thornphoenix

Hi y'all!

Hubby and I spent our 7th wedding anniversary weekend in Portland this past weekend and I thought I'd give a synopsis and answer any questions folks may have.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown. Our first choice was the 5th Avenue Suites as we've been happy with our previous stays there, however they were booked when we attempted to make a reservation. No problem, though, the Embassy Suites were great.

I actually liked the rooms better at the Embassy Suites - they were much more spacious than 5th avenue and we didn't hear the traffic outside our window like we consistently have at 5th Avenue Suites (BTW at Embassy our room fronted 4th Street). I also liked the evening manager's reception at the Embassy Suites better than 5th Avenue, but that's merely because it was for 2 hours and it included not only wine, but also beer on tap, hard alcohol (mixed drinks), and soft drinks - a lot more variety, plus a longer reception hour.

In terms of location - both 5th Avenue and Embassy Suites are great - you can pretty much walk to most everything from either place. Whereas 5th Avenue is closer to Pioneer Place shopping areas, Embassy Suites is closer to the waterfront, Chinatown, and Saturday market. They both are really great locations - I'm always amazed how easy it is to walk around Portland (the blocks seem pretty short). We caught MAX at Skidmore fountain and rode it up to the Galleria then walked up to the Pearl District and back down to Old Town and Chinatown - all very manageable. We were originally hoping the streetcar would be running, but it wasn't on Saturday since the Grand Floral Parade was going on so we used our own two feet and it was great.

I would say that I probably prefer the lobby area of the 5th Avenue Suites over Embassy because 5th Avenue is more boutique style (cozier), whereas the Embassy lobby was pretty massive (it was pretty, but not cozy like at 5th Avenue). The bathrooms are also nicer (read: bigger) at 5th Avenue than at Embassy. In my experience both properties are very clean.

Overall, I don't think anybody would go wrong with staying at either Embassy Suites downtown or 5th Avenue Suites.

We ate dinner on Friday at Saucebox and we LOVED it! This is our kind of food - very Asian inspired, plus great drinks. We enjoyed the atmosphere (kind of upbeat and funky, but quieter in the dining area). This probably isn't a place I'd recommend for folks looking for a really quiet intimate dining experience, but if you're looking for great food with an Asian/Hawaiian influence this is the place.

We ate dinner on Saturday night at Portland City Grill (wanted to see those views). Folks warned me that this wouldn't be a quiet/intimate dining experience and it definitely wasn't, but that's okay, we still enjoyed ourselves. With graduation weekend, the rose festival, and wedding season it was PACKED on a Saturday evening (glad we had reservations). We waited about 10 minutes for our table, which was great and provided excellent views. I was amazed at how many tables they fit in the dining and bar area - they can seat A LOT of folks! We really enjoyed the food here - a lot of things to choose from (too many yummy sounding things on the menu). Although the food was good, we still preferred Saucebox' food.

For one lunch we went to Pizzicato on NW23rd (I had to get my fix since I rarely get it) - great as usual. It was hard choosing between Pizzicato and Escape from New York Pizza (love them both), but Pizzicato won out this trip. For our 2nd lunch we went to Manzana grill in the Pearl - I actually didn't get rotisserie chicken which is their specialty, but instead tried their fish tacos and they were pretty good.

So the Grand Floral Parade took place on Saturday. They closed down a lot of streets from 8am-3pm, which didn't bother us since we weren't driving anywhere, but if one was driving I'm sure it was frustrating trying to navigate with the numerous streets closed. It actually worked out well for walkers since you didn't have to worry about traffic in some areas. Our room at the Embassy Suites faced 4th street and the parade came down 4th street and we were able to see the parade from our room - granted we didn't stay in the room for the entire parade. We actually didn't watch the whole parade, but what we did see was pretty cool - a very festive atmosphere even with pockets of rain showers.

Overall, we spent a lot of time walking around and enjoying all the shops. One of my favorite retail magazines is West Elm and they have a store opened in the Pearl district - it was so fun to finally get to touch and see everything in person - I think they said there are only 5 or 6 retail stores nationwide so Portland is very lucky (at least in my opinion since I love the stuff they have). Oh, on our way up to Portland we stopped at the new Bridgeport Village (exit 290 off of I-5) and it was really nice - great shops (LOVE the Crate and Barrel - bout time we got one!) - for those who are local who haven't been yet it's worth a browse around the shops, although there is still some construction going on.

Well that's about it. Just thought I'd share our experiences and if anybody has questions just holler.

Cheers,
Tracey

kimamom

Great report, Tracey! We were also in Portland on Saturday. We couldn't get through to the Heathman for lunch so we had lunch at the London Grill at the Benson which was wonderful. Really enjoyed the ambiance of this beautiful, historic hotel.

We wine tasted at Wines on Broadway and went to the Portland Sat. Market which was great fun. We had dinner at the Gotham Building Tavern which was excellent. I had the scallops and housemade blood sausage with fennel and sherry vinegar, we had two pasta entrees, asparagus ravioli with brown butter, the tagliatelle with Uncle Margret's chicken liver ragu and the pan seared salmon with fennel gratin and sorrel sauces. This is one of Portland's truly great restaurants. Still have to make it up to Portland City Grill for a glass of wine and appetizers. Glad you enjoyed Portland! ***kim***

Scarlett

Tracey, thank you and I am so glad you were happy with the hotel!
We will be in Portland, househunting, July 7-17th. Can't wait!
Thank you for the Saucebox reco.
I do like shopping in Portland also, my friend (that lives there) told me about that mall, I know I will be there soon LOL~
Happy Anniversary

beachbum

What I want to know is whether or not you found a place to park close to Crate and Barrel, Tracey. My office is just a couple miles from Bridgeport Village, and anytime I've been there, parking is nigh on impossible.

Also, next time you're thinking about Manzana in the Pearl, go across the street to Fratelli's. You won't be disappointed.

Happy Anniversary, and Go Beavs!

Kal

Scarlett,
Hurry up and get up there willya? Tracey's TR makes us wanna go back NOW! \/

**kimmer**
Does you Pastor know you drink that much?
Even I'm getting concerned now.
LOL!!!!!

Hey, bummer! 'zup for lunch? 8-)

Scarlett

LOL Kal, we are moving as fast as we can!!
Tracey does make me want to go to Portland asap , she reminded me of what I like so much about it..the fountains everywhere and the neighborhoods and the good food.
I will be SO happy if we manage to get a place in the Pearl
But I swear, I will not eat out every single meal !! I intend to still be able to walk on my own after being in Portland for a year

PamSF

Scarlett~I really liked the Saucebox as well but it is noisy,crowded and smokey. I recommended on this board once and a traveller was appalled by his experience there. Check it out..I thought the crowd was a bit edgey and I was a bit "old" but it still worked for me.

Kal

Hey!
Remember Sweetie, I've seen your pic. You still gotta lotta eatin'/wine tasting room!

Scarlett

Kal, your check is in the mail.

Pam, I can do edgey!!

FainaAgain

Oh, Kal, you are concerned, it breaks my heart!

Don't you know why they have drinking fountains on every corner in Portland, OR? So our 3-star friends can dilute the contents of their stomachs. This will make them not exactly drunk, but still feeling happy. For longer.

Kal

Hey! Pammer's here!

You want edgy?
Next time you drive up I-80 thru Penryn, Ca. stop at The Valencia Club!

Mrs Kal and I stopped by for a "final final" Sat. (she was the DD) after a grad party and let's just say, my Hawaiian shirt, Keens, Hanalei ball hat fit in quite well with all the Harley-D stuff and cowboy boots. :-"

Sometimes it's GOOD to be big!8-)
But not on a 12 hr flight to Europe!

F2-Of course I care about my Brethren and Sistren! I don't want them winding up like me!

Scarlett-Prob written on your closed FLA bank account?

FainaAgain

"F2-Of course I care about my Brethren and Sistren! I don't want them winding up like me!" - you mean gettin' big, huh?

beachbum

Lunch, Kal? You talkin about SFO Marathon or sometime sooner? Have noted your e-mail addy and will be in touch when I know more. And Faina, the more the merrier.

thornphoenix

Thanks for everybody's comments.

Beachbum, we got to Bridgeport Village about 10:30am on Friday, so we were able to easily park in the lot that seems to be shared by Crate & Barrel and Romano's Macaroni Grill et al. When we left, however, it was packed. It looks like there is a parking garage in the back of the Bridgeport Village complex that is currently open - looked like most folks were parking there. Beachbum, thanks for the tip on Fratelli's - never been there - sounds Italian?

I agree with PamSF's assessment of Saucebox (noisy/crowded), but we loved it anyway. I found that there are a few different sections to the restaurant, which could potentially be helpful for somebody wanting to visit. There is the front part, which is very crowded and noisy and I think this is where "walk-ins" are seated (also the music is piped in pretty loud in this section). Then there is an upstairs section and a section around the corner flanked by windows and mirrors - these two sections appeared to be for folks with reservations and was much more calm feeling (although you could still hear chatter from nearby tables). I didn't get any sense of Saucebox being smoky.....Corvallis has been smoke-free for numerous years now (e.g. all public places including bars, etc.) so it rarely hits my radar screen about smoking....I can't remember - does Portland still allow smoking in restaurants?

Scarlett, if you get a place in the Pearl - score for you! I love the Pearl and I would love to have one of the new swanky units in one of the high-rises - we walked by a few and they were so cool (lots of windows and some had plenty of room for BBQs and patio area for plants etc.). Geez, what I wouldn't do to be so close to a Whole Foods like those in the Pearl - lucky ducks (errr, beavers ). What other areas are you considering? We walked all over NW 23rd area and there are lots of craftsman style homes there, but I tend to think parking would stink for homeowners unless you have a garage (it appeared quite a few of the homes didn't have garages). Goodluck in your home search!

Cheers,
Tracey

pdxgirl

beachbum - Crate and Barrel has free valet parking at Bridgeport Village. No need to hunt for a parking space!

Fodorite018

Glad you had such a nice time up here again. I bet Corvallis has been wild the last few days!

Beachbum--ahhhh...a man after my own heart...the Beavs! lol!

My dh was quite worried when Bridgeport opened. He much preferred the old quarry, lol! He has accepted it now though If you get there when it opens, parking is not a problem. Between that and REI across the street, I could just camp out right there. Actually last time I was at Bridgeport, dh called me and he was at REI, so we met for lunch. I will be there this next week again with my mother, another one of those Californians

beachbum

pdxgirl, I know that Crate and Barrel and others have shuttles; we had to use McCormick & Schmick's when we had lunch there a couple of weeks ago. That's really my point. When the weather's bad, you won't catch me going to places where I can't park nearby, or have to take a shuttle to get to. Bridgeport and Streets of Tanasbourne are modeled after similar concepts that have proven to work well in warm weather climates. It will be interesting to see how an open mall works in Oregon's weather.

I'm with you on Whole Foods, Tracey. My wife is hooked on the place. In a year or so you won't have to go as far as the Pearl to shop there. One's slated to go in across the street from Bridgeport, next to the REI. And yes, Fratelli's is italian. Come to think of it, I'm not sure they're open for lunch tho.

thornphoenix

mms, Yes, Corvallis is quite riled up this week - it's been great having a winning team, although there were some nail-biter moments here and there.

mms, I know you're a football fan so thought I'd share about the new stadium.... hubby and I walked over to the new stadium week before last and boy is it looking nice. They had the new turf down and it looks so real (not like astroturf). Most of the seats were already installed in the new section too (some of those seats are sure high - well, when compared to what we use to have). It looked like they were still working on the interior of the skyboxes. I can't believe how far they've come. Oh, the new parking structure is looking good and is suppose to be open for football season too - hopefully that will help with some of the parking problem during the games. I can't wait for them to open the shops and restaurants in the bottom of the parking structure, but rumor has it that won't be complete for another couple years.

Beachbum, you make my heart flutter....A whole foods right off of I-5 - okay now that's one of the best pieces of news I've heard in a long time (here in Cowvallis we usually only get to look forward to getting either a new bank or an auto parts store - oh joy ). Although having a Whole Foods in Salem or Eugene would be more ideal, I'll take one at Bridgeport and be just as happy - wahoo! Thanks for the news!

Cheers,
Tracey

sunbum1944

I think we are getting a Whole Foods in Eugene - so come on down.
I had no idea they were such a great place- what have I been missing?

Fodorite018

Tracey--Thank you for that update!!! We were in Eugene the other week for our sons track meet. We got out of dodge as fast as we could after that and headed straight for Corvallis for a stop at Woodstocks, lol! We didn't have time to check out the stadium though, so your update is very much appreciated. We always stay at the Salbasgeon for homecoming, but am wondering about the new Hilton. What is your take on both? Yes, the baseball was definitely a nail-biter at times, but it was so good to watch them win. We are planning a pdx gtg when Scarlett gets settled here, so please join us!