Hi Guys,

I am planning a 4 day romantic trip to Portland and Seattle with my wife next weekend.

I wanted recommendations on the places to visit and also the itenary. We will be reaching Portland on day1 and will be taking off in the evening on day4 from seattle (we're from san francisco btw)

1. Pls let me know the places I should visit / not-to-be-missed. A few of the places / things that I have heard about are:

Seattle:
Space needle
Museums
ferries
downtown
other??

Portland:
Downtown
other??

2. I have also heard that the train ride from portland to seattle is very scenic. Would you recommend it or would a drive be better?

3. How about the ferry ride from seattle to an island nearby (I don't know the name)

4. Where would you reccomend I stay? Should I stay near the downtown areas or it doesn't matter as much?

Pls advice

I love Portland. Just wandering is great. Wildwood restaurant in NE is great... that whole area is very funky and fun.

I would stay downtown in Seattle. A ferry ride ANYWHERE is great. Just walk to the terminal and ride.

I can only speak for Portland.
(But my son took Amtrak from Portland to Seattle and back and like it, enjoyed the movie then fell asleep so not sure about the view lol)..it is a 3 hour ride..one way.

Where to stay downtown Portland:
Hotel Monaco
www.monaco-portland.com

Romantic Restaurant:
Fenouil
www.fenouilinthepearl.com

What to do, see what is going on as far as concerts etc..at pova.com
Riding the Streetcar to get around, go to the galleries in the Pearl District, shop in the nice boutiques in the Pearl and on NW 23rd street..
Sooo many good places to eat..Wildwood indeed!
www.wildwoodrestaurant.com

Happy hour or dinner at bluehour.. www.bluehouronline.com

or Vault- www.vault-martini.com

Wildwood is in the NorthWest part of town

Yes I would definitely take a hotel in the downtown core for Seattle. It does matter for convenience of sight-seeing, especially with such a short stay.

There's nothing particularly scenic about the train ride or the drive between Portland and Seattle imo.

The island to go to simply to get in a nice ferry ride and great view of the skyline is the Bainbridge Island ferry. From the ferry dock you can walk about 10 mins. to the little main street where there's some places to grab lunch.

I love going up the Space Needle. I also like the Smith Tower observation deck in Pioneer Square for a different perspective and view.

The Seattle Art Museum downtown has an excellent special exhibit of Roman art on loan from the Louvre (I think that's right).

Corteo by Cirque de Soile is in town right now. See the website, I'm sure that would be excellent.

Also Tiatro ZinZanni is a wild dinner theater show sort of along the same lines, but with a Tom Douglas menu served during the performance.

The Amtrak train gets scenic going north just past Olympia, when the train travels along the Puget Sound, giving you a view you cannot get driving. This is maybe 20-30 minutes of nice scenery. Otherwise the view is pleasant but not exactly breathtaking. Very green.

The train is pleasant but slow and almost always late, usually 30 to 60 minutes.

The drive on I-5 is easy UNLESS you are unlucky enough to hit traffic, which can be murder. I drove Portland to Seattle in February. Way up on a Thursday mid-day I didn't hit any traffic and did the trip in under three hours. On the way back Friday afternoon I didn't get out of town quickly enough and got stuck in terrible traffic Seattle to Olympia (3 hours, normally 1 to 1.5 hours). Just the worst stop-and-go traffic. If you are willing to travel non-busy times you'll be fine.

In Portland, if you are lucky enough to get clear weather, don't miss the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland - absolutely breathtaking scenery and a dozen or more waterfalls, miles of hiking trails in the woods. The Oregon Coast is also spectacular in any weather. It's about 90 minutes from Portland west to Cannon Beach, very easy a day trip. If you have any interest in books don't miss Powell's Books in the Pearl District, NW part of town. Powell's is a huge city block of books, the biggest independent bookseller in the country and a Portland landmark.

If this sort of thing is of interest, Portland has one of the best Farmer's Markets in the country. Always good for fresh produce, baked goods, and other specialty food items, not to mention great people watching. Only if it's not raining though. It's held Saturday mornings in the "south park blocks" near Portland State University. And if you like Farmer's Markets, you'll love Pike Place Market in Seattle, regardless of the weather.

Another romantic Portland restaurant to consider: Paley's Place. Hard to beat Fenouil though.

In Seattle, wander around Pike Place Market. I highly recommend lunch or dinner at Matt's in the Market if you're hungry while browsing.

Here's your other thread on the same topic.

The ferry ride to Bainbridge Island is great fun, have a meal at the Dahlia Lounge or Salty's on Alki Beach in Seattle.

For a romantic meal in Portland, go up to the Portland City Grill, beautiful views of the city and really yummy food here, especially the Sushi! ***kim***

Sorry, Difference of Opinion here - for romance, just about anywhere in Portland would be better than the "meat market" atmosphere of the Portland City Grill...where the sushi might be ok with drinks at Happy Hour ... but really, admire the view then go somewhere nice!

I know it is touted in some tourist guides for the view but there are so many beautiful and classy places in town to enjoy being romantic.

I guess you can just look at the websites of the places mentioned and get an idea for yourself of what suits your taste.
Would you please post back after and tell us how it went and where you ended up going?

I will visit Portland, vicariously through you until we get back on a visit.

I think Portland City Grill is still worth a visit, perhaps just for drinks, just for the view. If you go before happy hour gets into full swing the place isn't that busy. I have never actually had dinner there but have heard the food isn't worth what you pay for it.

I honestly don't know if it's a difference of opinion, Scarlett. As we've seen in the past, some posters seem to enjoy taking a contrarian position, just to have something to say. Why else would anyone recommend sushi in a non-Japanese "fine dining" restaurant?

Hi Andrew, exactly, Happy Hour or before if you can manage is great for grabbing a look at the view.
The food and the atmosphere is vaguely awful lol.

They are owned by the same bunch who own Henrys Tavern ..I would rather eat at Henrys !

beachbum...I don't think of Sushi as fine dining from too many years of nightly sushi in NY...but we actually had fabulous sushi here in Buenos Aires at a place called Yuki. The owner is from Japan and went back to learn to be a sushi chef. Fantastic and a nice change from the usual diet here.
If anyone wants sushi in Portland..go to ... Hiro? I forgot the name

Romance?
So many places..did I mention Carlyle? lol