Short 3 Days In Portland
 

I am flying to Portland, OR on June 28th and will arrive at 11:30 am. I will be leaving there on July 1st at 10:00 am. What to do in the meantime? I am going to pick up my grand daughter for a visit but wanted to take a couple of days to see the sights. I love trains and have thought about going on the Parkdale excursion of Mount Hood Railway. Also heard about Oregon Zoo and wondered if it is worth going... as well as taking the short train ride there going towards the rose garden? Any advice? Activity suggestions?? Wish I had longer!! I love theatre, the arts, seeing new things... I am traveling alone, of course, so if there is somewhere I shouldn't go, please say!

I think downtown Portland is great. Lots of great places to eat and brouse and a little train (tram) system that gives free rides in the downtown corridor. I went to the zoo and enjoyed it - I would not say it is the best I have ever seen but I enjoyed it (I always go to the zoo if they have one). The rose garden is pretty and right next to the zoo as I recall. It was a great place to people watch becasue all the new brides go there for pictures - and they have weddings there too. Just sit down and enjoy the show! I have been lucky and always had good weather in Portland too - just serendipity I am sure. 3 nights or so in Portland sounds just about right to me - wish I was going. :)

We spent two nights in downtown Portland this past Spring for a college visit and really wished we had at least another day there. Downtown is great as JoeCal said, you'll enjoy it.

If you have a couple of hours to kill, Powell's Bookstore is pretty amazing. Large and funky, you could probably fit 2 or 3 Barnes and Noble stores in the place. Definitely plan on at least one food cart meal if possible. There is a great scene in downtown Portland with every possible cuisine you could imagine; sausage wagons, Greek, Mexican, Bbq, Cuban, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. Tasty, affordable and fun walking around trying to decide what to eat.

We enjoyed two dinners in Portland. First was Huber's on SW 3rd, a classic restaurant with a long history. Started as a saloon in the 1870's and is known for their traditional roast turkey dinners (link below)and Spanish coffee. Mother's Bistro nearby on SW Stark is another popular place serving American comfort food.

Have a great trip.

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/FmQqp...I42-qJY1gYkLKQ

NW 23rd Street - a fun place to shop & eat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwe...rtland,_Oregon

Jamison Park Square - a great place for restaurant, shopping, galleries
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/...ction=ViewPark

The Zoo is ok - it a place to stroll on a nice day, but the zoo is small and not a large variety of animals.

I've never stayed at the Monaco Hotel (because I have family to stay with when I visit) but this hotel gets rave reviews from Fodorites.
http://www.monaco-portland.com/monpm...nuesuites.html

Check out Voodoo Doughnuts. My DD & SIL loved it. It was featured on Food Network.

Washington Park is also lovely.http://www.washingtonparkpdx.org/

Really 3 days is too short! But -- Have a great time. :)

I forgot to mention Jamison Square is also in the heart of the Pearl District, which is one of my favorite places.

Yes, a short trip, but the good thing is that Portland itself is pretty compact for the usual things visitors want to see. The zoo is a lot of fun, we go often. Right by it is the rose garden and the Japanese Gardens. It is easy to do all 3 in one visit. It is not far from the NW shopping area, around 23rd, which is chuck full of shops and restaurants, and an independent cinema (Cinema 21) if that interests you.

We also have PAM, the art museum. Powell's books is always a big hit.

As mentioned, the Monaco is a great hotel. Even though we live here we like to stay for special events in downtown and have stayed here quite a bit and have never been disappointed.

I have not done the Mt Hood railway myself, but do hear good things about it. You would want a rental car if you do that though. If you opt for that, be sure to allow an entire day to do that and to hit some of the highlights in the gorge. The gorge starts about 20 minutes east of downtown and is really beautiful. Be sure to get off the freeway and get onto the old scenic highway. If you want more info on that, just let me know.

You mention theater, so you might see what events the Schnitz has during your stay.

The farmers market up by PSU is excellent, as is the Saturday Market (which is also on Sundays) under the Burnside Bridge.

Hopefully you will get some nice weather when you visit, but just keep in mind that our summers do not begin until July 5th;)

I have done the Epicurian Walking Tour of Portland - thought it was fun- a little pricey but fun- you get walk, eat and drink while enjoying some Portland History and kind of getting a lay of the land.

I like walking the river paths in the downtown area ( or rent a bike) The paths are on both sides of the river so you can walk down one side, cross a bridge and come back on the other side of the river

There is an area usually referred to as " the 23rd street shops." There are lots of restaurants and shops - many of the clothes shops are a little young for my style but its nice to wander around, restaurants for outdoor dining - one that I like is the Typhoon - Thai food .

Another area called the Pearl- more shops and restaurants- if you take the Epicurian Tour they will likely take you to the Pearl.

Rent a car and take a drive to the Columbia River Gorge - its pretty spectacular

There, now you have enough to do to keep you there a couple of more nights

Here is your link to the Hood River Railroad. They are running to Parkdale on your dates. You are coming just after Thomas the Tank Engine leaves. Remember to see the other sights in the Columbia River Gorge.
https://www.mthoodrr.com/special_eve...#date=05142011
Next to the Zoo is the World Forestry Center. See the old logging locomotive outside.

sorry nanabee- you already posted the 23 rd st shops - I should not have had that vodka tonic

No one has mentioned the Japanese Gardens - they are very nice- and close to the Zoo

The walk along the river is very nice, as is Multnomah Falls (but I don't know if you'll have a car).

Grab a pedi-cab for a nice tour. Is your granddaughter going to be with you and how old is she? If she's young then grab an ice cream or a gelato and head for the little inner-city parks. If she's drinking age grab the pedicab and go on the distillery tour.
It might sound odd but I like to take visitors to the downtown library just to show them the stairs. They are a dark marble or some such and carved with little animals and flora. The kids like to make pencil shadings on them.
The street car is free in the downtown area. At least it used to be, I might be handing out old info. Check into it. It would be a fun sightseeing option.
City Grill Restaurant is a nice place to be at sunset, it's on the 42nd floor of the U.S. Bank Building (Big Pink).
Our rose garden in North Portland at Peninsula Park is as lovely as can be. Wonderful peaceful place with a big fountain. Probably a couple thousand rose bushes.

Lots of panhandlers and signature-gatherers downtown, sorry to say. It can be annoying so be aware.

Sunbum--Hey, I mentioned the Japanese Gardens...great minds:D

mms- I see that now and you mentioned the 23rd st shops too- obviously I did not read very closely

The Chinese gardens are great and downtown. We ate at Andina Restaurant (#1 on Tripadvisor and worth it)

Thank you all so very much for all your advice and knowledge! I'm sure you just made my trip the best it could be. Now I can create a much better itinerary by your experiences! Thanks again!

I forgot to ask one thing, what type of clothing do I wear or pack for the end of June??

Layers. Our summers don't really begin til July 5th:D Layers is what we wear year round here. I am often in capri's and sandals, with layers for tops. DH is almost always in jeans, or if it is a hot day, cargo shorts. Casual is the important thing. We don't do stuffy here;)