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Portland, Oregon
Husband and I are planning a weekend trip for our anniversary.
We have explored many options including Maine, New Orleans, San Antonio, Denver, etc.
I think we have settled on Portland, Oregon.
We loved all the other options too, but we are trying to avoid renting a car and Portland has great public transportation. At least it looks great based on what we've found online. Our anniversary is June 20th, and we thought the weather would be milder in Oregon than our other options as well.
Any advice on things to see, places to stay, places to eat?
I've never been to Oregon, so I have no idea. We will only be there 3 days near the end of June. Is this enough time?
Do you have any other amazing weekend destinations to suggest that I haven't explored?
Re: Portland, Oregon
Portland is definitely a good choice for a long weekend trip.
I've stayed at Hotel Modera and the Westin. Both are nice but Hotel Modera was awesome!
Definitely check out a food truck or two. My favorite restaurants are Beast (AMAZING brunch), Toro Bravo (tapas), and Bamboo Sushi.
I have two entries in my travel blog on our trip to Portland last May including Hotel/Dining/Nightlife and Sightseeing. I also went to Portland a few weeks ago for a bachelorette party which is documented here.
Seattle would also be a good choice for a long weekend trip. While not quite as efficient as Portland, our public transportation is still very good.
Thanks for the info, TravelingJen!
You are right, Seattle is a great place for a weekend trip. It's just that my best friend lived there for over 10 years and while it's great, we'd like to go to a city we've been visited!
She currently lives in Richland, Washington, which is another reason to choose Portland. She is hoping to drive down and spend one of the days with us.
I totally understand; I too would choose someplace new over a place I had already been! It's awesome that she will be able to drive down and meet you guys!
Portland is awesome and June is my favorite time of year here, most likely it will be sunny but not yet hot.
The International Rose Test Gardens should be in full bloom then, definetly go up there and pack a picnic lunch and a bottle of wine, throw out a blanket and enjoy the views of the city!
Multnomah Falls is another must-see (it's worth renting a car for a day, it's about a 45 minute drive from downtown Portland) and if you keep driving another 20 minutes to Hood River, there's some great wineries out there and it's absolutely gorgeous scenery.
My favorite restaurants are Andina (peruvian food, amazing) and Oba (spanish).
I'd also reccomend either planning for happy hour or dinner (dinner will be much more expensive, but it's worth it if you can affird it) at Portland City Grill, on a clear day you can see for miles and miles, it's such a nice atmosphere and gorgeous views, and terrific food and drinks.
For hotels, my favorite is The Nines (but what is your budget?) because it's centrally located dodwntown and so easy to hop on public transportation or walk to anything.
Please ask if you have any specific questions!
I went to Portland on a mother/daughter trip. We had a great time. Public transportation was easy and cheap. There are sooo many happy hours in Portland that we hardly ever had a real dinner- opting for apps instead.
HHs- Portland City Grill, Jake's Famous Crawfish and Jake's Grill, Bluehour and Aura. Dinner at Henry's 12 st Tavern was delish. Breakfast at Mother's Bistro! Pearl Bakery for quick breakfast.
Things to do- Japanese Gardens were beautiful (Rose Gardens are next door, but I have NO idea why people suggest going to them- not out of the way though). Chinese Garden in town is great. We saw a show- Oklahoma- at Portland Center Stage and LOVED it! It is a very nice theater. Shopping on 23rd in NW Portland for boutique clothing stores, also a mall at Pioneer. No sales tax! We also did the Saturday Market, but found it to be pretty pricey. Also went to Pitock Mansion- good for girls trip, probably not with dh. Def check out Powell's Book store.
We rented a car one day and headed out into the Columbia River Gorge. You could probably find a tour. We hiked Multnomah Falls and a few other waterfalls. Also went wine tasting. Loved every minute of this day trip.
Hotel we stayed at- Courtyard Marriott City Center. I picked it to be in the middle of everything, but that meant we had to walk pretty far either way. I would suggest picking- staying closer to Pearl District or further south. The room was very nice and spacious.
I can't seem to bold from Google Chrome but I second the recs for Portland City Grill, Jake's Famous Crawfish, and Mother's Bistro. Those are all very good restaurant! The breakfast at Mother's Bistro is so delicious! PCG would be a very nice date night place, try to get a seat by the wall/window side for great views of the city!
Multnomah Falls is a very nice day trip. The falls area beautiful! We did the Chinese Garden, it was nice but I wouldn't go back to it. The Saturday Market is also just okay, fun to look around.
I second the rec for The Nines hotel -- great, convenient location & really cool rooms.
My free time was limited during my stay, but I went to Multnomah Falls, rode the street car through the Pearl District and spent 1/2 a day at Powells bookstore. For casual eats, I hit up one of the food cart pods. I also tried out both restaurants at the Nines and they were pretty good.