McMenamins Crystal Hotel
Travelers who appreciate good music and good beer—especially together—love this West End branch of the McMenamin brothers' unorthodox empire, which is home to three bars and a restaurant and is affiliated with the Crystal Ballroom concert venue a block away. Built in 1911, the old and creaky building is full of character, having housed everything from a glove factory to an old-time speakeasy to a gay bathhouse, and these days original art and song lyrics are hand-painted on walls, and the rock-star vibe extends to rooms, which are each decorated in honor of a musician who has played at the Crystal, including James Brown, Patti Smith, and Portland's very own Decemberists. Reserving a room, in fact, affords ticket availability to sold-out shows at the Crystal Ballroom.