Willamette Valley to PDX--what are the options?
 

We will be staying at a VRBO (well, HomeAway, now) in Dundee in August. One of our party will be flying out a few days before the rest of us, and we really don't want to have to drive him to the airport. What are the options? Uber, I assume, is one--does anyone know about how much that would cost? There must be a shuttle of some kind? A taxi--is there a flat rate, by any chance?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Dundee is a nice area to stay:) We are about 10 minutes from there. I see Uber and Lyft cars here all the time, but I have no idea what the cost would be to PDX. There is a shuttle called Blue Star that works from PDX to out here, but I say that with a word of caution. I used it years ago and said never again as I had the print out of the reservation and cost, and they refused it and charged me twice, on the return trip. So I am not a fan of them, but it would be an option. DH has taken a taxi a fair amount from the airport to home, and I think it usually ran around $65-$75.

Enjoy your time here. Will you be here over the eclipse? If so, be prepared!

Thanks so much for the advice!

No, we are leaving just before the eclipse, I believe--when is it exactly? At first I was disappointed to be missing it, but reading more about the logistics of chasing it down makes me think we're better off. We can focus on the wine! :-D

We'll be in Portland for the first 3 nights (Hotel Lucia), then 6 nights in Dundee. So excited! mms, you are the resident expert--if you have any advice you'd like to throw my way about new restaurants, wineries, anything, either in the valley or in Portland, I'd be so grateful!

There are other options
There is a regular shuttle service (only 2 or 3 trips a day) serving McMinnville and Newberg (both just a couple of miles from Dundee): See http://caravanairporttransportation.com/Newberg.html and http://caravanairporttransportation....Minnville.html

And there is a bit more expensive shuttle operated out of Hillsboro that serves Dundee: http://www.hillsboroairporterpdx.com/about.html

And Hillsboro is just a short interesting drive "over the hill" north of Dundee - at Hillsboro you can catch the MAX light rail to Portland Airport (will require a change of trains enroute), or if you drive to Beaverton, also close, you can catch a train direct to the airport. http://www.hillsboroairporterpdx.com/about.html

oops, for MAX light rail I meant https://trimet.org/max/

The eclipse is the 21st, and the entire state will be a zoo. We have 3 million people here, and are expecting another million visitors, to give you an idea. They are talking about gas shortages, etc. So a good time to NOT be here lol!

Downtown Dundee has had a lot of growth recently. There are over a dozen tasting rooms all within walking distance now. We joke because in one tiny stretch of it, you can get a tattoo, get your weed, wine taste, hit the taco truck, and hit a brewery, oh and go to church, lol.

Rex Hill in Newberg as you come down the hill has done a huge expansion. Yes, they are popular and you can find them most places, but they have many wines that you won't find elsewhere.

Argyle, which is known for their bubbly and is right in the heart of Dundee, has done a recent expansion/remodel and it is very nice.

Seufert winery, in Dayton, also has a new tasting room. There is a great little store next to it called the Dayton Mercantile. Both of these are next to the Block House Cafe (in the old church) across from the park.

Grochau Cellars has their new tasting room in Amity.

These last two are personal favorites of mine, FWIW.

Have you been to Hawk's View in Sherwood? I love their wine.

Maybe try Ariniello, where you taste in their home. Really nice couple, lol.

Have you been to Carlton? Seven of Hearts is great, and the winemakers wife owns Honest Chocolates, which is in the back of the tasting room. They pair the chocolates with the wines, and both are very good. Scott Paul there is good too. Artem is a tiny winery there, with a few selections and very new (first vintage was 2015 or so). Don't laugh, but the gas station on the corner there also has a restaurant and the burgers are great! Lemelson winery is good as well. A friend works for them.

In Dayton, the Barlow Room is a good restaurant and is the sister (casual) restaurant to the Joel Palmer House.

In Dundee, my absolute favorite spot is still Red Hills Market. Best wood sandwiches and pizza! Great place to stock up on deli items, try local coffee, and buy local beer and wine and basically any specialty food item from around here.

McMinnville is chuck full of tasting rooms and restaurants all within the main downtown area on 3rd street. Gem is a cajun place that is only a year or so old, very good. Next to La Rambla and same owners.

Also in there in Mac, Barberry and 1882 Grill are fairly new and very well regarded.

In Newberg, two fairly new places are Storrs Smokehouse and Ruddick/Wood. Both along the main drag, northbound. There is also an Honest Chocolate location near Storr's.

In Sherwood, Rallison recently opened a tasting room in old town next to 503 Uncorked. Jared is a great guy and is a friend. Mason is a new restaurant here as well, on the other side of Rallison. Hungry Hero is the best dessert place in this area! They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. On Sunday mornings, there is usually a line out the door of about a dozen or so people for their cinnamon rolls.

These are all the newish places that I can think of. I am sure there are more, but these are in my neck of the woods and places we have been/like.

Oh, and you could also take your travel companion to the WES station in Tualatin they can catch that to a MAX and then get to the airport, if they don't mind.

bookmarking

Thanks so much, mms! Great info, as always.
And thank you very much, elbegewa, that is exactly the info I was looking for!

mms, we have been to Argyle on every visit and will probably go this time, as well. You turned us on to Grochau years ago--we visited them when they were still sharing a tasting room near the airport. We also stopped at Seufert last time, and since one of our party loves Joel Palmer House, we will likely be in Dayton again. Although maybe we'll try the Barlow Room this time, instead. What sort of store is the Mercantile? True to its name, or...?

Hawk's View in Sherwood is a new one to us, thanks!

Carlton is a must-stop as we love the Carlton Winemaker's Studio. Have been to Lemelson, but not the others you mention, so making note of those. I think Seven of Hearts is a must-stop for one of our party.

God, but the list--or should I say, The List, lol--grows long! SO usually does a day-by-day matrix that includes more wine and food stops than are humanly possible :-)

Thanks again! Really appreciate the time you take to give such detailed advice!

We're crazy for the Red Hills Market! Stayed at the Inn at Red Hills on our last visit, stopped at the market every day :-)

We planned to check out Mac in detail one late afternoon/evening. There are just too many enticing options there, and none of have seen the new KAOS building that houses Barberry and 1882 Grill. Is Thistle good? I read that their cocktail program is impressive.

In Newberg we're focused on Recipe, if it has reopened by then, or Recipe part Deux if it hasn't, or in addition. There's also a coffee shop we liked there, but I can't recall the name...

NewbE--I really like the Barlow Room. True NW feel to it and great menu. The Mercantile is a great little store. Nicer than what you would envision, but they carry a lot of local items which is nice. One of the owners is a friend of mine, but I would shop there even if she wasn't;) Yes, it seems like new places are popping up here almost daily. That is good and bad. It amazes me as I remember as a kid driving down 99 and there was nothing to be had. Even though Inn At Red Hills is close to us, we have stayed there and really liked it. We had a special event at a winery nearby a few years ago so stayed there instead of driving home. I love how so much is walkable to it. Red Hills Market now has a tasting room upstairs. I can't think of the name off the top of my head, but I am sure it is on their webpage. I have not been to Thistle, but friends have and rave about it. Recipe should be open again by then as their planned date was this month. I am guessing it was the Coffee Cottage that you are thinking of. Oh, and there is a new store right near Honest Chocolates that has local goods. I am blanking on the name right now but will google in a minute. It is on the next block on the corner, so literally just across the street from Honest Chocolates. You might also check out Our Table in Sherwood. It is on Morgan Rd, just off Baker. From 99W northbound, take a right onto Sunset at the YMCA and take it for 2 miles and then take a right onto Baker and then a left onto Morgan.

Found it, Social Goods. And I was a block off, but you get the idea of how close it is to Honest Chocolates.

I am revisiting this thread for the transportation info, but realizing again what a trove of good advice it is--thank you again, mms and elbegewa!

(I look forward to the inevitable conversation during our visit: "How did you find out about this great (fill-in-the-blank)?" "A person online told me." "Who is this person?" "I have no idea, but she gives great advice!" : D )

NewbE--lol I know how that goes trying to explain to people! Balitrav and I had lunch at The Barberry a couple weeks ago and it was fantastic!