Don't Go to Oregon...
Sep 29th, 2005, 12:27 PM
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Don't Go to Oregon...
without plenty of film or sandisks!!!
We just got back from a wonderful tour of Oregon, from Portland (where we met up with some internet pals for a cool weekend) and the Willamette Valley, down the rugged coast to Coos Bay (and farther!), We spent some time in the deep Douglas Fir logging country with friends who live there, and did the jet boat ride up the incredibly beautiful Rogue River. We left our friends in Myrtle Point, and drove up to see Crater Lake (which sadly was closed due to snow/ice). Still that drive along the Umpqua and across the lava lands as you get to Bend (nifty little city) is lovely. We continued up into the Cascades, spending a night at the extraordinary Timberline Lodge. Our last day we made our way from the Dalles through the scenic Columbia River Gorge, stopping at Multinomah Falls as well as other picturesque points of interest.
We flew on ff miles, first class round trip from Raleigh-Durham to Seattle. We enjoyed stops in Centralia for lunch on the way to Portland, and dinner and overnight in Olympia before we left the next morning. Both Mr. Uhoh and I have been to Seattle several times, so this trip was primarily devoted to Oregon. I'll respond to this start with some restaurant and hotel recommendations as it appears Fodor's proper doesn't recognize any other locations than Portland. We put over 1400 miles on the Chevy Malibu we rented from Alamo (great deal I found via Costco -- $209 including all taxes and various charges tacked on). Gas was cheaper out there than here in the South.
The people were friendly, the atsmosphere "laid back" and the weather in September was near perfect. Ten days seems to be the perfect length for a trip for us.
We just got back from a wonderful tour of Oregon, from Portland (where we met up with some internet pals for a cool weekend) and the Willamette Valley, down the rugged coast to Coos Bay (and farther!), We spent some time in the deep Douglas Fir logging country with friends who live there, and did the jet boat ride up the incredibly beautiful Rogue River. We left our friends in Myrtle Point, and drove up to see Crater Lake (which sadly was closed due to snow/ice). Still that drive along the Umpqua and across the lava lands as you get to Bend (nifty little city) is lovely. We continued up into the Cascades, spending a night at the extraordinary Timberline Lodge. Our last day we made our way from the Dalles through the scenic Columbia River Gorge, stopping at Multinomah Falls as well as other picturesque points of interest.
We flew on ff miles, first class round trip from Raleigh-Durham to Seattle. We enjoyed stops in Centralia for lunch on the way to Portland, and dinner and overnight in Olympia before we left the next morning. Both Mr. Uhoh and I have been to Seattle several times, so this trip was primarily devoted to Oregon. I'll respond to this start with some restaurant and hotel recommendations as it appears Fodor's proper doesn't recognize any other locations than Portland. We put over 1400 miles on the Chevy Malibu we rented from Alamo (great deal I found via Costco -- $209 including all taxes and various charges tacked on). Gas was cheaper out there than here in the South.
The people were friendly, the atsmosphere "laid back" and the weather in September was near perfect. Ten days seems to be the perfect length for a trip for us.
Sep 30th, 2005, 11:20 AM
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OK! I see this wasn't lost completely 
Some hotel tips:
Portland,
Park Lane Suites
809 SW King Avenue
-- not fancy but quite spacious and located in a lovely area. We had a nice one bedroom suite with a very nice new ceramic tile bath, and a cool little kitchen (if we had needed one). Even the furniture in the living room was comfy. Two nights with a AAA rate came to $220 including all taxes, etc.
McMenamins Hotel Oregon
Mcminnville, historic downtown district
We had a Queen room w/shared bath for $70/night. It was a hoot! (And actually there was no one to share the baths with so it was quite private. They provide big fluffy robes to wear crossing the hallway )
Yachats Inn, in Yachats -- we stopped in off the road and ended up with a tidy but somewhat worn room with a kitchenette and a fireplace and a wonderful view of the ocean. Again, about $65/night. Some of my prettiest photos came from walking the wide beach here at low tide -- you get all that artsy reflective stiff going on. Also we saw the best sunset of the trip there.
We stayed with good friends near Myrtle Point, in the middle of logging country, although we all zipped down to spend the night in Golds Beach before our jet boat ride. I've forgotten the name of the place but it ended up being about $85/night for a big double.
After leaving our friends place, and not being able to drive round Crater Lake, we drove through some wonderful country -- the Cascades on one side, the high dessert on the other. We spent the night in Bend at the Red Lion Inn North (they've got two in town). Bend is a very classy little town. Lots of brand new interest, fancy shops, good restaurants and bars. We were very comfy there.
One of the high points of the trip was spending the next night on Mt Hood at Timberline Lodge. I'd reserved a Queen room online at $135, but since it was a weeknight, we really lucked out and they gave us a corner room. What a lovely place. We enjoyed hiking the trails, soothing our muscles in the heated pool and spa (with QUITE a view!) before dinner, and a nice meal in the Cascade Dining room that night.
I'll post again with some restaurant and winery experiences, but I think I've kept this thread tied up as I was interrupted in my post by the delivery of our dining room furniture!
Some hotel tips:
Portland,
Park Lane Suites
809 SW King Avenue
-- not fancy but quite spacious and located in a lovely area. We had a nice one bedroom suite with a very nice new ceramic tile bath, and a cool little kitchen (if we had needed one). Even the furniture in the living room was comfy. Two nights with a AAA rate came to $220 including all taxes, etc.
McMenamins Hotel Oregon
Mcminnville, historic downtown district
We had a Queen room w/shared bath for $70/night. It was a hoot! (And actually there was no one to share the baths with so it was quite private. They provide big fluffy robes to wear crossing the hallway
)Yachats Inn, in Yachats -- we stopped in off the road and ended up with a tidy but somewhat worn room with a kitchenette and a fireplace and a wonderful view of the ocean. Again, about $65/night. Some of my prettiest photos came from walking the wide beach here at low tide -- you get all that artsy reflective stiff going on. Also we saw the best sunset of the trip there.
We stayed with good friends near Myrtle Point, in the middle of logging country, although we all zipped down to spend the night in Golds Beach before our jet boat ride. I've forgotten the name of the place but it ended up being about $85/night for a big double.
After leaving our friends place, and not being able to drive round Crater Lake, we drove through some wonderful country -- the Cascades on one side, the high dessert on the other. We spent the night in Bend at the Red Lion Inn North (they've got two in town). Bend is a very classy little town. Lots of brand new interest, fancy shops, good restaurants and bars. We were very comfy there.
One of the high points of the trip was spending the next night on Mt Hood at Timberline Lodge. I'd reserved a Queen room online at $135, but since it was a weeknight, we really lucked out and they gave us a corner room. What a lovely place. We enjoyed hiking the trails, soothing our muscles in the heated pool and spa (with QUITE a view!) before dinner, and a nice meal in the Cascade Dining room that night.
I'll post again with some restaurant and winery experiences, but I think I've kept this thread tied up as I was interrupted in my post by the delivery of our dining room furniture!
Sep 30th, 2005, 11:25 AM
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OK - the place in Gold Beach was Inn of the Beachcomb. They gave us each a $15 discount on the $99 doubleroom rates because they wanted to encourage more people from Myrtle Point to come visit. hmmmm. Was this simply a local discount we might not have gotten had we not been traveling with locals? I don't know, but the people were nice and the complementary breakfast the next morning wasn't half bad.
Sep 30th, 2005, 11:29 AM
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just to clarify, the road around Crater Lake is closed about 3/4 of the year. The road to the Lodge and main viewpoints is kept open year round.
The first year we moved up here(1989) the plowed sides of the road were still more than 10 feet tall in mid June. It's still a worthwhile visit, and in fact, most folks only visit the lodge and main viewpoint
The first year we moved up here(1989) the plowed sides of the road were still more than 10 feet tall in mid June. It's still a worthwhile visit, and in fact, most folks only visit the lodge and main viewpoint
Sep 30th, 2005, 11:57 AM
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"Busted"--great subject title. My family and I are planning a house-hunting trip to Oregon, with some sightseeing, in November (I know--RAIN ) and when i saw you post, i thought , "Oh no!!"--gl;ad i continued reading!!!! LOL.
Will check into your Portland accomodation--thx for the rec. So far the best sounding wone with an indoor pool (needed for the l;ittle kids to keep them intersted after schlepping thru homes) is the Embassy Suites, but its a bit more $ than we wanted to spend.
Will check into your Portland accomodation--thx for the rec. So far the best sounding wone with an indoor pool (needed for the l;ittle kids to keep them intersted after schlepping thru homes) is the Embassy Suites, but its a bit more $ than we wanted to spend.
Sep 30th, 2005, 12:06 PM
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CaliNurse - you might look into the Kennedy School - it is a hotel/brew pub/movie theatre run by the McMenamins (the same folks who operate the Hotel Oregon in McMinnville where uhoh stayed). It is in NE Portland and will give you a good idea of that area of town. Like the Hotel Oregon, many of the rooms have shared baths. It is actually a former elementary school revamped into a hotel. Check them out on the web: www.mcmenamins.com
Sep 30th, 2005, 05:34 PM
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Hey we stayed at the Park Lane Suites in Portland just a couple of weeks ago. Very comfortable and spacious.
We could have walked to Washington Park (we didn't), but we did walk to a main street two blocks away (whose name I have forgotten) where there is an awesome grocery store. And from there you can walk into an area with interesting restaurants and shops.
We could have walked to Washington Park (we didn't), but we did walk to a main street two blocks away (whose name I have forgotten) where there is an awesome grocery store. And from there you can walk into an area with interesting restaurants and shops.
Sep 30th, 2005, 06:27 PM
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That would be NW 23rd St. Really wonderful shops, and also the best restaurant we ate at the entire trip -- Sammy's -- simple but GOOD food. Get the halibut for a special treat. It was delicious.
The best places to tast wine in Willamette Valley are the rooms which serve various vineyards -- The Tasting Room in Carleton was recommended to me by a friend who used to have her own wine bar in Washington DC and now lives in Sacramento. I sort of wish we'd gone there later in the day as we would have bought more. (We only bought one bottle there, early in the morning, a nice Pinot Noir from Belle Pente.) We also enjoyed the Carlton Winemakers Studio -- www.winemakersstudio.com We did hit a couple of winery tasting rooms, Duck Pond -- which was mediocre but pretty, Ponzi's tasting rooms are nice and friendly but the wine was, again, a bit of a disappointment. They DO have great t-shirts "Live Well -- Drink Well" of which I bought one, but no wine. Domaine Serene has extraordinary grounds. Unfortunately we spent a bit too long taking pictures of those grounds and missed the opportunity to taste their highly regarded (and highly priced) wines as we walked into the tasting room at 4:05PM on a Sunday afternoon while they stop offering tastings at 4:00PM. Ah well, it is highly unlikely we would have purchased a case of their very expensive offerings, and since we weren't allowed to taste we weren't about to buy a bottle of something that cost over $75 without a taste first.
I guess they don't need to develop any kind of good word-of-mouth in such a sellers' market. Too bad.
All in all, if you are visiting from the East coast and are serious about putting together a case to ship home (rather than try to baby it among your luggage) you would be best served visiting a tasting room like the two I've mentioned above and putting together a "mixed case." I was dissapointed to discover that virtually no one with, how can I put this nicely, REALLY interesting wine offers tastings for free, or for nominal cost. We probably spent over $60 tasting wines and bought only one bottle (at less than that).
Overall, I would say that exploring the tiny Willamette valley wine country is far less enjoyable for the potential buyer than anyplace else we've ever visited! (Napa, Sonoma, Virginia, North Carolina, South Africa, Italy, France!) Thankfully, we found the beautiful countryside and the nice people we met out-weighed that disappointment.
While we totally enjoyed staying at the Hotel Oregon, we ate lunch there on Sunday and breakfast the next morning, and while the food was good, the service was cheerful but woefully time consuming. We made reservations for dinner that night at Tina's on ORE 99 West in Dundee (near the Ponzi tasting room and restaurant.) We had a fine dinner there, excellent service, and they use fresh local ingredients. The dessert was REALLY outstanding -- layers of meringue and berries and whipped creme drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauce. The pan grilled oysters are a super starter. www.tinasdundee.com
The next day we headed for the coast and fell in love with the extraordinary vistas. Outside of Lincoln City we visited a glassworks and purchased a wonderful souvenir of the Oregon coast -- a multicolored glass "float." Alder House II is easy to get to (just follow the signs) www.alderhouse.com
For lunch we had a difficult time finding the place our friends had recommended in Depot Bay -- but it is worth it. Just swallow your pride and ASK a local how to get there: Canyon Way Bookstore and Restaurant, 1216 SW Canyon Way in Newport. It is not on the bayfront where most places are located, but if you can find it, you will be well rewarded. Just simple soups or salads are really done well. Try local brewskis!
The coastal sights on the way to Yachats was breathtaking. Definitely head up to Cape Perpetua for the best views on the coast. I mentioned we stayed at Yachats Inn, that night we dined at La Serre, on the main highway. It was OK, the service was outstanding and personable though. And for breakfast the next morning -- LeRoy's Blue Whale can not be beat. Terrific service from a waitress who was a true character, and a wonderful breakfast to boot. (She was offering a Hangtown omelet -- which includes oysters -- but got no takers that morning. I love oysters but somehow they didn't seem to be what I wanted early in the AM)
I guess I'll leave out some of the other places we ate during our stay, as they were OK but not really memorable, with the exception of the Cascade Room at Timberline Lodge -- which was wonderful just for the setting.
We stopped in Olympia, WA our last night, and got a good deal at the Best Western downtown. Olympia is a cool little city, easy to get around, and we had dinner that night at a Thai restaurant called Lemon Grass. It was really an excellent Thai meal, and while their menu was slightly different from the East Coast Thai menus we are used to, we found the ingredients and the quality of the meal to be first rate. They made something called "Floating Angel" which was your choice of pork, beef, chicken, or prawns in a spicy hot peanut sauce served on some the the best steamed spinach imaginable. The Lemon Grass Seafood special was equally wonderful. The place was packed on a Monday night. It was a nice way to end our Pacific Northwest adventure.
The best places to tast wine in Willamette Valley are the rooms which serve various vineyards -- The Tasting Room in Carleton was recommended to me by a friend who used to have her own wine bar in Washington DC and now lives in Sacramento. I sort of wish we'd gone there later in the day as we would have bought more. (We only bought one bottle there, early in the morning, a nice Pinot Noir from Belle Pente.) We also enjoyed the Carlton Winemakers Studio -- www.winemakersstudio.com We did hit a couple of winery tasting rooms, Duck Pond -- which was mediocre but pretty, Ponzi's tasting rooms are nice and friendly but the wine was, again, a bit of a disappointment. They DO have great t-shirts "Live Well -- Drink Well" of which I bought one, but no wine. Domaine Serene has extraordinary grounds. Unfortunately we spent a bit too long taking pictures of those grounds and missed the opportunity to taste their highly regarded (and highly priced) wines as we walked into the tasting room at 4:05PM on a Sunday afternoon while they stop offering tastings at 4:00PM. Ah well, it is highly unlikely we would have purchased a case of their very expensive offerings, and since we weren't allowed to taste we weren't about to buy a bottle of something that cost over $75 without a taste first.
I guess they don't need to develop any kind of good word-of-mouth in such a sellers' market. Too bad.
All in all, if you are visiting from the East coast and are serious about putting together a case to ship home (rather than try to baby it among your luggage) you would be best served visiting a tasting room like the two I've mentioned above and putting together a "mixed case." I was dissapointed to discover that virtually no one with, how can I put this nicely, REALLY interesting wine offers tastings for free, or for nominal cost. We probably spent over $60 tasting wines and bought only one bottle (at less than that).
Overall, I would say that exploring the tiny Willamette valley wine country is far less enjoyable for the potential buyer than anyplace else we've ever visited! (Napa, Sonoma, Virginia, North Carolina, South Africa, Italy, France!) Thankfully, we found the beautiful countryside and the nice people we met out-weighed that disappointment.
While we totally enjoyed staying at the Hotel Oregon, we ate lunch there on Sunday and breakfast the next morning, and while the food was good, the service was cheerful but woefully time consuming. We made reservations for dinner that night at Tina's on ORE 99 West in Dundee (near the Ponzi tasting room and restaurant.) We had a fine dinner there, excellent service, and they use fresh local ingredients. The dessert was REALLY outstanding -- layers of meringue and berries and whipped creme drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauce. The pan grilled oysters are a super starter. www.tinasdundee.com
The next day we headed for the coast and fell in love with the extraordinary vistas. Outside of Lincoln City we visited a glassworks and purchased a wonderful souvenir of the Oregon coast -- a multicolored glass "float." Alder House II is easy to get to (just follow the signs) www.alderhouse.com
For lunch we had a difficult time finding the place our friends had recommended in Depot Bay -- but it is worth it. Just swallow your pride and ASK a local how to get there: Canyon Way Bookstore and Restaurant, 1216 SW Canyon Way in Newport. It is not on the bayfront where most places are located, but if you can find it, you will be well rewarded. Just simple soups or salads are really done well. Try local brewskis!
The coastal sights on the way to Yachats was breathtaking. Definitely head up to Cape Perpetua for the best views on the coast. I mentioned we stayed at Yachats Inn, that night we dined at La Serre, on the main highway. It was OK, the service was outstanding and personable though. And for breakfast the next morning -- LeRoy's Blue Whale can not be beat. Terrific service from a waitress who was a true character, and a wonderful breakfast to boot. (She was offering a Hangtown omelet -- which includes oysters -- but got no takers that morning. I love oysters but somehow they didn't seem to be what I wanted early in the AM)
I guess I'll leave out some of the other places we ate during our stay, as they were OK but not really memorable, with the exception of the Cascade Room at Timberline Lodge -- which was wonderful just for the setting.
We stopped in Olympia, WA our last night, and got a good deal at the Best Western downtown. Olympia is a cool little city, easy to get around, and we had dinner that night at a Thai restaurant called Lemon Grass. It was really an excellent Thai meal, and while their menu was slightly different from the East Coast Thai menus we are used to, we found the ingredients and the quality of the meal to be first rate. They made something called "Floating Angel" which was your choice of pork, beef, chicken, or prawns in a spicy hot peanut sauce served on some the the best steamed spinach imaginable. The Lemon Grass Seafood special was equally wonderful. The place was packed on a Monday night. It was a nice way to end our Pacific Northwest adventure.
Sep 30th, 2005, 06:31 PM
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Yo, Scarlett -- I think they are referring to Zupan's on 23rd St. Quite lovely.
We had breakfast Saturday morning at Whole Foods -- it was the only thing open (we walked all the way down to Powells and they weren't open yet) at the time. We split a breakfast burrito that simply sat on our stomachs all day long. bummer. Sometimes you should just go with the pastries!
We had breakfast Saturday morning at Whole Foods -- it was the only thing open (we walked all the way down to Powells and they weren't open yet) at the time. We split a breakfast burrito that simply sat on our stomachs all day long. bummer. Sometimes you should just go with the pastries!
Sep 30th, 2005, 07:34 PM
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uhoh, I forgot Zupans! We were there for the first time this past week..nice very nice I got flowers there.
I love Sammys! We went for lunch right after we moved here, it was very good..and a good atmosphere. I want to go back with Pup and have brunch one Sunday.
Did you get to see see some old friends while visiting?
You were at Powells and Whole Foods? You were steps from my home
Sorry I missed you, hurry back!
I got flowers there.I love Sammys! We went for lunch right after we moved here, it was very good..and a good atmosphere. I want to go back with Pup and have brunch one Sunday.
Did you get to see see some old friends while visiting?
You were at Powells and Whole Foods? You were steps from my home
Sorry I missed you, hurry back!
Oct 1st, 2005, 07:09 AM
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Yes - I saw a couple, but I was kicking myself for not getting your contact info b4 we left, because we could easily have met for brunch on that Saturday. Oh well. We had such a good time we WILL be back for another visit.
Oct 2nd, 2005, 06:03 PM
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Scarlett...
The "awesome grocery" was NOT Trader Joe's...it was on Burrell St (is that the way you spell it? Or was is Burrard? my mind fails me.... and it really WAS awesome. Huge, best produce section I have ever seen, most interesting meat section, ditto, with real butchers answering your questions and preparing the cuts to order.
Trader Jos's is not awesome, just full of things you don't usually see, with good cheap Two Buck Chuck wine. Packaged meat, packaged veggies and fruit, fairly interesting frozen stuff if you are into that.
They do have a good green ice tea bottle. And my lazy husband loves their frozen tamales for lunch <shrug>.
The "awesome grocery" was NOT Trader Joe's...it was on Burrell St (is that the way you spell it? Or was is Burrard? my mind fails me.... and it really WAS awesome. Huge, best produce section I have ever seen, most interesting meat section, ditto, with real butchers answering your questions and preparing the cuts to order.
Trader Jos's is not awesome, just full of things you don't usually see, with good cheap Two Buck Chuck wine. Packaged meat, packaged veggies and fruit, fairly interesting frozen stuff if you are into that.
They do have a good green ice tea bottle. And my lazy husband loves their frozen tamales for lunch <shrug>.
