Quote:
Originally Posted by digme
Where else should we eat? What else should we see? Whats your favorite brewery?
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It depends on what you enjoy.
Great Night Spots
The Roxy: Open 24 hours a day, closed on mondays; diner food with extremily eclectic clientell (it's right next to an upscale gay bar, and is GLBT friendly). I don't know if you and your wife might enjoy it, but it encapsualtes Portland so well.
- On SW Stark Street, between 11th and 12th
- Served By: Portland Streetcar via 10th Avenue two blocks east or Line 20 via Burnside one block north
- Not a great walking neighborhood at night (but not bad either)
Voleur: Open till 4AM most days; 21+ after 8PM; probably the best fries (and ketchup) I've ever had; remarkably good food for <$10
- One block from Skidmore Fountain at SW 1st and Ash
- Served By: MAX Lines Red/Blue/Yellow one and a half blocks north; Skidmore Fountain stop
Rimsky's Korsacoffe House: Open till about midnight or so on most nights, later on the weekends; again, very Portland and eclectic; this is a desert/after dinner place that can be very cozy or a great hang out; try the Chocolate Raspberry Fool; make sure to tip your waiter well... they are very understaffed and incredibly nice people (make sure you check out the bathroom as well);
cash or checks only- Located on SE 12th and Belmont, just north of the 7-11 (it's actually just a house)
- Served by: Line 15 Belmont; Board at SW Salmon & 5th -- Exit Belmont & 11th and walk one block east
Great Desserts
Papa Hayden's: Probably the best desert food in Portland; excellent dinner as well, though very pricey; dessert is ~$8 per serving (some serve two); great selection of wines; can be a long wait at times, especially during weekends; open till 10 (11 during summer)
- Located on NW 23rd Avenue (aka "Trendy Third") at Irving Street
- Served by: Line 15 23rd Avenue; Board at SW Washington & Broadway
Great Dinner
Saburo's: Hands down best sushi in Portland in my opinion; gigantic portions for the price; a bit on the noisy side; always busy; expect a minimum 45 minute wait for two people unless arriving before 6:30; arrive no later than 8:30
- Located on SE Bybee Blvd at SE Millwaukie Avenue (near 17th)
- Served by: Line 19 Woodstock; Board on SW 3rd avenue at Alder Street
Aqui: Amazing Mexican cuisine; moderately priced
- Located on SE 12th Avenue at SE Hawthorne
- Served by: Line 14 Hawthorne; Board on SW 2nd Avenue at Alder Street
Rock Bottom Brewery: One of the most well known and well liked bar & grill's in Portland; great finger foods and great entrees as well
- Located on SW Morrison at SW 3rd
- Served by: MAX Lines Red/Blue/Yellow
Sights To See
Hawthorne Street: I prefer to make it a few hours when I visit Hawthorne because I like to simply immerse myself. I start at Mount Tabor usually so I can look down the whole street, however this would be difficult to navigate for non-natives.
Hawthorne is easily accessible from the west side via Line 14 busses, and from the east side via Line 75 and 71 busses.
Most of the interesting shops are west of 39th, however if it's a warm day, a trip up to about 45th to Fat Straw Cafe is well worth the smoothie with tapioca pearls for about $4.
Some of the more interesting places include Sorels, which sells housewares, the Metro, which sells a lot of clothing that might make grandma blush, the Gold Door, which sells art from around the world, and several smaller shops which I'm sure most will find amusing.
Make sure to make an early day out of Hawthorne, as most of the shops close at 6 on weekdays, and earlier on weekends.
Powell's Book Store: Anyone who visit's Portland without visiting Powell's has been robbed of perhaps the single most interesting place in Portland, depending on your affinity for books.
Powell's is a place you can literally get lost in, and contains books ranging from the science of sex among different animal species, to the latest hot selling fiction, to an entire wall of Japanese comics, to a $30,000 1st edition 1st print of Huckleberry Finn.
Powell's is inbetween NW 10th and NW 11th, and W Burnside and NW Couch. You can easily get to it using the Streetcar heading towards 23rd.
Trendy Third: Younger people tend to enjoy this more, but NW 23rd avenue between Burnside and the Hospital provide a great place to window shop. A mix of odd shops and upscale shops make for a great walk through the alphabet district.
Make sure to visit Moonstruck Cafe for some Portland chocolate, and you might make a stop at Papa Haydn's along the way as well.
You can get to 23rd by the Portland Streetcar (the north end of Trendy Third is where it loops back) or by Line 15 23rd Avenue.
Columbia River Gorge: This is a very good reason to rent a car and pay for gas. Take I-84 east, get off at the Historic Highway exit right over the Sandy river (first stop outside of Troutdale) and just drive.
Amazing scenery, plenty of places to get out and stretch, and only about 20 minutes from downtown.
Portland Spirit: This is a much more spendy entertainment opportunity, but at <$150 for two, it's fairly reasonable for a romantic cruise. The boat sails twice per day I believe, perhaps more, and is a nice way to experience the upper Willamette and South Waterfront.
I'll add some more later, but that's enough for a few days in Portland.
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We're moving to Eugene in August.
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