Hotel Near OHSU
 

Hi there -
My husband has a meeting at the Oregon Health and Science University in mid-April...so I'm tagging along for a long weekend.:-)

Does anyone know if there are any hotels downtown which are reasonably close to this facility -- walking or public transport? Or we could rent a car if necessary.

Address is
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, Oregon 97239-3098

We're really looking forward to our first visit to Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.

Thanks for any info,

You mean, are there any NICE hotels close to OHSU? :-) Not really. OHSU is up on a hill a hike up from downtown. There are some dive hotels right near the bottom of the hill by Portland State University, but I don't think you'd want to stay there.

I'd recommend you simply stay in downtown Portland. Your husband can take the #8 bus easily from downtown right up to OHSU. Portland is a small city and the bus system is good.

But if you're going out to the Gorge, aren't you going to want a car anyway? Of course, then you'd have to park it at the hotel and parking is $22/day or so downtown. You could always compromise, rent a car only the day you drive out to the Gorge. You can rent cars downtown and sometimes return them to the airport for no extra charge.

As for hotels, the 5th Avenue Suites is highly recommended here and is adjacent to the bus mall where your husband would catch the #8. You would be able to walk to lots of shopping or to the waterfront or just explore Portland - public transportation is good here. Other nice hotels nearby are the Hotel Vintage Plaza and the Lucia right on Broadway. You can take the MAX train from the airport to downtown very easily and walk to all of those hotels.

If you are trying to save money on the hotel you could use Priceline - great deals are to be had here. Ask for details in that case.

Andrew

Andrew ~ Thanks so much for your thoughtful response..

Our itinerary so far is 4 nights in Portland (2 for me) and then 2 nights in the Gorge area (for 2 days of great hiking) and then a final night at Cannon Beach before heading home.

We prefer walking and/or public transport in the city and then renting a car for the final 3 nights. But if we actually need the car for the city, then we’ll rent here too.

It's funny you mentioned those three hotels...I had narrowed down my choices to those exact three. Work is paying for the Portland part so budget is a bit of an issue.

Is 5th Avenue Suites a lot more convenient for hopping on the bus, etc., to OSHU, than the other 2……and shopping, of course. (Can’t wait to visit the new Williams Sonoma Home.) If so, it might justify the additional $$. How do Vintage Plaza and Lucia compare as far as getting to OSHU by bus?

Just thought of one other thing….we are also planning to go to Cirque du Soleil one night. Will we need a car for this or is it also easily accessible by public transport? It’s at S.W. Moody Avenue (South of Marquam Bridge).

All three hotels mentioned are close to the Portland bus mall and Portland blocks are small compared to other cities. The "bus mall" consists of most Portland buses converging on 5th and 6th avenues downtown where you can make connections (one-way streets). Broadway should rightfully be called 7th Avenue because of it's position in the grid - but anyway, it's only two blocks from 5th Avenue, where you would catch the #8 up to OHSU (and get off on 6th on the way back). So yes technically the 5th Ave Suites is two blocks closer, but if for some reason either of the other two hotels works out better, I wouldn't sweat it in regards to location. All are close to shopping.

Cirque du Soleil is not too far from the end of the Portland Street Car at Riverplace. If you are in any decent walking shape it's a quick walk from there to Cirque du Soleil and a safe if dark walk.

Andrew

Thanks again...very helpful info.

We'll stick with the plan then of no car in the city and rental afterwards.

Cheers,