Portland...things to do?

[EvilYoda]

I've got most of my eating and drinking planned out, between various bars, brewpubs, breweries, and Clear Creek Distillery, but I'm still looking for recommendations. I'll be in town next Monday through Wednesday evening, with a car.

I'm also looking to possibly rent a bike and touring parts of Portland that way. Past that, places to shop, sights to see, any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[Eli]

Multnomah Falls, if you can get out there.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

There's lots of strip clubs in Portland. I've seen a claim in several aritcles that it has the highest number per capita in the US.

 

[EvilYoda]

Multnomah Falls, if you can get out there.

How far outside of the city is that?

 

[EvilYoda]

There's lots of strip clubs in Portland. I've seen a claim in several aritcles that it has the highest number per capita in the US.

And here I always thought it was Atlanta! I'd be down for that but the friend I'm staying with works a normal 9-5 (Intel) and isn't a huge fan of strip clubs outside of LV.

 

[Nik]

First, Portland has the greatest number of strip clubs per-capita in the world (or some shit). Enjoy

24 Hour Church Of Elvis is pretty entertaining http://www.24hourchurchofelvis.com/

You MUUUUUST visit Voodoo Doughnuts. MUST have a Maple Bacon Bar! MUST!

oldest library on the west coast: http://www.multcolib.org/agcy/cen.html

since you're renting a bike, Forest Park has 40 miles of trails http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=127&action=ViewPark

Portland's Rose Garden is world reknown http://www.rosegardenstore.org/

Don't forget to meander around Pioneer Square http://www.pioneercourthousesquare.org/

Don't forget one of the biggest book stores in the world http://www.powells.com/

Lan Su Chinese Gardens are impressive.

 

[shortylickens]

Holy crap Nik!

Thats the first time in months you were genuinely helpful.

Whats wrong?

 

[IronWing]

World's Largest Sitka Spruce

 

[Eli]

How far outside of the city is that?

It's about 30 miles east of Portland, so having a car is a must.

Kinda sounds like you're more interested in seeing the urban side of Portland though.

If you like brewpubs, I highly recommend McMenamins - particularly Edgefield, Cornelius Pass Roadhouse or the Kennedy School.

 

[EvilYoda]

Nik, Eli, thanks for the help. I'm usually pretty split between spending time outdoors along with the commercial side of things, but this time around I think I'm spending more time indoors. I'll definitely look into those places.

Nik, definitely going to Voodoo, definitely getting a maple bacon donut...that's long been on my list of things to do. I've read about half of the places on your list so far, I'm looking forward to hitting a couple of them.

Thanks guys, keep them coming!

 

[Born2bwire]

Definitely do some kind of hiking. If the weather is good and you've got the car try going out to the coast and hike. If you start out on the west side of Portland it will take you 2-2.5 hours to get to the coast. I remember doing that after work. Driving out to the coast, doing a bit of hiking, and winding it all up with dinner at one of the seafood shacks in the area.

 

[Nik]

Holy crap Nik!

Thats the first time in months you were genuinely helpful.

Whats wrong?

The problem is that there are so many of you fucking halfwits who would rather prod me for fun than I know what to do with so I spend 90% of my time throwing your bullshit back at you, asshole.

Does that answer your question?

 

[Nik]

World's Largest Sitka Spruce

It fell over and died in a big wind storm a few years ago :\

 

[Nik]

Definitely do some kind of hiking. If the weather is good and you've got the car try going out to the coast and hike. If you start out on the west side of Portland it will take you 2-2.5 hours to get to the coast. I remember doing that after work. Driving out to the coast, doing a bit of hiking, and winding it all up with dinner at one of the seafood shacks in the area.

No way. The west side has a direct route to US26 (3rd & Clay) which is no more than 70 miles from the beach. That's an hour at most.

 

[IronWing]

It fell over and died in a big wind storm a few years ago :\

Well crap. I guess there's no reason to go to Portland anymore.


Go to the beach. I liked Cannon Beach but I haven't been to others up there with which to compare it.

 

[Nik]

Canon Beach is pretty cool. I always liked Canon Beach because of the entertainment, like Lincoln City and Newport.

Seaside is the end of The Oregon Trail, which is where US26 will drop him if he goes to the beach. He should go stand in front of the Lewis & Clark statue with a sign that says he died of dysentery or something

EvilYoda, if you venture out to the beach, several of the bigger cities will have a restaurant called Moe's. They have some pretty good chowder (though nothing like chowder you'll find in Boston or anything).

 

[Phanuel]

Science geek out? - http://www.omsi.edu/directions

Books? Powell's

 

[Nik]

Holy crap, I forgot about OMSI.

D:

There's a sub docked at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry from the movie Hunt for Red October. It's the one that goes all emergency-surface-mode and rockets up out of the water at the end.

There's a Saturn5 astronaut capsule there to sit in (was always my fav ) among a list of other stuff so long and so cool that I can't even start to list it here.

I'd say that with VooDoo Doughnuts at the top of the must-do list, OMSI easily takes the #2 spot. Prepare yourself, though, you'll spend the better portion of the day there

 

[Zap]

There's a thriving dance community there, if that's your thing. Lots of West Coast Swing and Salsa dance parties and bars.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Edgefield is the best of the McMenamin's that are easily accessible from Portland; technically it's in Troutdale, about a 30 minute drive, but it has the biggest campus and most stuff to do. Several small bars and pubs, a pool hall, a distillery, a winery, a golf course, a nice restaurant, and frequently live music or performances... Definitely a fine way to kill a few hours and take in the McMenamin's experience.

If you like doing the walk and shop thing, the Hawthorne neighborhood in the Southeast (mostly between 30th and 39th) and the 23rd neighborhood in the NW (between Burnside and Thurman, although it also extends down to 21st) are good for people-watching and give a good glimpse at the general Portland vibe. Hawthorne is more hippies and hipsters, 23rd is pretty yuppie, but there's a decent cross-section of people in both areas.

Definitely try to stop by a few of the brewpubs. They frequently offer tours and samples, but you'll need to look up the schedules for each one. Off the top of my head, Widmer, Hopworks Urban Brewing, Hair of the Dog, Bridgeport and Lucky Labrador all have local brewpubs that produce beer and offer tours. Rogue and Deschutes have brewpubs here as well, but I don't know if they actually brew beer onsite at those, since they are based out of Newport and Bend respectively.

You could head up to Mt. Tabor. Good biking trails, and it's the only volcano within city limits anywhere in the United States (although it's kind of disappointing as a "moutain"). You could always pee in the reservoir up there and necessitate an entirely unnecessary and costly clean-up...

OMSI is awesome, as other people have mentioned. It's a total nerdgasm. It's geared towards younger people, for sure, but as long as you don't mind some of the "kiddie" feel of some of the exhibits, it's a great place to visit. Not sure what their latest feature attraction is; the last time I went was dinosaurs with a full T-Rex skeleton (a cast obviously, but still awesome to see a complete T-Rex skeleton looming over you).

The Portland Art Museum has a special with classic cars going on right now which looks pretty awesome. Not sure exactly when it ends, but it's soon. If Duesenbergs are your thing, that might be up your alley.

 

[Nik]

!!

that was YOU!!

 

[weirdichi]

Portland City Grill is pretty cool, especially at night when you can see the whole city and the lights.

Acropolis in SE Portland for $4 steaks and titties.

Go get some Pepper Salted Squid at Thien Hong up in NE Portland.

Mt. Hood is only an hour drive from Portland and you can then continue on to The Dalles and circle back to Multnomah Falls while stopping at the Bonneville Dam on I84.

 

[PrinceofWands]

There's lots of strip clubs in Portland. I've seen a claim in several aritcles that it has the highest number per capita in the US.

It has the highest number of 'adults only' businesses predicated on sex. I did my BA history paper on it...well, the overall history of Portland as a sex focused environment. Some fascinating stuff if you're into that kind of thing.

 

[jpeyton]

Go get some Pepper Salted Squid at Thien Hong up in NE Portland.

Seconded.

Or try out the food carts. Cartopia on SE 12th & Hawthorne has some good options (especially late, late at night; I'm partial to Potato Champion).

My favorite Thai cart is Thai Tea on SW 2nd & Oak (it's the pink colored cart, not the red one; try their crispy chicken with fried rice, or their crispy basil tilapia).

Voodoo Donuts is good, but be prepared for a long line unless you're there during off-peak hours/days. I'd rather go to Pix for something sweet (SE 34th & Division).

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Portland City Grill is pretty cool, especially at night when you can see the whole city and the lights.

Portland City Grill has the best views, but the absolute best steakhouse in Portland is Ringside. It's known nationally as one of the best steakhouses in the country by several magazines who run polls about those sorts of things... It's worth going to if you like meat and have no qualms about dropping a few bills on dinner. Also, apparently the best onion rings in town, which pales in comparison to a perfect steak, but is still something they like to mention.