BPO
Well-Known Member
My wife and I will be taking a trip to Portland Oregon during the middle of May. We are looking for ideas of where to go, what to see and where to stay. We want to do river rafting one day and also to the coast another day.
Vacation Portland Oregon
- Thread starter BPO
- Start date
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Portland is great! There's a lot of great food and drink to be had. Probably the most beer per square mile of anywhere I've ever been except Bamberg Germany. I always hit up Deschutes when I'm there. Rogue is great, Horse Brass is a cool place, HUB always has great beers on tap, Widmer is good, there's tons of great whiskey distillers in town too.
My Brother lives in Hood River, a really cool small resort town with tons of stuff to do and great beer, about an hour east of Portland. If you make it there, check out Double Mountain for sure, Pfriem is amazing, Big Horse is decent, Full Sail is kinda touristy but they usually have something interesting on tap, Solera isn't far and has some pretty incredible sour beers.
My Brother lives in Hood River, a really cool small resort town with tons of stuff to do and great beer, about an hour east of Portland. If you make it there, check out Double Mountain for sure, Pfriem is amazing, Big Horse is decent, Full Sail is kinda touristy but they usually have something interesting on tap, Solera isn't far and has some pretty incredible sour beers.
1977Brewer
Free Dan Hess.
I was about to say, major beer tour. Screw a buncha nature, go to Deschutes!
BPO
Well-Known Member
Trust me beer is defiantly part of the vacation. Hood River looks cool. We were thinking about going out that way and raft on the White Salmon River.
From General Chit Chat:
Getting Around Portland:
You will hear people refer to the "east side" and the "west side" of the city. This is a reference to the Willamette River that cuts Portland in two. In order to travel from one side of the city to another you will need to use a bridge.
West side = downtown, the hills, further out west you get into the "tech" suburbs where Intel other major companies reside. Keep on going west and you will run into wine country before you hit the coast
East side = brewery / distillery row, hawthorne district, alberta/mississippi district. Once you go east of 60th there is a Mt. Tabor and the montavilla district which has some fun stuff. Avoid going east of 82nd to do in town "Portland things" - as far as the city goes there is not much to do east of there.
The MAX lines is the rail system around here and will take you to a lot of popular places. Use trimet.org if you want to use public transport.
Practical Advice on Weather/Clothing:
Weather in Portland and Western Oregon in general can be pretty unpredictable in the middle of May. Some years we will have incredibly beautiful sunny weather with temperatures hitting the mid 70s. Other years it will be miserable and rain all day with temperatures sometimes struggling to get into the low 50s.
In other words, be prepared to be flexible if you're planning to do a lot of outdoor activities. I strongly suggest investing in some decent rain gear as well - try to look for things that are breathable and waterproof. If people don't wear breathable rain gear they get super sweaty doing any kind of physical activity
Fun Outdoor Activities:
The best thing about Portland is how close it is to amazing outdoor scenery. Here's a few highlights.
*Columbia River Gorge - Massive gorge that was carved out by old glaciers that created amazing waterfalls. Truly some of the most stunning and unique scenery in Oregon. It's a fairly big attraction that draws people from all over the world - it's also free and there is ample parking right off the interstate. You can drive by (and park at) many of the bigger waterfalls. Multnomah Falls is the biggest continuous waterfall West of the Mississippi River in North America and is quite a sight. There's ample hiking trails all around. Some trails are paved all the way (the one near Multnomah Falls is paved) and others are meant for multiple day backpacking trips. Right near Multnomah Falls there is a nice stone Lodge that serves food and has a gift shop. It's worth stopping in and grabbing a quick bite and having a local brew.
*Forest Park - World's largest park in a city. It's located on the west side of the city very close to downtown. Lots of beautiful old growth forest to be found here.
*Mt Tabor - Inactive volcano that has been turned into a very nice park. Awesome views of the city from one side and awesome views of Mt. Hood on the other side. The top of the park is closed off to traffic making it very quiet and peaceful. One of my favorite spots in the city and where my wife and I got married.
*Laurelhurst Park - A beautiful park located in inner SE portland (39th & Stark) designed by Emanuel Mische. Ample space, interesting landscaping, and lots of sunny spots make this one of the more popular parks in the city. A great place to have a picnic or simply people/dog watch. Very close to the Hawthorne District.
*West Promenade - On the west side of the willamette river there is a nice park that stretches most of downtown.
Good Restaurants:
Just a few of my favorites: Little Big Burger, Waffle Window, The Screendoor, The Country Cat, Andinas, Thai Fresh
Also lots of nice food cart pods - basically a grouping of a dozen or so food carts with outdoor seating. My favorites are the ones on 45th & Belmont and 12th & Hawthorne. Pyro Pizza is fantastic and one of my personal favorites.
Good Breweries:
Probably too many to be listed honestly. Some of my personal favorites are Deschutes, Upright Brewing, HUB, Laurelwood, Cascade, and Breakside. There's really no "bad" breweries that I can think of off the top of my head.
Most of the breweries in Portland are actually pretty small and don't give great tours if they do them at all. Widmer Brothers offers one of the better tours in town. You get to tour their facility and get a tasting of a few of their beers as well as a small Widmer glass that you get to take home.
The Ocean:
The Oregon Coast is surprisingly laid back especially if you're going outside of the Summer. The closest place to go is going to be Cannon Beach / Seaside. Cannon Beach has Haystack Rock which is a great place to go if you want to see ocean wildlife. Make sure to go during low tide if you want to scope out some ocean creatures in the tidal pools.
Seaside is just a few miles north of cannon beach and is more populated. It has a cute little boardwalk area that have a few nice places to eat and hangout. There is a brewery in Seaside but I have not been there.
Further South there is Tillamook which has some really good places that make cheese and there are 2 good breweries in town.
Getting Around Portland:
You will hear people refer to the "east side" and the "west side" of the city. This is a reference to the Willamette River that cuts Portland in two. In order to travel from one side of the city to another you will need to use a bridge.
West side = downtown, the hills, further out west you get into the "tech" suburbs where Intel other major companies reside. Keep on going west and you will run into wine country before you hit the coast
East side = brewery / distillery row, hawthorne district, alberta/mississippi district. Once you go east of 60th there is a Mt. Tabor and the montavilla district which has some fun stuff. Avoid going east of 82nd to do in town "Portland things" - as far as the city goes there is not much to do east of there.
The MAX lines is the rail system around here and will take you to a lot of popular places. Use trimet.org if you want to use public transport.
Practical Advice on Weather/Clothing:
Weather in Portland and Western Oregon in general can be pretty unpredictable in the middle of May. Some years we will have incredibly beautiful sunny weather with temperatures hitting the mid 70s. Other years it will be miserable and rain all day with temperatures sometimes struggling to get into the low 50s.
In other words, be prepared to be flexible if you're planning to do a lot of outdoor activities. I strongly suggest investing in some decent rain gear as well - try to look for things that are breathable and waterproof. If people don't wear breathable rain gear they get super sweaty doing any kind of physical activity
Fun Outdoor Activities:
The best thing about Portland is how close it is to amazing outdoor scenery. Here's a few highlights.
*Columbia River Gorge - Massive gorge that was carved out by old glaciers that created amazing waterfalls. Truly some of the most stunning and unique scenery in Oregon. It's a fairly big attraction that draws people from all over the world - it's also free and there is ample parking right off the interstate. You can drive by (and park at) many of the bigger waterfalls. Multnomah Falls is the biggest continuous waterfall West of the Mississippi River in North America and is quite a sight. There's ample hiking trails all around. Some trails are paved all the way (the one near Multnomah Falls is paved) and others are meant for multiple day backpacking trips. Right near Multnomah Falls there is a nice stone Lodge that serves food and has a gift shop. It's worth stopping in and grabbing a quick bite and having a local brew.
*Forest Park - World's largest park in a city. It's located on the west side of the city very close to downtown. Lots of beautiful old growth forest to be found here.
*Mt Tabor - Inactive volcano that has been turned into a very nice park. Awesome views of the city from one side and awesome views of Mt. Hood on the other side. The top of the park is closed off to traffic making it very quiet and peaceful. One of my favorite spots in the city and where my wife and I got married.
*Laurelhurst Park - A beautiful park located in inner SE portland (39th & Stark) designed by Emanuel Mische. Ample space, interesting landscaping, and lots of sunny spots make this one of the more popular parks in the city. A great place to have a picnic or simply people/dog watch. Very close to the Hawthorne District.
*West Promenade - On the west side of the willamette river there is a nice park that stretches most of downtown.
Good Restaurants:
Just a few of my favorites: Little Big Burger, Waffle Window, The Screendoor, The Country Cat, Andinas, Thai Fresh
Also lots of nice food cart pods - basically a grouping of a dozen or so food carts with outdoor seating. My favorites are the ones on 45th & Belmont and 12th & Hawthorne. Pyro Pizza is fantastic and one of my personal favorites.
Good Breweries:
Probably too many to be listed honestly. Some of my personal favorites are Deschutes, Upright Brewing, HUB, Laurelwood, Cascade, and Breakside. There's really no "bad" breweries that I can think of off the top of my head.
Most of the breweries in Portland are actually pretty small and don't give great tours if they do them at all. Widmer Brothers offers one of the better tours in town. You get to tour their facility and get a tasting of a few of their beers as well as a small Widmer glass that you get to take home.
The Ocean:
The Oregon Coast is surprisingly laid back especially if you're going outside of the Summer. The closest place to go is going to be Cannon Beach / Seaside. Cannon Beach has Haystack Rock which is a great place to go if you want to see ocean wildlife. Make sure to go during low tide if you want to scope out some ocean creatures in the tidal pools.
Seaside is just a few miles north of cannon beach and is more populated. It has a cute little boardwalk area that have a few nice places to eat and hangout. There is a brewery in Seaside but I have not been there.
Further South there is Tillamook which has some really good places that make cheese and there are 2 good breweries in town.
iijakii
Well-Known Member
Definitely go into The Gorge. It's beautiful. It sounds like you're physically active, so checkout some of the hikes. Angels Rest, Punchbowl Falls, Dog Mountain if you want something a bit tougher etc. The Gorge is my favorite damn place in the states It's just beautiful. You could do a hike and then drive into Hood River and stay there for a day, maybe do some windsurfing if you're into that. Pfriem is the best brewpub there in my opinion.
As far as Portland brewpubs, they're all pretty good. I'll be honest and say most are pretty standard IPAs that aren't as great as San Diego variants though. Absolutely go to Cascade if you like sours. My favorite beer is probably their Bourbonic Plague.
If you're into wine, we have a lot of great pinot out here in beautiful rolling hills etc. Newberg and McMinnville are the main towns for that.
As far as Portland brewpubs, they're all pretty good. I'll be honest and say most are pretty standard IPAs that aren't as great as San Diego variants though. Absolutely go to Cascade if you like sours. My favorite beer is probably their Bourbonic Plague.
If you're into wine, we have a lot of great pinot out here in beautiful rolling hills etc. Newberg and McMinnville are the main towns for that.
FloppyKnockers
Well-Known Member
Here's my post to someone else who was vacationing in Portland from this thread.
"Hope it's not too late, but here's my 0.02...
1) Depends on who you ask. There's definitely an east side/west side divide (the Willamette river). North Portland is known for gang activity, SE is kinda known for it's drug issues. West side is nice, but kinda removed from all the fun, touristy, fun Portland stuff. Like the other posters said, I'd stay near the MAX tracks in downtown. DO NOT stay on MLK or near it!
If nothing else, Portland definitely has a drinker friendly night vibe going. Hell, they even shut down a few square blocks on the weekends to traffic to drunk people won't get hit by cars while jaywalking...true story. My favorites are Barrel room and if you want the definition of a dive bar...Yamhill Pub (there's a broomstick in the bathroom to be used as a lock).
2) All the Simpsons characters were named after downtown Portland streets...that should give you a clue. Nob hill, Pearl District, and the Waterfront are all must sees. Chinatown is kinda janky. Mills end park (look it up), Pioneer Courthouse Square, Pittock Mansion, Rose garden, Portland underground tour (starts at Hobo's bar) is neat, and all the Portland fountains are way cool.
3) Yuki's in Nob Hill is good and so is Mio Sushi, but I'm not a Portland sushi aficionado.
4) Medford has GROWN! When my wife and I made the same trip to SF, we stayed at the Rouge Regency in their Presidential suite. It was surprisingly affordable and they have a great sports bar with comedy shows on the weekends attached to the hotel.
hope this helped,
HAVE FUN!"
Furthermore, Deschutes, Full Sail, and Rouge live here. They would be sad if you didn't stop in for a visit. You can't swing a dead cat around hear without hitting a micro brewery either, so no worries there. Don't make eye-contact with the homeless people. They're fuggin' A-holes.
Henry's tavern is also a must do. It's the old Blitz-Weinhard brewery that they turned into a cool bar/restaurant (Gorgonzola cheese fries...hint, hint).
"Hope it's not too late, but here's my 0.02...
1) Depends on who you ask. There's definitely an east side/west side divide (the Willamette river). North Portland is known for gang activity, SE is kinda known for it's drug issues. West side is nice, but kinda removed from all the fun, touristy, fun Portland stuff. Like the other posters said, I'd stay near the MAX tracks in downtown. DO NOT stay on MLK or near it!
If nothing else, Portland definitely has a drinker friendly night vibe going. Hell, they even shut down a few square blocks on the weekends to traffic to drunk people won't get hit by cars while jaywalking...true story. My favorites are Barrel room and if you want the definition of a dive bar...Yamhill Pub (there's a broomstick in the bathroom to be used as a lock).
2) All the Simpsons characters were named after downtown Portland streets...that should give you a clue. Nob hill, Pearl District, and the Waterfront are all must sees. Chinatown is kinda janky. Mills end park (look it up), Pioneer Courthouse Square, Pittock Mansion, Rose garden, Portland underground tour (starts at Hobo's bar) is neat, and all the Portland fountains are way cool.
3) Yuki's in Nob Hill is good and so is Mio Sushi, but I'm not a Portland sushi aficionado.
4) Medford has GROWN! When my wife and I made the same trip to SF, we stayed at the Rouge Regency in their Presidential suite. It was surprisingly affordable and they have a great sports bar with comedy shows on the weekends attached to the hotel.
hope this helped,
HAVE FUN!"
Furthermore, Deschutes, Full Sail, and Rouge live here. They would be sad if you didn't stop in for a visit. You can't swing a dead cat around hear without hitting a micro brewery either, so no worries there. Don't make eye-contact with the homeless people. They're fuggin' A-holes.
Henry's tavern is also a must do. It's the old Blitz-Weinhard brewery that they turned into a cool bar/restaurant (Gorgonzola cheese fries...hint, hint).
I've spent a lot of time over the years in Portland on business travel. Beer-and-food-wise you can't go wrong with any place by McMenamins. They're a great story and Edgefield in particular is awesome...A little farther out in Gresham but plan on making it a day...and plan on a cab back to the hotel.
http://www.mcmenamins.com/mobile/se...owse?page=1&per_page=1&search_query=Edgefield
http://www.mcmenamins.com/mobile/se...owse?page=1&per_page=1&search_query=Edgefield
tooldudetool
Well-Known Member
Go here!: http://www.mcmenamins.com/54-edgefield-home
McMenamins are all over Portland, but the one out at Edgefield is pretty amazing! They are on an old 74 acre farm, and its basically a giant compound with its own brewery, winery, distillery, glass blowing studio, golf course, movie theater and on and on and on. I've only been there once, but next time I get down to Portland I'll go again!
Edit: Well apparantly the guy who posted above me agrees!! We must have been writing it at the same time
McMenamins are all over Portland, but the one out at Edgefield is pretty amazing! They are on an old 74 acre farm, and its basically a giant compound with its own brewery, winery, distillery, glass blowing studio, golf course, movie theater and on and on and on. I've only been there once, but next time I get down to Portland I'll go again!
Edit: Well apparantly the guy who posted above me agrees!! We must have been writing it at the same time
FloppyKnockers
Well-Known Member
As the only Portland, Oregonian on this thread, I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have or let me know when you're in town and I'll let you buy me a pint. Just PM me or reply to my post.
I would echo most of the posts earlier in the thread and would add that the Japanese Gardens are an interesting change of pace. We were in Portland just for beer tourism and the gardens made an interesting counterpoint to the trip. Quiet, intricate and beautiful, if a bit crowded while we were there. Cascade Barrel House was a favorite, Hair of the Dog was closed when we wandered by (I think it was a Monday).
Honestly, Portland is a very safe city relative to anywhere I've lived before. North Portland may have been known for gang violence 15 years ago before it gentrified. Now it's known for foodies who drive Subaru wagons. SE (where I've lived much of my adult life) is home to a zillion gastropubs and vintage clothing stores. If you head waaaay out to 122nd, you'll find some rougher spots, but anywhere you're likely to go as tourists is quite safe. You'll see a lot of down-on-their luck folks, and plenty of lumbersexuals, but not a lot of Uzi toting thugs.
Check out the Shanghai tunnels. Very cool tour
http://shanghaitunnels.info
http://shanghaitunnels.info
Another Portlander here, and I'll advise against going to any McMennamin's for beer, food, or service. Go look around at one of their properties like Edgefield (the former poor farm) and Kennedy School, then go somewhere better for all 3 like Cascade, Hair of the Dog, HUB, Laurelwood, Deschutes, Breakside. The Commons, Upright, and Belmont Station (bottle shop) are great too, but don't have food.
"As far as Portland brewpubs, they're all pretty good. I'll be honest and say most are pretty standard IPAs that aren't as great as San Diego variants though. Absolutely go to Cascade if you like sours. My favorite beer is probably their Bourbonic Plague."
I wonder which IPAs you've had in Portland, iijakii?
"As far as Portland brewpubs, they're all pretty good. I'll be honest and say most are pretty standard IPAs that aren't as great as San Diego variants though. Absolutely go to Cascade if you like sours. My favorite beer is probably their Bourbonic Plague."
I wonder which IPAs you've had in Portland, iijakii?
iijakii
Well-Known Member
I've lived here a few years (although I now realize my profile still says Texas) so, most/all? My favorite year-round IPA would probably be Laurelwood's.
So, Laurelwood's (Workhorse, Megafauna), Breakside's (Breakside and Wanderlust), Gigantic's, Hair of the Dog's Blue Dot, and Hopworks' IPA don't stand up to San Diego IPAs? Which San Diego IPAs are your favorites? I'll have to pick them up at Belmont Station and give them a try for comparison.
