thanks, bradshawgirl!

With the Marriott Downtown Waterfront as our base of operations, which attractions are within a reasonable walking distance? To explore NW, Pearl, and other areas is public transportion preferable to a rental car? If so, where could it be accessed in relation to the hotel?

Re the Cannon Beach sidetrip: How much extra driving (time) would it require to make the loop from Cannon Beach to Tillamook, taking R6 to R26, back to Portland? (rather than a straight shot on R26 (90 minutes)from Cannon Beach to Portland?

Is it worth going furthur south from Tillamook to Lincoln City before heading back to Portland?

Car vs. public transit: depends how much you like to walk. Portland is a compact, easy walking town. You can walk to a rail stop in about five blocks from the Marriott. The Marriott is on the block between Clay and Columbia on Naito Parkway at the waterfront. Here's a helpful map:

http://trimet.org/maps/citycenter.htm

[There's a little mistake on that map; the arrows Mill and Market streets near Broadway showing the directions of the streetcars are going in the wrong directions.]

You could walk either to the City Hall/SW 5th & Jefferson MAX stop and take a yellow or green MAX train up to 5th/Couch and walk into the Pearl...or walk up to the PSU Urban Center/SW 5th & Mill and catch either a Portland Streetcar to NW 23rd or also (nearby) a MAX green/yellow instead. The Streetcar takes you directly to NW Portland and through the Pearl, whereas the MAX only takes you close. Note that most of the trains are free in Fareless Square, but the Portland Streetcar requires a ticket north of Everett Street up to NW 23rd (buy a ticket on the streetcar from a machine). Tickets are $2 each and valid all day on the streetcar.

If the weather is nice and you love to walk, it's really not an impossible walk from the Marriott up to the Pearl - maybe 20-25 minutes - but I'd walk along the waterfront park for a scenic route north.

If it's rainy and you're not much into walking, the car might be easier for you, though street parking in the Pearl and NW Portland can be challenging at busy times. Me personally, I'd choose public transit in a heartbeat, but I'm very comfortable with trains.

For the NW and Pearl Districts, I think MAX and the streetcar are your best bet. Parking is often difficult, and it's too much of a hike from the Waterfront Marriott to walk.

It's about 90 minutes from either Tillamook or Cannon Beach back to Portland. So, the added time for the loop would be the hour +/- between Cannon Beach and Tillamook, plus the time you'd take to drive whatever portion of Three Capes Scenic Loop. And, I wouldn't suggest looping back from Cannon Beach via Tillamook unless you at least were planning to head out to Cape Meares State Park, and maybe Oceanside.

As for driving further south to Lincoln City, most/all of hwy 101 is inland along that section, so since you wouldn't have those coastal views, I'd think it wouldn't be worth your time. Unless maybe you're thinking of stopping in wine country between Lincoln City and Portland. But, you could detour from hwy 6 for that, too.