Trip Planning - Portland

[Crankin]

I have never been to Portland, but we did the Seattle/San Juan Islands thing a couple of years ago. All I can say is that it was a very long day getting to Friday Harbor from the east coast. Non-stop to Seattle, 2 hour van ride to Anacortes to catch the ferry, then a long (2 hrs.?) ferry to Friday Harbor. We brough our bikes with the couplers, so we each had 2 suitcases, big ones, one with bike inside (regular airline regulation size) and one full of 2 weeks of regular/cycling/hiking clothing. Getting the bags up the ferry plank and through the terminal was hard. On the way back to Seattle, people were giving me dirty looks as I was struggling with the load, like I was some kind of rich b*, who needed a lot of clothes. Finally, I looked at one guy and said, " What? It's a bike in there," in my most obnoxious Bostonian way, and their attitude changed. We had friends pick us up in Friday Harbor, though, which was good. On the way back, we spent 3 days in Seattle, so it didn't feel so stressful, before flying home.
ETA: While getting there was stressful, we loved the San Juans. I loved Seattle, too, and even got to have lunch with 2 TEers while there. We spent an afternoon/night in Seattle, also last winter, on the way to and from the Methow valley.

[rebeccaC]

great blog posts emily!!!! and +1 on voodoo donuts!!!!

I can spend hours in powell’s city of books in portland and i could spend years in the san juans ….and of course in portland there is salt and straw ice cream on nw 23rd. The Saturday market in waterfront park is a great place to wander though too. Some great craft breweries if you like beer. Some great contemporay art galleries including the oregon center for photographic arts (blue sky gallery). Portland is one of my favorite cities and home to my best friend from college who always takes me to the most interesting places....and caused me to do and have a great time on the seattle to portland bike ride.

a harbor view room at the friday harbor house hotel was a great place to stay on san juan island. a great view of the harbor, a fireplace and oversized jetted tub. it also has a very good restaurant.

the inn at the market in seattle was also a great hotel and location for being downtown. great views of puget sound and the oympic mountains on a clear day. You have the pike place market, the seattle art museum, great restaurants, belltown and incredible *hot chocolate*!!!!! at cafe campagne within quick walking distance

[Crankin]

We stayed there, also. It was perfect.

[khg]

I haven't biked much in Portland, but I'll give a thumbs up to visiting Seattle in summer! (Keep in mind that our summer doesn't tend to start until July 5th... Pretty much a law here that it has to rain for the fireworks on the 4th, then turn sunny and dry for the next two months straight.) There's a really great variety of bicycling here. There are some fun urban routes--even some relatively flat one--easy ferries to scenic and challenging riding on Vashon and Bainbridge islands, and good mountain routes not too long of a drive away. It's also just a good way to get around the city.

If you end up visiting Seattle, feel free to drop me a line if you have questions or want suggestions

[Blueberry]

Thanks! We booked Portland tickets for early March. Still working on a hotel, etc. The definite plan is to try to get to Seattle over the summer - the timing will depend on what research project I take on, and when I can take time off from that (so many questions!). Please keep the suggestions coming!

[rebeccaC]

....and to keep with the cities slogan “keep portland weird” among other things is the freakybuttrue peculiarium and museum and glowing greens .....some of the best vegan restaurants I've been to and that tells me the city has some interesting chefs working in it.....i..eat..too..much there

[GLC1968]

Can't wait to see you!

My first question is - will you be bringing bikes? That will shape a lot of what I/we would suggest in terms of things to do. Plenty, plenty, plenty to do without them to see the city and the surrounding wilderness (even in Feb/March), but knowing your intent will help.

Actually, I'm better at knowing what to do without bikes since we've (oddly enough) done a LOT less cycling since we moved here 8 years ago. Shocking, I know...but life has a way of throwing curve balls. I've also entertained a number of out of town guests since we've been here and none of them were able to bring bikes, so we are pretty good at finding all kinds of random things to do! If you will have bikes, we have a few favorites and easy access to tons of people with a ton of knowledge (including our illustrious Susan and Jeff of TE) to offer up additional suggestions.

There are about 1000 'must try' restaurants and eateries in the Portland area, so bring your appetites for sure. Lost of eclectic shopping, galleries and museums, too. And of course, there are many, many fabulous day hikes within easy driving distance, so bring your rain gear. Plan for 40's - 50's with light/misting rain. You may be surprised with some sun or some colder days, but planning for 'average' is always a good bet. No one here uses umbrellas - hoods are your friend. You do not need a car to see the city at all but if you'd like to get out and do some day trips/hikes, it's helpful. There is always zip car or Uber, of course. And then there's us...so if we aren't working, we'd love to take you places!

Easy access day hikes that you can google - Multnomah/Wakeenah Falls and Eagle Creek (both in the Columbia Gorge), Silver Falls, Saddle Mountain, and various hikes near Mt Hood. There is also the northern oregon coast (Astoria, Cannon Beach, Seaside) that is close enough for day trips and could include some cool shorter hikes as well. Of course, right in Portland is Forest Park, so there is wilderness access even without driving, too.

The best part about a Feb/March trip? No crowds. We did our 'house hunting' trip as part of my company's relocation package in 2008 in mid-Feb and we fell in love with the area, despite the weather.