Late night transportation PDX to downtown Portland?
 

Arriving about midight and trains won't be running. There are so many choices, including taxi, but thought maybe someone would know the best value. We plan to stay somewhere downtown.

Thanks!

Stay 1 night at one of the motels along Sandy Blvd. that have shuttle service. Check out and get downtown in the morning. For a nicer place try the Embassy Suites which is near the light rail tracks just outside the airport entrance.

I would stay in downtown Portland (NOT out on Sandy!!!) and take a taxi. There are shuttles, and I have taken a few (live here), but have not been impressed with any that I have used.

Thanks tomfuller and mms. I can see advantages both ways. I still have a couple of weeks, but getting excited about finally exploring Portland and the gorge area.

If you are going to the gorge including Multnomah Falls, stay in Sandy and pick up the rental car in the morning at the airport. The Embassy Suites next to the airport is as good as anything you will find in Portland. Why pay big bucks to stay in a beautiful room downtown if you are going to get there about 1-2AM?
The airport area has easy access to I-84 east to the falls and Hood River. The easy access to Mulnomah Falls is from the parking area in the median of I-84 (left exit).
If the weather is nice I like Rt. 35 south from Hood River on the east side of Mt. Hood. Catch US 26 back into Portland for your second night.

Don't stay 'in' Sandy, which is a town about an hour away from Portland, stay 'on' Sandy Blvd. :P Otherwise I agree with the Embassy Suites idea. Hotels in downtown will be more expensive and who cares where you stay when it is the middle of the night?

Depending on how much time you have in the Gorge, you may want to eat at Tad's Chicken and Dumplings on the Sandy River. Simply take I-84 east and then the first exit after you cross the Sandy River (I think it is signed Oxbow State Park). Tad's is just a couple of miles up the road, it opens at 5 or 5:30, and on Thursday they have fresh razor clams. Other nights they have other delicious food.

This is the exit you take if you want to visit the Vista House on your trip east up the Gorge.

Taking the I-84 exit at Bridal Veil gets you on the old CG Hwy (with easy access to lots of waterfalls). For short falls hikes, I suggest the very popular hike to the top of Multnomah Falls. You can also hike up Wahkeenah Falls. If you hike from the Horsetail Falls trailhead, you can visit Triple Falls which is one of my favorites. And if the water level is low enough, climb over the log jam at Oneota Creek to see the gorgeous pool about a 1/4 mile back (this involves walking in the creek itself which is cold but worth it on a hot day).

In Troutdale is McMenamins Edgefield, in my opinion it is one of the best places to drink good beer and wine in that area. Such lovely grounds too.

If you take the loop road around Mt Hood, be sure to have some huckleberry pie at Government Camp.

Living here, I would stay IN Sandy before I would ever consider staying ON Sandy, FWIW.

That said, I agree with all the rest of what yodababe posted:) Huckleberry Inn in Government Camp is the goto place for fresh huckleberry milkshakes.

LOL at what mms said. I was born in Portland and lived there until I was 31, my entire family still lives there, so I have never actually had to look for lodgings around the airport. I guess if you are close to the airport it is fine but I agree, Sandy Blvd is rather ghetto :)

Yes! Huckleberry Inn has the shakes and pies but their coffee sucks. You have been warned.

Hope you have a great time, I will be back for 2 weeks in August and can't wait. You'd think living in Bavaria would spoil me, but the PNW did that long ago. :D

yodababe--LOL, yes their coffee is definitely not good. The rest makes up for it, especially since you can go in after backpacking for days and noone will give you a second look:D

I have gone in there after time in the wilderness too, they are very forgiving LOL. But the Mt Hood Inn/microbrewery isn't in Govt Camp anymore, is it? I was in the Mazamas and we would get beer-battered onion rings there after we climbed Mt Hood. DELICIOUS.

Great info--huckleberry shakes? Yowsa. Tad's sounds good, too. I love getting these kind of local tips that you just won't find in a guidebook. Thanks also for the hiking suggestions. I also read something about a boat ride in the gorge that was "not to be missed."

To clarify-- our first three nights are in Portland, where I want to stay downtown and explore. Then we will rent a car and head to the gorge area. We actually have three nights at Edgefield-- thanks for the suggestion, mms.

We have two more nights back in Portland before flying out.

I am hoping to win bids on Priceline hotels, but I guess I should go ahead now and book some backups in case that fails.

Any other comments or suggestions?

yodababe--Yes, the Mt Hood Inn is still there with the brewery across the parking lot. We are Mazamas members too:) DH and DS climb and HI is always a stop after a climb.

Jayne--I think your plan sounds good:)

I've stayed at several of the PDX airport hotels, mainly because they are nice basic hotels and they are so easy if you arrive really late at night. It makes even more sense if you'd be picking up a car in the morning.

A taxi will run about $50 (with tip)into NW Portland, so you'll have to decide between the costs of the hotels and between a 4 minute ride to an airport hotel vs about 25 minutes into town. I don't mind moving after just one night, so for me its an easy choice; You may feel differently..

Mcmenamins haas a couple of hotels in Portland, we stayed at the Crystal Hotel and would love to stay at Kennedy School sometime. The Crystal Hotel is less than 2 blocks away from Powell's Books and has guest parking, that will save you a bundle if you are there for 3 nights. I am a light sleeper and the hotel was nice and quiet, rooms not as large as Edgefield but a totally different experience.

Kennedy School is in NE Portland and so there is a different vibe than downtown. I have never stayed there, but have heard good things about it.

If you go to Tad's be sure to make reservations, ask to be seated by the river. The windows on the back of the restaurant open on the water, it is like you are seated on the patio but you are still inside. Best ambience ever! I like the razor clams, but the chicken and dumplings is excellent too. Large portions as well, you can easily split the chicken and dumplings. Save room for dessert!

If you are based in Edgefield for your thee days on the Gorge, I would def do the Mt Hood loop, I-84 to Hood River and then Hwy 35 across to 26. It is a beautiful drive. You can check out Timberline Lodge while you are in Govt Camp too. After you hit Hwy 26 going back towards Portland, there is a kitchy restaurant just outside of Sandy called Calamity Jane's, they have a burger menu that is pretty fantastic.

If you want to get up close and personal with a glacier, head to Cooper Spur on Hwy 35 out of Hood River. Park at the end of the road to Cooper Spur and take the trail up to points overlooking a glacial moraine. You can do this as part of a day drive around Mt Hood if you start early, but it will make for a long day (give 2-3 hours for the extra driving and hiking time at Cooper Spur).

You can also go up all the way to The Dalles and cross over to Washington to visit Maryhill Museum (they have a great collection of Rodin's works there) and a mini Stonehenge, but that is a day trip within itself.

Finally, you might consider taking a day to drive to Mt St Helens if you have not been there before. It is pretty cool.

In Portland, the place for city photographs is the Rose Gardens. I also recommend the Japanese Garden, the price of entrance is completely worth it.

mms, I miss the Mazamas! I used to teach in the Basic Climbing Program, good times.

I would get a hotel by the airport and use the hotel shuttle just make sure it runs that late. save the cost of going downtown.

Once again, I agree with yodababe.

The Kennedy School is a great place to stay. I really like all the McMenamins properties though as they are so unique and all have a great feel to them. BTW, many of their rooms (not all though) have shared baths in the hall and we have never had an issue with that. Always spotlessly clean and never had to wait for another person, for some reason.

yodababe--When DS wanted to start climbing we made him that take that class instead of relying just on what DH had taught him. He was in high school at the time and it was so nice that all the adults really looked out for him. DH did his class with the Mountaineers.

The more I think on it, the better that first night at the airport area sounds. Just simpler, probably. i wonder if most hotels in that area have shuttles. I would like to priceline bid it but then you don't know what you are getting and whether they have shuttle service. We really don't want to rent the car until we head for Edgefield in a couple of days.

Kennedy School and Crystal Hotel are booked for the dates we would need. We need wherever we stay to be good access to transportation to the airport.

The Ramada Portland Airport has a complimentary shuttle and free wired and wireless internet access.
I use Expedia instead of Priceline so I know which hotel I'm getting. The Ramada is on 82nd Avenue instead of Sandy Blvd.
You can take the shuttle back to the airport in the morning to pick up your rental car.

Check out this website for Portland Hotels

http://www.travelportland.com/deals/book-your-stay

Will give you an idea of what is available at the airport- most offer a continental breakfast for 2 and a coupon book for Portland, shopping, dining etc

Thanks so much for all the info and guidance, everyone. I finally chose Quality Inn at the airport for the first night, at $74, which includes 24-hour airport shuttle and free breakfast. Now I am booking some backups downtown in case I have an epic Priceline fail!

I will be taking all your good advice with me to the great northwest!