sheryll

I am going to a conference in Seattle in July and will spend a few extra days. I will have a car...which is worth seeing more, Portland or Vancouver? I have not been to either place...any suggestions appreciated.....

Andrew

I live in Portland and highly recommend visiting it, but if I were you, I would probably do Vancouver, just because it is more different from Seattle than Portland is. Just remember you have that border crossing to deal with (can be long) and bring your passport to get into Canada. Use your ATM to get Canadian money.

Vancouver is a really cool city. Check out Stanley Park, among other things...

Andrew

TommyH4242

Never been to Portland, but Vancouver is a blast. If you like clubs, check out the Roxy; great music and dancing. You can get a lot of information from the Visitor's Center also, I recommend stopping there. Make sure you stop at the Pike Place Market when you're in Seattle for at least 2 hours. If you are interested in other points of interest in Seattle let me know.

SaraLM

Vancouver BC or Vancouver Washington? Portland is a lovely city. July is a nice time to come. There are gardens (Rose, Japanese, Chinese), no sales tax for shopping, and some good museums. The Columbia Gorge east of Portland is also beautiful with hikes from easy to difficult, waterfalls, and fish.

Mt St. Helens north of Portland in Washington is also very interesting and I recommend a visit there. Well worth a stop on the way if you should choose to come down to Portland.

I can't say much about Vancouver BC because I don't know much about it though it looks very nice too - I did some research for a trip we didn't take. I think the drive is much shorter (or maybe take a ferry) to Vancouver BC than to Portland.

Write again when you decide for more specific things to do.

Sara

Owen_ONeill

I just spent an afternoon and night in Vancouver - went up from Seattle, where we were staying on a long weekend. Portland is cool but Vancouver is a shorter drive and it's a gorgeous city with plenty to see and do. I've been advise that seeing sunset from the top of Grouse Mountain is great but it was too dark, gray and cold last weekend to do that. The Commercial Drive area from Hastings to Broadway is several miles from downtown but worth exploring for the abundance of ethnic restaurants, cafes and cool shops.

DO BRING YOUR PASSPORT or at least a copy of birth certificate. I've crossed over and back to Canada in the 1000 Islands area many times with only a drivers license but current situations dictate stricter rules. We got into Canada just fine with only our licenses and got a major hassle coming back - werte finally allowed oin after 15 minutes of lecturing and "talking to" by an irritated border crossing employee.

gocats2002

Portland and Vancouver are very different. Portland is much smaller and calmer. Vancouver is bustling and world class. Portland is lovely. Vancouver is striking. I love Portland, but I'd go to Vancouver if I had to choose between them.

Gardyloo

In July Vancouver will be more crowded, also probably cooler. (Portland can be stifling at times.)

Vancouver will probably have more to offer, depending on your tastes. Its Chinatown is only a wee bit smaller than San Francisco's (and IMO more the "real thing"); it's got a great public market, interesting street markets (an interesting Indian market - as in Delhi, not Dakota); cricket at the park, nature trails, a gondola up to the snow line on Grouse Mt., interesting architecture, cruise ships coming and going... plus for the moment at least the $CDN is a good deal for US residents.

If time permits, the drive from Vancouver up the "Sea to Sky" highway to Whistler is one of the world's most beautiful.

The border will be the pits, but mainly on the return to the US. Divert east to Abbotsford/Sumas and you might have an easier time, otherwise make sure you use the facilities before you hit the lineup, if you get my meaning...

Cassandra

Gardyloo, how long a drive is the Sea-to-Ski drive to Whistler, from downtown Vancouver, say?

Gardyloo

Sea to Sky (not ski) is around 2 hrs from central Vancouver.

Craig

If time is limited, Vancouver is your best bet. We did two weeks Vancouver - Portland - Seattle, flying from Vancouver to Portland (the view of Mt. St. Helens was awesome). If you have time and are coming from afar you should try to do both cities. I liked Portland but it is similar to Seattle in many respects. Vancouver is a more diverse city. We also took the ferry to Victoria island - should have stayed overnight but didn't. One of the highlights of our trip was Mt St Helens, reachable by car from either Seattle or Portland - it will take a full day to do this trip from either city. Hope this helps.