Scarlett

I agree, Powells is worth a stop, across the street is Adidas - another corner is Puma and across the street is Mio Gelato ( to keep up your energy, you know) and it is right on the streetcar line so easy to hop off and back on again.
Powells is the City of Books and it also has good postcards and a great magazine section..you can always buy postcards and maps!! Second floor..maps of everywhere in the world..!

The Gardens really deserve some time, Chinese Gardens are right in downtown-over by the Pearl District- you can walk there from Powells ..worth an hour..have tea in the perfect tea house ( see the brochures with my photos on them lol) ..
The Rose Gardens when in bloom are unlike any rose garden you have ever seen..actually they are unlike any other rose gardens..and from there it is an easy walk to the Japanese Gardens..totally completely Japanese with amazing views of the city of Portland and beyond to the mountains.

I don't have that much good to say about the wine area, but the Black Walnut Inn is so nice, I would stay there regardless of wine etc ...

But you can always drive through that area on the way to Cannon Beach..fitting it in along the way..which is really all the time it needs..

cjacob

Thank you all for your responses! They have been SO helpful!

I hate to complain, but why am I not feeling excited about this trip? I am worried that this trip is going to be a lot of "what are we going to do today?" and that is not what I want. I'm also worried that the time spent on Cannon Beach is going to be a lot of driving to a place, eating lunch, then getting back in the car, is that accurate?

Please help!

Scarlett

You have Planning Overload
If you give yourselves plenty of options for each day, you can do them all or just what you feel like. Walking, eating and just enjoying what you come upon will take time too. You cannot plan every minute, you will end up dashing from here to there and end up not enjoying it.
Cannon Beach is 90 min from town..a great drive through all sorts of landscapes..from Cannon Beach to the communities South, you are driving along that fabulous coastline, you will want to pull over at every look out and take photos and just soak it in.
It is not a fast drive, there are logging trucks and other people looking at the view too.
Stopping in the little towns can be fun, they all have their own atmosphere and are on the beach..you can stop, look, wander, eat and go on..
We would drive to CB with the dog for a day , wandering in and out of the galleries and shops, walking on the beach from MO's to the other end of town..

Our first visit- we had one big thing to do on our list , each day. The rest of the day that was leftover was for wandering around town and seeing all the sights and things there. Pittock Mansion is fantastic but you don't even have to go inside...on the grounds you can see the most fantastic view of the mountains and Portland spread out around you..

You are doing a good job, it will be fine..it all comes together at the last moment anyway

!

beachbum

Sorry to be difficult, cjacob, but maybe we could give you better advice if you can explain what this means: ...[we] would like to have a nice relaxing vacation without feeling bored at all.

cjacob

Haha, thank you! I feel better already!

Scarlett

You felt that cool hand on your fevered brow, didn't you?? LOL

beachbum is right.. lol you got plenty of ideas though..now you get to decide which ones to use.

It starts before you are actually on the ground in PDX though- be sure to look out the windows of that airplane!! You will fly over the mountains and it is always such a fabulous sight!

cjacob

Relaxing to me = Wandering around a city with one major thing to see and then getting lost in the tiny streets; laying on the beach for a morning, then spending the afternoon kayaking; having a long leisurely lunch

Relaxing to me does not equal waking up, getting in a car to drive to a beautiful spot, eating a picnic lunch and then getting back in the car.

I think this trip encompasses what I think is relaxing, I was just concerned about the time in Cannon Beach. Travelling to Yachats seems a little far (over 3 hrs), is there a closer town to Cannon Beach that offers something else to see/do?

beachbum

Relaxing to me = ...laying on the beach for a morning, then spending the afternoon kayaking...

That's kinda what I thought, and why I originally suggested staying put in Cannon Beach. It may not be kayaking (though I'm sure there are places for that nearby), but it could be a horseback ride, exploring tidepools, funcycles, flying kites, building sandcastles, or just a long walk down the beach. Take a cooking class at EVOO. See a play in the Coaster Theatre. Visit the glassblower's shop a few blocks south of the town center. If you do get bored, hop in the car, drive a few miles, and explore the next beach down. They're all interesting in unique ways. Maybe go the 15 miles to Manzanita, but you sure don't need to go as far as Yachats. Or, head north to Seaside for a corn dog and some cotton candy.... Or Astoria. I'm betting that you'll wish you had more time.

Scarlett

beachbum said it all

I loved driving to Manzanita and having a bit at bread and ocean and wandering the little streets down by the beach..
There are these wonderful parks right before Arch Cape..Cannon Beach itself is full of things..

cjacob

Thank you all for your help. Before you see my next post up, I just wanted to let you know that I am now researching Seattle and the San Juan Islands. I presented the Seattle trip and the Portland trip to my boyfriend and he thought the Seattle trip would be more involved and entertaining so now we're focusing on that.

Thank you so much for your help, I'm sure you'll be the ones answering the questions on my next post!