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I'm going to the Portland area with the SO for ~6 days in September, and was surprised there was no thread open. Right now we're planning on staying just outside of the city and have some vague ideas of what to do, but don't know the area. We want to do a mix of city stuff and outdoorsy stuff in the region. City-wise, I will be on the prowl for good coffee by day and beer by night. We'll probably make road trips to some of - the coast, Crater Lake, Mount Hood area, river gorge, some winery/vineyard - any specific recommendations or experiences would be appreciated  PYF Portland & PNW stuffs!
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Aug 9, 2016 19:10
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 10:01 |
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obligatory ta link https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g52024-Activities-Portland_Oregon.html Not sure where you are from but the OR coast is really beautiful. Cannon Beach if probably the most popular and you can't go wrong there. I've been to Lincoln City many times too and it is nice. Many people will say go to Multnomah Falls and it is ok. Downtown Portland is really nice to walk around and shop. I would go to Kell's Irish pub for lunch and go to Powell's book store for sure.
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Aug 9, 2016 21:33
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Infinotize posted:I'm going to the Portland area with the SO for ~6 days in September, and was surprised there was no thread open. Right now we're planning on staying just outside of the city and have some vague ideas of what to do, but don't know the area. We want to do a mix of city stuff and outdoorsy stuff in the region. City-wise, I will be on the prowl for good coffee by day and beer by night. We'll probably make road trips to some of - the coast, Crater Lake, Mount Hood area, river gorge, some winery/vineyard - any specific recommendations or experiences would be appreciated Where exactly (you say 'outside the city' which covers a fairly huge area in the PDX metro) are you going to be staying? Cause that is a TREMENDOUS amount of driving, I'd pick 2 or maybe 3 of those things. Crater Lake is one of the greatest natural wonders of the US but is currently on fire and is about a 5-6 hour drive from Portland (and located next to precisely none of your other listed attractions). I actually used to work in tourism in OR but if you want details about where/what to do you're gonna need to be more specific about what you're looking for. Are you camping? Hiking? Just sightseeing? Are you staying in hotels? What type of vehicle will you have? etc. Oregon is amazing in that it's one of the best areas to visit for recreation cause we have just about everything somewhere, but you gotta pick and choose so you don't spend half your vacation driving. And for the love of god and all that is holy do not move here.
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Aug 9, 2016 23:50
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I'll be staying in Portland Heights at a house, and will have a regular car. Crater Lake is probably too far, but we were entertaining the possibility of an overnight trip out there. We'll probably stay closer to Portland since as you say every thing else is much much closer. Any outdoorsy stuff we do won't be that intense, probably a hike or two that are pretty mild and < 3 hours long. Mostly we will be either in Portland exploring or in Beaverton since we know people there, but aim to take a couple little trips out - looking like one of those will be to the coast, and one other somewhere else. Probably to the east? I'll bite, why wouldn't I want to move there.
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Aug 10, 2016 15:30
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I’d second what Prokhor is saying – you are describing a lot of driving, and you need to be more specific about your city/nature interests and your accommodations for us to give the best advice (especially for things to do within Portland itself). I’ve got a slow day at work though so I’ll try to give you my best suggestions based on what you posted. Of the road trip ideas you presented, I’d pick only 2 or 3 of them. Each and every one of them is pretty much a full day, so keep that in mind. Also Crater Lake is absolutely out of the question, that’s only worth it as a 2 day trip. The coast is quite lovely, and there are a lot of things to see within a pretty small stretch of coastline that you could string together into a nice day trip. Cannon beach is the most popular destination and is one of the closest to Portland, but the town itself is kind of lame with mediocre restaurants and too many tourists. If you must go, just take a picture of Haystack rock like everybody else and then move on. While you’re there you might want to check out Ecola State Park, which is just outside of the town. You can do an easy short hike there to see some abandoned WW2 bunkers that you can climb down into and explore, it’s pretty cool. If you want to actually hang out on the beach I’d go a couple miles south of Cannon Beach to Hug Point (which is very scenic and features tidepools and a waterfall). A couple miles further south and you hit Cape Falcon, which is a nice coastal hike with some dramatic views. And If you want to check out some beach towns I prefer the tiny, cozy ones such as Manzanita, just a little further south past Cape Falcon. There are obviously many other things to do and alternative routes to other parts of the coast that could take you to Astoria (cute town, great breweries) or Cape Meares lighthouse and Cape Lookout state park (amazing hiking) for example, but it depends on what you are looking to get out of your coast trip. The Gorge is a must-do day trip, and there is a ton of great hiking in that area. The views on the drive in are incredible and justify the trip on their own. You might as well stop at Multnomah falls, then take on one of the many very worthwhile hikes (my favorites: Angel’s rest, Triple Falls, Oneonta Gorge, Eagle Creek to Punchbowl or Tunnel Falls, Larch Mountain, Coyote Wall – google them), and then end up in Hood River to check out the town and drink beer at Double Mountain and Pfriem. If you want to get closer to Mt. Hood a lot of people find it worthwhile to make the drive to Timberline Lodge. I think the Lodge is OK, but on the way you are passing by some absolutely amazing (half to all-day) hiking and scenic alpine lakes that are much cooler and more impressive IMO. Burnt Lake/Zig Zag Mountain, Trilium Lake, Elk Cove, McNeil Point, Elk Meadows, etc. Of those I mentioned, Trilium Lake is an easy pit stop on the way to the Lodge, the others require considerably more time and physical effort. For vinyards/wineries my two favorites are Domaine Drouhin and Domaine Serene, which are just south of Newberg and are very close to each other. They both make absolutely amazing Pinots and the tasting rooms and views of the vineyards at both locations are really pretty. There’s also Argyle Winery close by which has good bubbles. That area has dozens of other vineyards too so you could definitely make an entire day out of it if you were so inclined. As far as Portland itself goes, there are so many breweries, brewpubs, taprooms, beer nerd bars etc it is hard to give good suggestions without knowing where you are staying, what kind of beer you like, etc. My favorite taprooms/brewpubs are Upright, Crux, Hub, the Commons, and Cascade Brewing Barrel House. There are a ton of bars with very extensive tap lists, the standard recommendation is to go to Horse Brass Pub so I’ll throw that out there. I also like Stammtisch for imported German beers. For good coffee I’m not really an expert but I can recommend 2 places that roast their own beans and make great coffee: Extracto and Ristretto Roasters. Portland is also a huge foodie mecca and there are a shitload of amazing (and reasonably affordable) restaurants and food carts to experience. It’s hard to make recommendations though without knowing if you care about food, what you like or want to try, your budget, where you are staying, what areas you will be hanging out in based on whatever you’re doing for the day, etc. I will say though that Voodoo Donuts is terrible, and Salt & Straw and Pok Pok are not worth the wait or the money. As for other things to do in Portland, there is obviously a lot to do but I can't give recommendations without knowing your interests, budget, and where you are staying. Edit: Just saw your response. If you want to only do very mild hikes, I would recommend Angel's Rest, Oneonta Gorge (you'll get wet), or Eagle Creek to Punchbowl falls in the gorge. All the Mt. Hood hikes are out of the question except the loop around Trillium Lake. Don't stay in Beaverton, that's no way to spend a vacation. Try to get an AirBNB in Portland in the inner east side if you can. tiny dracula fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Aug 10, 2016 |
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Aug 10, 2016 15:56
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Infinotize posted:I'll be staying in Portland Heights at a house, and will have a regular car. Crater Lake is probably too far, but we were entertaining the possibility of an overnight trip out there. We'll probably stay closer to Portland since as you say every thing else is much much closer. Any outdoorsy stuff we do won't be that intense, probably a hike or two that are pretty mild and < 3 hours long. Mostly we will be either in Portland exploring or in Beaverton since we know people there, but aim to take a couple little trips out - looking like one of those will be to the coast, and one other somewhere else. Probably to the east? Seaside is Portland's traditional tourist town on the coast, lots of fun little shops and restaurants. We're mostly famous for our saltwater taffy and fresh crab so if those are your thing make sure you snag some while you're there. Astoria isn't much farther and is also a great little community, you can see where they filmed the Goonies! Just be careful because the weirdos who bought the Goonies House will flip the gently caress out if they see you taking pictures of it. Seconding that Multnomah Falls in the gorge is fantastic but for your sake go early on a weekday, otherwise the joint'll be utterly overrun with Chinese tourists (the worst tourists). Lots of nice little hikes to all kinds of little secluded waterfalls, great spots for a picnic or just photos, and most are pretty close to the metro proper. The Scenic Highway in the gorge is some of the best sightseeing in the PNW, especially if you aren't used to our special kind of rainforest. If you want to drive a little further east you can head to places like Columbia Hills Park, just across the Columbia, and take a guided tour to see the ancient petroglyphs they've collected there. Closer to home Portland also has Forest Park, the largest urban nature park in America, that has lots of little trails that run all over NW Portland's edges. And you wouldn't want to move here because literally everyone is moving here. We're rapidly on track to becoming San Francisco 2.0 But Worse because we have zero protections for renters. I have friends in Forest Grove (a tiny town so far west that it's not even in the metro area but is now a 'satellite community' because everywhere else is full) who rent a 1 bedroom apartment. Jan of last year they paid $700/month, no utilities included. By the start of this year they were paying $980, and recently they found out last month that their rent was rising again to $1100/month. By the end of the year it'll be higher. On average Portland rents seem to dramatically increase every 3ish months, no matter where you are or how close. There's straight up no room and the heavy influx is destroying our traffic systems (which were only ever meant to handle a maximum populace about 2/3rds what it is now) and job market. Prokhor Zakharov fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Aug 10, 2016 |
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Aug 10, 2016 20:31
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 10:01 |
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Thanks all for the awesome suggestions! It seems like we will do a day on the coast at one of the lesser-traveled parts, and probably a day to the gorge (we will be able to go during the week). The vineyards look good and I think otherwise we'll be in town. It's probably too hard to say what specifically to look for in the city, we tend to neighborhood hop and just see what happens.
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Aug 12, 2016 15:48
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