Taking a trip to Portland, OR, need some advice on what to do

KwlAznKid · 11-15-2012, 11:36 PM

Hi guys!

Oregon buddies! I'm going to be going to visiting portland in a few weeks, I've never been to portland or even Oregon for that matter. I need some advice on what to do, where to eat. what to see etc..

I will be going with my gf and we will be only there for one weekend so we don't have much time, we're going to try to pack as much in as we can for this weekend trip. A friend told me to try to stay in downtown so we're going to look for a hotel there, is that a good place to stay? We are going to try to get around with taxi/public transportation, is that a good idea? or should we rent a car?

any advice is appreciated!

thanks all!
Jon

i also heard you guys have some bombass food trucks, where are they? lol

DaanBMW · 11-16-2012, 12:29 AM

A hotel in the downtown area should work. Public transp is v. good here - buses + light rail (the MAX or the streetcar) - see trimet.org, so you def can get by w/o a car. I like the Riverside Marriott because my employer uses it. It is close to the streetcar & the waterfront park.

What to visit ? Where to start... Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Rose Garden / Washington park, Pioneer courthouse square, the waterfront park I mentioned above, ... there's more but i can't think of it all.

For food, check out the world-famous food carts - http://www.foodcartsportland.com/maps/ , the bigger the pod the larger the selection. Voodoo doughnuts if you like fatty dough. Def a brewery. The more sophist. restaurants like Andina or Le Pigeon are also recommended.

Try review sites like tripadvisor, yelp, etc for more ideas.

shinyside · 11-16-2012, 01:34 AM

Hi,

I'd probably skip the Chinese garden if you only have a weekend. Japanese garden is more impressive. See if you can book a limo or van tour of Oregon wine country for a romantic jaunt with the GF. Take a bus to SE Hawthorne to get some local Portland flavor.

Best
ss

KwlAznKid · 11-16-2012, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaanBMW

A hotel in the downtown area should work. Public transp is v. good here - buses + light rail (the MAX or the streetcar) - see trimet.org, so you def can get by w/o a car. I like the Riverside Marriott because my employer uses it. It is close to the streetcar & the waterfront park.

What to visit ? Where to start... Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Rose Garden / Washington park, Pioneer courthouse square, the waterfront park I mentioned above, ... there's more but i can't think of it all.

For food, check out the world-famous food carts - http://www.foodcartsportland.com/maps/ , the bigger the pod the larger the selection. Voodoo doughnuts if you like fatty dough. Def a brewery. The more sophist. restaurants like Andina or Le Pigeon are also recommended.

Try review sites like tripadvisor, yelp, etc for more ideas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinyside

Hi,

I'd probably skip the Chinese garden if you only have a weekend. Japanese garden is more impressive. See if you can book a limo or van tour of Oregon wine country for a romantic jaunt with the GF. Take a bus to SE Hawthorne to get some local Portland flavor.

Best
ss

thanks a lot guys, this is exactly the sort of advice i was looking for

, keep em coming if there's anything else!

jonnylin1 · 11-17-2012, 07:42 PM

if you are even a slight fan of sushi...most definitely check out Saburo. I am not a huge fan of sushi due to its small portions and how much the bill stacks up if you are hungry...but i'd eat at Saburo for days, it is so amazing and affordable.

just as an example, their normal salmon order, the sashimi is the same width as my iphone 4 and longer.

There is always a minimum of 30min wait though just fyi.

ScreamingChicken · 11-18-2012, 01:40 AM

I agree with shinyside: skip Chinese Gardens and definitely get to Hawthorne.
One of my favorite places to eat is Hawthorne, Chez Machin. It's really small and easy to miss. I've never had to wait, even on a weekend, so maybe it's not that popular, but if you like French, it's great.

atown88 · 11-18-2012, 08:43 PM

Go see a Blazer game!

KwlAznKid · 11-20-2012, 04:06 PM

still reading your suggestions guys! thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by atown88

Go see a Blazer game!

your username looks really familiar, did you used to live in ca?

atown88 · 11-20-2012, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

still reading your suggestions guys! thanks

your username looks really familiar, did you used to live in ca?

Nope. Lived in a bunch of places, but never really resided in CA.

KwlAznKid · 11-28-2012, 03:59 AM

got most of the food places down! what bout nightlife? going this weekend! pretty excited

KwlAznKid · 11-28-2012, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atown88

Nope. Lived in a bunch of places, but never really resided in CA.

ah my mistake, there was a person with a really similar username who had a ton of baller cars, thought it was you lol

KwlAznKid · 12-03-2012, 06:33 PM

got back this afternoon, wanted to say thanks for all the suggestions guys. voodoo donuts was definitely not overrated, I LOVED IT. omg i wish we had one here

hookandpull · 12-06-2012, 07:00 PM

Portland has an insane titty bar per capita rating see if your Girlfriend will be down with that lol. Really though Portland is somewhat like New Orleans in the terms of people watching. Go to VooDoo doughnuts and within an hour you will see some weird shit. Last time I was at VooDoo (two weeks ago) I watched a tall white GTL douche walk in and knock out one of the hippies running the cash register. I guess he laid him out because he asked for directions to some bar in the vicinity and the cashier gave him directions to a gay bar. The dougnuts are cheap but the entertainment is priceless

11-15-2012, 11:36 PM	#1
KwlAznKid Brigadier General 383 Rep 3,037 Posts Drives: BMW/MERCEDES/PORSCHE Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Los Angeles/Fremont USC/UCSD Alum iTrader: (6)	Taking a trip to Portland, OR, need some advice on what to do Hi guys! Oregon buddies! I'm going to be going to visiting portland in a few weeks, I've never been to portland or even Oregon for that matter. I need some advice on what to do, where to eat. what to see etc.. I will be going with my gf and we will be only there for one weekend so we don't have much time, we're going to try to pack as much in as we can for this weekend trip. A friend told me to try to stay in downtown so we're going to look for a hotel there, is that a good place to stay? We are going to try to get around with taxi/public transportation, is that a good idea? or should we rent a car? any advice is appreciated! thanks all! Jon i also heard you guys have some bombass food trucks, where are they? lol __________________ BMW E93 M3 / Mercedes Benz W209 CLK500 BMW E64 650I(sold) / BMW E92 328I(sold) / BMW E46 M3(sold) / BMW E92 335I(sold) Porsche 996 911 C2(sold) / BMW E46 325CI(totaled)
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11-16-2012, 12:29 AM	#2
DaanBMW Captain 88 Rep 777 Posts Drives: 2007 328i coupe Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Portland, OR iTrader: (1)	A hotel in the downtown area should work. Public transp is v. good here - buses + light rail (the MAX or the streetcar) - see trimet.org, so you def can get by w/o a car. I like the Riverside Marriott because my employer uses it. It is close to the streetcar & the waterfront park. What to visit ? Where to start... Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden, Rose Garden / Washington park, Pioneer courthouse square, the waterfront park I mentioned above, ... there's more but i can't think of it all. For food, check out the world-famous food carts - http://www.foodcartsportland.com/maps/ , the bigger the pod the larger the selection. Voodoo doughnuts if you like fatty dough. Def a brewery. The more sophist. restaurants like Andina or Le Pigeon are also recommended. Try review sites like tripadvisor, yelp, etc for more ideas. __________________ 328i Sports Pkg, Michelin PSS on Staggered 18" OZ Ultraleggeras . BMS Powerbox. Cyba scoops + Rev motoring intake hose + charcoal delete. Wavetrac LSD . M3: subframe bushings + sways + control arms (fr & rr). Meyle rear toe arms. M3 diff fr bushings . BMW Perf: v2 springs + v1 dampers. Valeo SMFW+clutch. 034 MotorSport engine mounts . Short Shifter + Turner PU bearing + ZHP M weighted shift knob. CDV delete
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11-16-2012, 01:34 AM	#3
shinyside New Member 1 Rep 20 Posts Drives: e90 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Pdx iTrader: (0)	Hi, I'd probably skip the Chinese garden if you only have a weekend. Japanese garden is more impressive. See if you can book a limo or van tour of Oregon wine country for a romantic jaunt with the GF. Take a bus to SE Hawthorne to get some local Portland flavor. Best ss
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11-17-2012, 07:42 PM	#5
jonnylin1 Lieutenant Colonel 168 Rep 1,734 Posts Drives: 2008 AW e92 335i \| 2012 m3 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: PNW \| Vegas iTrader: (1)	if you are even a slight fan of sushi...most definitely check out Saburo. I am not a huge fan of sushi due to its small portions and how much the bill stacks up if you are hungry...but i'd eat at Saburo for days, it is so amazing and affordable. just as an example, their normal salmon order, the sashimi is the same width as my iphone 4 and longer. There is always a minimum of 30min wait though just fyi. __________________ IG:Jlin_e92 / Curiously.m3 Never low enough.
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11-18-2012, 01:40 AM	#6
ScreamingChicken Private First Class 107 Rep 136 Posts Drives: 2018 M2 MG MT Exec Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Oregon iTrader: (0)	I agree with shinyside: skip Chinese Gardens and definitely get to Hawthorne. One of my favorite places to eat is Hawthorne, Chez Machin. It's really small and easy to miss. I've never had to wait, even on a weekend, so maybe it's not that popular, but if you like French, it's great.
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11-18-2012, 08:43 PM	#7
atown88 Major 46 Rep 1,487 Posts Drives: e90 M3 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Auburn iTrader: (0)	Go see a Blazer game!
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11-28-2012, 03:59 AM	#10
KwlAznKid Brigadier General 383 Rep 3,037 Posts Drives: BMW/MERCEDES/PORSCHE Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Los Angeles/Fremont USC/UCSD Alum iTrader: (6)	got most of the food places down! what bout nightlife? going this weekend! pretty excited __________________ BMW E93 M3 / Mercedes Benz W209 CLK500 BMW E64 650I(sold) / BMW E92 328I(sold) / BMW E46 M3(sold) / BMW E92 335I(sold) Porsche 996 911 C2(sold) / BMW E46 325CI(totaled)
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12-03-2012, 06:33 PM	#12
KwlAznKid Brigadier General 383 Rep 3,037 Posts Drives: BMW/MERCEDES/PORSCHE Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Los Angeles/Fremont USC/UCSD Alum iTrader: (6)	got back this afternoon, wanted to say thanks for all the suggestions guys. voodoo donuts was definitely not overrated, I LOVED IT. omg i wish we had one here __________________ BMW E93 M3 / Mercedes Benz W209 CLK500 BMW E64 650I(sold) / BMW E92 328I(sold) / BMW E46 M3(sold) / BMW E92 335I(sold) Porsche 996 911 C2(sold) / BMW E46 325CI(totaled)
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12-06-2012, 07:00 PM	#13
hookandpull Lieutenant 20 Rep 560 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Sedan Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Seattle WA iTrader: (2)	Portland has an insane titty bar per capita rating see if your Girlfriend will be down with that lol. Really though Portland is somewhat like New Orleans in the terms of people watching. Go to VooDoo doughnuts and within an hour you will see some weird shit. Last time I was at VooDoo (two weeks ago) I watched a tall white GTL douche walk in and knock out one of the hippies running the cash register. I guess he laid him out because he asked for directions to some bar in the vicinity and the cashier gave him directions to a gay bar. The dougnuts are cheap but the entertainment is priceless
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