JoeTro

I'm considering a quick weekend trip (Saturday morning through Monday night) to either Portland or Denver in mid-September. My hobbies include museums (especially paintings), churches, walking and seeing gardens. I'm not very outdoorsy or adventurous. Any thoughts about which city might be more charming and/or better fit my personality?

Thanks!

Joe

fmpden

Probably Denver just because it is somewhat larger, has a new wing to the Art Museum, and the whole Zoo, Nature Science complex. You have the restaurant concentration of LoDo and the 16th Street Mall. With the public transit system it is easy to get around for what you might want to do.

JoeTro

Thanks. Also wanted to add that I'm primarily a European/impressionist buff and that I enjoy small, walkable or public transportable cities.

Thanks again.

tomfuller

Never been there but I should: The Portland Art Museum.
Their big show right now is the "Allure of the Automobile" until Sept. 11. http://portlandartmuseum.org/visit/
Portland has the MetRail red line from the airport into the downtown and a "Free Zone" trolley running north and south right past the library and Powell's Books.

Fodorite018

PAM, our Portland museum, is very good. We also have OMSI, which is a science museum, but quite interesting and a big hit here. The downtown is very walkable and compact, but as mentioned you can easily use the streetcar to get around if you want. The Japanese Gardens are right near the Rose Gardens (both in the NW part of downtown), and then the Chinese Gardens are in the heart of downtown. Weather in September is usually very nice. To give you an idea, many years ago we had our outdoor wedding in early/mid September as that was the best bet for good weather.

lindagj

Love both cities, but Denver has a special art museum, easily walkable from downtown. Also the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Trinity, and holy Ghost Catholic Church are walkable as well.The Bailica may be abit far for some people, but totally accessible by bus.
The Botanical Garden is large and well-done with indoor and outdoor gardens set in a beautiful neighborhood of big, old houses. Easy to bus .
Linda

JoeTro

Thanks, guys. I could go to Chicago (farther of course but also a very good airfare) as well. Only spent a day there and wish I'd have had much more time ...

Joe

yk

Joe, there's a thread recently about Chicago... I recall someone mentioned that pretty much the entire month of Sept is convention month in Chicago. So, before you book your plane ticket, make sure your dates don't coincide with the conventions (or make sure there's affordable hotels).

Having said that, we LOVE Chicago and we spent 5 full days there last Fall and didn't even see everything we wanted to see.

happytrailstoyou

Chicago is a world-class city with loads to do. I deserves much more than a day.

Portland is a very walkable and cozy city with great transportation, but it would be a shame to go to Portland and not visit the nearby Oregon Coast and Columbia River Gorge.

HTTY

JoeTro

I love Chicago as well. It seems like I'd really only have about 2 or 2.5 days in any of the places I choose, so maybe Portland being a bit smaller might be a better bet. I'll think about hotels for all as well ... hadn't considered the convention drama. HTTY thanks about the nearby coasts. I'll look into it!

JoeTro

so as it turns out, I'm just going to visit family friends near San Diego that weekend ...

Thanks, guys.