I just came up with the idea to surprise my husband for our 2nd wedding anniversary with a short 4 night trip to Oregon. This will be our first time there. We leave July 3rd and return 4pm July 7th. I just booked our flights and hotels yesterday and I was amazed to find rooms so easily for the holiday weekend. We will be in Portland for 2 nights at the Hotel Monaco. Then we will spend 2 nights in Cannon Beach at the Stephanie Inn. They only had 2 rooms left - the oceanfront room was out of our price range at over $400, so I took a 1st floor parking lot facing room for $239. I figure we won't spend that much time in the room with so much to see and do. I made a res for one dinner at the Stephanie. Now I need to rent a car and figure out what we can comfortably fit in to our itinerary and I could use some advice....

What neighborhoods are the best for walking in Portland? What are the don't miss sights there? We love Asian food and seafood - any good recs?

If we want to hit 1 or 2 vineyards, but don't want to spend too much time driving, are there any good options close to Portland or Cannon Beach (preferably btwn them)?

How much time should we set aside to explore the town of Cannon Beach? I'm planning on doing the 3 Capes Loop. How far is that from Cannon Beach? Anything else in the area we should see?

-Heather

I forgot to mention... I *may* not be able to drink alcohol while we're there. And I love Oregon wines... Hopefully, I'll know for sure before we leave. We also love good beer... any suggestions for brewpubs?

Thanks!

Hope you don't mind my making a few suggestions.....
1. If your budget can handle it, book the ocean front room at Stephanie Inn. First time on the Oregon coast, you'll appreciate an ocean view, even if you don't spend much time in the room.
2. Cancel the dinner reservation at Stephanie Inn in favor of one at Newman's @ 988. Newman's is owned/operated by Stephanie Inn's former chef; he left because he was too boxed in. Now, without all the pretention, he's having a lot more fun. And the dishes he's serving up at Newman's are the equal of or better than at Stephanie.

In Portland, you'll want to walk NW 21st & 23rd streets, the Pearl District, and maybe out Hawthorne. But, the Blues Festival will be happening on the waterfront, so you just might be spending your whole time there.

Wine country is about 45 minutes SW of Portland, around Newberg and Dundee; probably your best bet. Closest decent winery is Ponzi, but it's a bit out of the way, with no other wineries near by. Popular wineries around Dundee are Erath, Argyle (especially for sparklers), Domaine Drouhin, Archery Summit, and Domaine Serene. De Ponte, just up the hill from Archery Summit, isn't as well known, but produces some fine wine at fractions of the cost of its neighbors. Do you have any favorite Oregon wines? Maybe you could visit the winery.

Not really much to "explore" in Cannon Beach. The downtown is only about 3 blocks long. Some nice galleries and shops though. My two favorites: Once Upon a Breeze, a kite shop, and Ice Fire, a glass blower. You'd also want to visit Ecola St. Park just north of town, but it will be jammed that weekend, and the wait just to get in might be too long to justify it.

Three Capes Loop starts outside of Tillamook, which is about an hour south. You could make that drive on the morning of your last day, then return to Portland on hwy 6.

bb, I didn't know that about CB. Downtown is only about 3 blocks? I wonder why people are always saying to stay there and give youself time to explore?

Is it the area in general (Ecola, Oswald and the beach) rather than the "town" itself?

Oh, and for brewpubs..... Bridgeport, Lucky Lab, McMenamin's, Rogue, Rock Bottom, Widmer, Laurelwood..... If it's not a Starbuck's or other coffee shop, you'll find a brewpub on almost every corner! ;-)

Yeah, t&g, the town itself is very cute and picturesque, though small. Best on the coast for upscale (can't think of a better word) lodging, dining, and shopping. But the beach, with Haystack Rock, and surrounding scenery is the real attraction.

In Portland there are great walking paths along the river - the Blue Festival will be going on so that side of the river will be crowded and partly blocked off
but I usually do a loop- cross over the closest bridge to your hotel and walk on the opposite side from the festival - and cross back over one of the other bridges ( I always forget the names of the bridges)
you can walk for miles just on the river trail
and of course there is Forest Park with lots of hiking trails
Enjoy@

Portland has lots of fun neighborhoods for walking. NW 21st/23rd are the easiest for a short visit and for tourists - although I enjoy that part of town and I'm often around there even living here. Besides Hawthorne, you could venture up to NE Alberta Street, which is a recently revitalized street full of some cool restaurants and funky galleries and such (no Starbucks, only local businesses). N. Mississippi Ave is closer to downtown but a lot shorter, but it is a fun walk as well. For a kind of low-key place popular with locals with live music or some sort of event every night (the other night they had a spelling bee for adults), check out the Mississippi Pizza Pub on N. Mississippi Ave.

Both N. Mississippi and Alberta are a bit "edgy" in places but Portland is a safe city in general if you use common sense and are out when there are lots of others on the steets.

If you do venture down to the Blue's Festival (west side of the Willamette River) you can also cross a bridge to the Eastbank Esplanade and do a walking loop and get a view of the city from the east side of the river. Lots of bridges to cross back; you can make your walk as long as you want.

Thanks so much for all your help! And thanks for clueing me into the Blues Fest! I had no idea that was going on, and now I'm even more surprised I found a room at the Monaco. My husband will be psyched... he's a music fest freak. We went to Jazz Fest in New Orleans this year and it was his 8th time.