2 Days in Portland (homes, restaurants, prices)

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by gypsydoc

Great photos.

Golly, gee, this is my favorite, soggy, sunless, boring landscaped hell-hole ever!

For some people, any attention is better than no attention.

So very, very true. One almost has to feel sorry for such a creature.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Hamellr and Deezus.

[Squidlo]

Great photos! Looks like you got at least 6 or 7 days without rain in there

<ducking>

Its not all that horrible really. I think the

Spoiler

TROLL

just wanted some attention.

If you cannot find anything to make you happy in Portland at all... you would probably gripe in <insert utopian tropical paradise> too.

[Global Friend]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

The White Eagle has very inexpensive rooms and is only one block from the MAX train near a trendy part North Portland.

McMenamins - White Eagle Hotel Room Rates

However, it's supposed to be very, very haunted. It used to be a brothel and an opium den nicknamed "Buckets of Blood," or something like that.

Originally Posted by Random_Walk

Church of Elvis!

(...what?)

Okay, okay...

My picks?
The Portland Art Museum,
Pittock Mansion,
The Shanghai Tunnels (if you can swing it - they keep odd hours depending on time of year),
The Oregon Historical Society (it's across the street from the art museum),
and the Portland Japanese Garden (especially as things warm up).

Cheers!

Originally Posted by EnricoV

It's posts like this that always make me wish we could give negative feedback . . .

To the OP. There are a few neighborhoods that I think are great just for wandering ... funky little shops, good food, etc. Hawthorne is my favorite (more books!), and the Alberta Arts District is great, too. NW Portland is okay (too upscale for my tastes, yours may differ).

Thanks to everyone for all the ideas and pictures. I think the above posts are exactly what we were looking for. No interest in the beach, not going there for that. Would like to do some of the hiking suggestions, sounds great but physically can't. Music, museums, gardens, funky shops are all perfect.

Couple questions;
1. I know people are saying the food is bad at McMenamins, ok fine. While looking on Tripadvisor at hotels the Kennedy School Hotel has decent reviews and sounds really cool. I like unsual things but I also want clean/safe so what about staying there?
2. What are these food carts people are talking about? Do they mean like outdoor food carts like in NYC?
3. I'd rather not get a car but will if I have to. Plan might be; airport, Mcmenamins hotel then during the day museum or Japanese gardens and Hawthorne. At night probably just hang around hotel, seems there are bars and stuff at that place and probably won't be looking to party anyway. Then back to airport. All that being said, do I need a car? or is public transportation easy to get and find and inexpensive?

Thanks again!

[EnricoV]

Staying at McMenamins is a good idea. They do have a new hotel in downtown, the Crystal Hotel. Be aware that some rooms don't have private baths, so if that matters to you, you'll probably have to pay more. If you stay at Kennedy School, you will probably need a car. You could get there by bus, but The Crystal Hotel or White Eagle, you wouldn't. And their food isn't baaad. It's good, standard pub type food. Nothing spectacular.

Food carts are another matter. For listings and an idea of what they serve up, go to this website. They are gathered together in what are called "pods," around town. Yes, they're outdoor carts(/trucks/trailers). Can't say if they compare to NYC ... have they progressed beyond hot dog stands?

[doggiemama]

Kennedy School is really neat and unique. And I think McMenamins has better than average pub food. Their salads are quite good, for example. It's not ALL fried, which is what I expect from an average pub. There is just so much high quality food and produce in PDX that by comparison McM is average!

[gypsydoc]

The food carts are in the neighborhood of 400 or so all around the area. The food ranges from simple to gourmet... mostly fabulous, fresh, healthy, and varied. Some of them are run by top chefs in the area who don't have their own restaurant.

Depending on when you'll be here, there is the Mobile Food Carts festival... a celebration of some of the top ones.

This following is from the Willamette Week and explains it better than I could. If you're here, hope you'll check it out. I went last year and ate my way through all the carts! What a blast!

[SIZE=5]"Willamette Week's Fifth Annual Eat Mobile[/SIZE]
Portland's food-cart festival announces date and partnership with OMSI

With more than 400 mobile eateries selling their tasty goods within our city limits, Portland has become an international destination for mobile eats. U.S. News Travel recently declared Portland to have the "world's best street food."

On April 28, Eat Mobile, the part food festival, part cart competition, will allow attendees to sample from 50 of Willamette Week's favorite food carts as vendors compete for the coveted Carty Award.

Eat Mobile showcases the food, music and people that make Portland's food scene so special. This year, Willamette Week is proud to announce a partnership with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) that will expand Eat Mobile to include food demonstrations and provide attendees with a more hands-on food experience. Additionally, Willamette Week and OMSI are working to create a more sustainable event by incorporating solar generators and waste-composting facilities.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, March 28, at omsi.edu. Tickets are $18 and include samples from each of the participating carts. In addition to general admission tickets, a limited number of pre-tasting tickets at $47 will be available, which will allow attendees to sample for an hour before the general admission event and enjoy complimentary beverages."

[Global Friend]

Great info! Thx!

I am particular about what I eat and I don't eat meat so if either is all fast food type, just hamburgers or all fried it won't work for me anyway. I'll read the links and see what I can do.

To answer the NYC question - there is more than hot dogs on the street but nothing I eat except hot pretzels. : )

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by gypsydoc

The food carts are in the neighborhood of 400 or so all around the area.

Official numbers are over 600 now FYI.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by Rapture

I am particular about what I eat and I don't eat meat so if either is all fast food type, just hamburgers or all fried it won't work for me anyway. I'll read the links and see what I can do.

It's not fast food. And Portland is very vegetarian friendly. You should find plenty to eat.

[turquoise1]

Right on with what everyone said on this page. Lots of healthy, vegetarian and vegan options around. I think the Kennedy School is awesome, and in a town that didn't have so much good food, McMenamin's would be thought of quite highly. Try eating in Elkhart, Indiana, where the only options are Wendy's and Olive Garden!