A Weekend In Portland??

[Wyody]

So, Mrs Ody and I are heading to Portland for a 10th Anniversary weekend.
No big deal really, one of us is old - and Vegan - and timing is kind of bad with paydays and all.
I see the possibility of a dinner cruise or several other cruises on the Willamette or Columbia, I see a Zoo, I see a "Saturday Market", I know about the submarine (little thing, ain't it?) and I see motel prices all over the chart so, I'm wondering ...
Outside of the hike near Mt. Tabor with it's excellent view and outside of ... what's it called? ... Bear Bottom? (been to both) ...
And outside of the Rose Gardens and Brewery-tours,
What's a neat thing or two to do while in Portland on a weekend night?
Ride the Gondola? Hit a Museum (gag me with a spoon)?
Last year, In and on The Ohio, we were able to go on a paddle-wheel dinner cruise, hit an aquarium and see Pirates of the Carribean II - made for an interesting and nearly unplanned "Pirate" theme
... and we haven't seen "Pirates III" yet - so, that's in the offing as well - but any other suggestions? Oregon City? Vancouver? The Greyhound Station (one of my college-day hobbies)?
Oh - and where's that cheap hotel with the vicious view???

[PDXnative]

Willamette River: Portland Spirit, Sternwheeler Rose (paddle boat that we were married on. Small and nice), jet boat tours all the way up to Willameete Falls in Oregon City (wet ride).

OMSI: Has submarine tour, Body Works 3 exhibit (I see dead people for $20 per person), lots of other cool stuff. We have a membership and go often.

Columbia River Gorge: Great waterfalls and short and log hikes. Great scenery. Head up river to Bridge of the Gods and go to Beacon Rock on the Washington side. GREAT VIEW at the top. 1 mile of switchbacks.

Good Restaurants: Macoroni Grill (Italian), Gustav's (German), Salty's (fish and view of the Columbia River ($$$$)....hmmm vegan.... hit Thai Thai, it is a Thai restaurant on SE Hawthorne around 45th? Best Thai food outside thailand and lots of vegan food.

[Wyody]

Hey, that sounds like a cool wedding.
We were married in front of Buffalo (Bison) and Elk - and a couple of wiped-out friends by the Bear River.

OMSI? Dead People?? Yo! What? Oh ... wait ... I remember scanning something about body parts. Okay. But what is OMSI?

I saw the ride to Willamette Falls as part of the "Oregon City" deal - after I saw the possibility of a brunch/excursion/Falls ride out of Cascade Locks ... which I suppose I can find. Just wondering which is the better?

This Beacon Rock/Bridge of the Gods place - I can't recall signs although I do plan a quick stop at Multnomah Falls (gad, tourist crush) - where do I cross the river at?
Thanks, PD. And learning Thai has been a pleasant experience - we have two here. One was great and food aplenty. The other tried to pretend they didn't have a view of a carwash and charged nearly twice as much for less food ... matter of fact, they really didn't have anything for me except a very basic salad. So, if you come this way and so desire, Jasmine Thai on the west side of 101 seems better (just past city-center before that "parking-lot beach" by Kyllo's). Of course, the other one does have a squeezed coffee-bar for folks who like that.

[PDXnative]

OMSI = Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (the huge building next to the submarine and under the I-5 bridge over the Willamette on the eastside). It is a REALLY cool hands on museum.

Oregon Museum of Science & Industry

AHHH, stay away from Multnomah Falls. That is tourist hell!!! There are many nice short hikes to waterfalls and scenic areas along the old columbia river highway. It is the small road that goes by Multnomah Falls, not I-84

Oregon.com - Oregon Scenic Byways - Historic Columbia River Highway

Info on Beacon Rock can be found here: Beacon Rock State Park (page 1 of 2)

As for a place to stay, there is the Rivershore Hotel in Oregon City. You can ride Belle of the Falls (small sternwheeler that goes to the falls) and take the free trolley around Oregon City and see Oregon History and museums.

Bestwestern.com, the World's Largest Hotel Chain.

You could also stay at The Red Lion Jantzen Beach:

Red Lion Hotel on the River - Jantzen Beach - Hotel Overview

There are also the Hilton, Marriot, and Benson Hotel in downtown Portland. VERY nice and may be a nice thing for a 10th anniversary.

[Wyody]

Thanks for all the neat turn-ons!
Might check into that Oregon City deal ... and that was what I feared about Multnomah - It was October when I was there last and not so crowded - perhaps will do a quick pull-off thru the parking area just to spy it while not in traffic.
Every so often, I'll opt for a really nice motel/hotel/lodge ... but really, it's not me. When I go on business trips, I demand it ... but personally, I prefer to find an old, uncleaned chili-can behind the trash can but a really nice bed (we throw our feather mattress on it anyway), and perhaps a couple of crumpled pieces of paper with unfinished, handwritten poems on them from previous guests that go something like "Yer nose is rosey, yer hare is blond. I am dynomyte but yer tha bom" or some such.
Atmosphere, ya know? All about atmosphere! Something with a neat, romatic name like "Rusty Apple Lodge" with the "Flapping Gums Diner".
Seriously though, not sure what'll happen but thanks so much for the tips and links.
TalkStates sure knows how to tell a person where to go ............... in Portland!!!

[Wyody]

Ah, a weekend in Portland;
So, one thing I keep learning over and over again throughout what qualifies as "my life" is, to never, ever ask my blonde "What do you want to do"?
Not that I don't care ... only that I wish to do something and left to anyone else, something won't get done.
So, after a 5 1/2 hours drive to cover the 97 miles from my little, coastal town to the big city (okay, it's actually 85 miles but I always measure to Gresham 'cause that's always my first destination)> - after this 5 1/2 hour drive, I find myself in Portland with my blonde still muttering "I dunno, what do you want to do"? So, after taking care of some early business, I set about trying to find a motel in "the nearbys". Drove a bit - funny what you don't know is there when it's not on the street you're driving on. I did a heckuva lot of driving looking for a motel - found one - Comfort Inn 181st St. You'd expect something nice from them. Let's talk black-mold in the shower. Let's talk an A/C that didn't work until 10 P.M. Let's talk finding a place to eat that will fit my new "Vegan" diet. It was impossible. A quick stint at the "Make-Do" Chinese restaurant and a walk thru Safeway and it's back to the room ... did I mention the twin beds? Let's talk Shari's - a great little "run-of-the-mill" restaurant that has become a Mecca of sorts to a small-towner with nothing to even rival Shari's at home - and their hashbrowns (have I used the word "Vegan" enough to give you the picture?)
But Thank the Gods, PDXNative mentioned Hawthorne street - I was instantly transported back to the '60's, where I belong, by the street-scene and the shops highly reminiscent of the "Mod" era - and before finding a restaurant called "Thai-Thai" - which is at 47th - we found a Health Food Restaurant/Store catering to my special needs. I love these places. Blonde hates them. I'm a "sprout & almond butter" type of guy - She's a Big Mac looking for a wrapper - but finally, some 12 hours after leaving home, I finally found food!! I love that neighborhood and plan to go back - just as soon as I figure out if a fellow my age with thinning top-hair should wear dread-locks or not.
The day had began with an escape from said "Comfort Inn" to look for the "Saturday Market" under the Burnside bridge on the west side of downtown Portland. I got on Burnside clear out on 182nd st - drove it all the way to Portland, paralleling the tracks - just to make sure I didn't get lost finding the Market. All the way to Portland. Through the downtown. Up a hill. Signs to mansions. Out of town. Waaay out of town. No sign ever of the Saturday Market on Burnside.
I soon did not know where I was - but found I was still somehow in Portland and found a road out - okay, missed the Market, time to see something else so, started heading west and northwest - out by Port of Portland. Looking, looking ... for just one mini-mart or gas-station with a men's room - never found it but finally found a road out and after waiting on a train to move for 25 minutes, made a right turn headed for the town of "St. Helen's". Now this town is where that one relocation "figure it out" site told me I should move in the first place - so, started heading for St. Helen's but first, we see this long old bridge going across the river - my blonde had never been in Washington so, it goes, "Hey, you wanna be in Washington in a minute"? "Yeah". So, onto the bridge. Long sucker.
And there we are - jammed in the traffic of St. John's. I'm remarking - "Honey, these are all still Oregon plates". Well, didn't take too awful long to see a sign that said "North Portland BPOE" and I conclude, that like many cities, Portland is "sticky" - can't get out of it - giant trap - but I drive and drive (memories of the previous day with the 5+ hr drive) and finally, a sign for I-5 north .... ZOOM! ZAP!! We're in Washington! Me, I'm in fear for my life because of a somewhat stinging report on Washingtoningerangs touristing thru my little Eden and ruining things at home - but we solved the riddle, went a spell into a cloudy Washington state then turned around - me straining my eyes to see large billboards offering "Vegan" foods (never saw them) but from I-5, I can find my way ... almost - so I end up back in safe, solid Gresham and all goes well and I take a little side trip to see the sites of Clackamas (?) and then head back and find another motel - but did this one online and we ended up with a decent room at the EconoLodge on 82nd and not too far off of Powell - which, heretofore had been the only street I knew in Portland. We grabbed a great buffet at the Grand Buffet and took in the new movie "Rush Hour 3" (No Pirate movie playing) and proceeded to be totally full of gas for the next 24 hours because of whatever the "Chinese/Japanese" buffet had put in all it's veggies - but which we overcame to the point of even having called it a "good" trip.
Now, this would normally bring me to a point where I rant about all that cities don't have ... while being thankful for what they do have ... but instead, it's just a quick recap of the 4 hour trip home, stopping first on the backside of D-Lake to take our customary hike past "Idyllic Creek" and on up to "Unseen Falls" and even beyond that to "Almost Scenic View" where we turned our shoes around, headed down the hill, slid into the Suzuki and drove home ... to hide.
So, it doesn't really matter what city it is, A City is A City - especially to those of us who "quit Cities" a long time ago.
But there are things to do in Portland ... and all around Portland.
Take a day or two and just drive around the Town first - get to know your way a bit.
Then, start looking for specific places and events.
Otherwise, you'll be like me and end up at 99th in Vancouver just to find a place to take a deep breath.
Never got that Thai food. Stopped thru "the hood" that last morning and picked up a couple of Vegan muffins.
(The preceding is from the unpublished, unwritten book "A Weekend in Portland/Slight Nightmare I")

[PDXnative]

LOL, Econolodge on 82nd??? Motels in Gresham? Dude, you chose the WRONG places. That Econolodge is scary!!!!! I live near there, I know.

That health store on Hawthorne is awesome. They even sell fresh organic milk in glass bottles with cream on top. Best milk I have ever had.

[Wyody]

Originally Posted by PDXnative

LOL, Econolodge on 82nd??? Motels in Gresham? Dude, you chose the WRONG places. That Econolodge is scary!!!!! I live near there, I know.

That health store on Hawthorne is awesome. They even sell fresh organic milk in glass bottles with cream on top. Best milk I have ever had.

Ain't drinking milk these days. I can drink nut-milks and hemp-milk and grain-milks. I plan to try the hemp-milk as it has a really great nutritional advantage over other milks - but not sure I'll like the taste. I do enjoy hazelnut.
I didn't have a problem with the EconoLodge - or the 'hood - shucks, across the street, things were really dead! (okay - pioneer cemetery). We were gonna go for a midnight walk in there but waited 'til morning 'cause we don't know the area that well. I lived in all them thar' cities before so, can grok the "element". Blonde Ody as well.
However - would consider suggestions. I actually thought we were going to Oregon City but that never happened.
Sometime when/if the company pays, we'll check out that Red Lion at the Riverfront ... maybe. I wanted to ride the Tram. I think that sucker is neat! Just the idea of a possible earthquake while you're suspended just past the Willamette River ... the part where it's concrete below ... well, that thought is invigorating! What a neat idea and view! However, blonde said she didn't like the idea and earthquakes didn't impress her none. She was the same way about tornadoes - not a hint of real exuberance when one was due.
Now that I know about where you live, I'll honk next time through.
I look forward to learning more about Portland - especially at the water - but I couldn't live there - too big for both of us.
Starting to consider other towns though, now. Knowing what we've learned ... with me, it's always about the swimming. Water here of any sort is too cold. I wanna change that and still swim natural water.
Thanks again for your help, PDX