;ll have Friday night to myself as well which I plan to devote to Powell%26#39;s and food.

Thanks again for all your help! Happy New Year!

well, our coast much different than NJ. we have visited the coast in FL, GA, SC, VA, MA and ME. Only thing close is Maine, we have the rugged headlands but have more beaches. Though in Jan mostly just good to look at and maybe walk a bit, bundled up.

I have been to the Jersey shore and the Oregon coast is so much more dramatic ! I think Seaside might remind you of parts of the shore, like Asbury Park :)

goldrushbrides, I have no doubt you will have a good time, have a safe trip! Happy New Year to you too :)