the non-vacation vacation (Portland, Eugene, Beaverton: appointed, sales, apartments)

[aroseinrain]

The back story:

Hi, it's me. So, as you may or may not know, I was born in Portland and grew up in Eugene and ended up moving to California in '95. I have convinced my husband to move back to Oregon with me because I like Oregon better and we could dream of buying a house there someday (I said dream). He can get a transfer to one of the Portland area Apple stores (eventually), so we are looking at Beaverton as our destination.

Now that you're all up to date, here's my question:

We'll be in the area in July for my family reunion and we want to stay around Beaverton to get a feel for everyday life. Our normal routine here in California is that both the parents go to work and the kids go either to "day camp" (ie: daycare for big kids during the summer) or stay home. Someone comes home and we make dinner and watch T.V. and go to bed. Once in a while we go to Target for socks or something, and on rare occasion we catch a movie or get breakfast at IHOP. Sometimes my husband will take the little one to the park when he gets home from work.

We will be there for a week and we want to pretend that it's home. Where are the boring places that tired families end up going? Which Shari's should we go to? Where's the good movie theatre? What's the preferred grocery store? Where's the "cool" park?

Basically, what do people do there when they AREN'T on vacation?

On a side note:

I hear "bad" things about Hillsboro, but haven't really bought into them yet, so maybe the same questions for Hillsboro too. And maybe Tigard.

Thanks All!

[figmalt]

If you don't buy into the "bad" of Hillsboro, try Tuesday Market on Main and First. It's like Saturday Market, but more "neighborhood block party." (Hillsboro Tuesday Marketplace).

Then head to New Seasons for a loaf of olive ciabatta with some fancy French cheese.

Movie Theaters:
This is an interesting question. The main theaters in the area are mostly run by Regal Cinemas, so there's nothing specifically interesting. Beaverton has Century 16 in Cedar Hills, which is part of the Cinemark Theater chain, it's different from Regal, but still big box. There are a few independent theaters in the area. Cornelius has one, McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove shows movies 1-2 months later than most of the chains, and the Venetian in Hillsboro occasionally shows movies (also live theater). Another interesting theater to see is Cinetopia in Vancouver.

I like the areas around the main Beaverton Library (Hall Blvd), and the main Hillsboro Library (Brookwood Ave). Although, I think that the Hillsboro Library is situated in a much nicer park with ponds, lots of walking trails and Dawson Creek (picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...BIbuswOBztGIBQ). Cheap and easy family fun.

[philwithbeard]

Buy some fruit for the family at Uwajimaya Grocery Store on Highway 10 in Beaverton (basically across the street from the Target in Beaverton. )

Instead of IHOP, try Portland's Elmer's in Beaverton, out near Sunset Highway (US-26) and NW 158th
(aside, you know about Elmer's Glue, right? Well think about how so often breakfast places have 'sticky' table tops from pancake syrup... Get it Elmer's -- sticky like 'glue' table tops... yes, I know kids humor. We needn't mention anything about Carbohydrates from waffles sticking to your waist like glue, do we? )

Phil

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by aroseinrain

The back story:

We'll be in the area in July for my family reunion and we want to stay around Beaverton to get a feel for everyday life.

Don't know if this would work for you, but you could try staying at the Embassy Suites at Washington Square. It's pretty much central to the Beaverton/Tigard area.

Originally Posted by aroseinrain

Where are the boring places that tired families end up going? Which Shari's should we go to? Where's the good movie theatre? What's the preferred grocery store? Where's the "cool" park?

Basically, what do people do there when they AREN'T on vacation?

OK, you want boring? Here's our list:
Regal Tigard Cinemas on 99W.
The Regal is across 99W from Fred Meyer. You know Freddies--everything you need from food to clothing to electronics, etc.
Also near there on 99W is Pizza Caboose. Really low-key old fashioned (think 70s/80s) pizza parlor.
Washington Square is a good bet for window shopping and escaping the rain. Also has all of those tired mom-and-dad places to eat such as Red Robin. Not great food, but usually the TVs are on and the kids keep quiet. The food court inside the mall is small, but not bad as well.
For a park, take a look at Summerlake Park in Tigard (City of Tigard > Community > Parks > Summerlake Park). Pretty close to Scholls Ferry which is adjacent to Washington Square, but on the southwest side of OR-217.
This park is also pretty close to Lamb's Thriftway, which is a local grocery store chain. It's kinda just like any other grocery store.

One other thought: if you wanted to enroll the kids in a half-day summer camp for that week that you're here there are a lot of options in this area. Check out the Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec (I think you'd need to buy a quarterly membership which is $67). Also the Oregon Episcopal School has a number of really great offerings, but is pretty spendy.

Enjoy your week up here! Unless you're from coastal California, this will almost certainly be a break from hot weather for you.

[Rob Allen]

Beaverton Town Square has a lot of what you're looking for - Fred Meyer and Trader Joe's stores, Olive Garden, Burgerville, Izzy's, and a really busy Starbucks.

The playground in the park across Hall Blvd. from the Beaverton Library is well-equipped and very popular, especially on Saturday mornings when the Farmers Market takes over the parking lot next to the playground.

A ways east, along Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, past Target and Uwajimaya, is Valley Cinema Pub, a second-run house that serves pizza, beer & wine.

Shari's is at Murray & Allen, near a Safeway and a McMenamins.

Intead of IHOP, go to Beaverton Oregon Family Dining | Tom's Pancake House (although there is an IHOP across from Fred Meyer at 158th & Walker, near the Recreation Center, which might be worth a look too).

Something to consider - there's Beaverton and Hillsboro, each of which has a distinct downtown area, and then there's Tanasbourne, which is on the border between the two and is really a place of its own. It probably resembles southern California more than any other place in the Portland metro area, so it might give your family less culture shock. Look along NW 185th Ave. and cross streets like Cornell Rd. and Evergreen Parkway.

[Bluesmama]

I live in Hillsboro.

We patron the movie theater in Cornelius because it's less crowded and less expensive. (Besides, I don't like the new design where you enter the theater and have to climb up to sit at the top.)

We grab quick bites at Hale's Restaurant on TV Hwy often, but we also like Red Robin nearby. We used to eat at some of the numerous Mexican restaurants there, but now we just go to Mazatlan's on 209th. If we're craving an occasional Cinnabon, we pick them up at Fred Meyer's on TV Hwy.

There's Pizza Schmizza in many places (more New York style, with thin crust); there's Nonna Emilia on TV Hwy in ALoha, thick crust with generous toppings (my favorite, although I always ask for extra sauce).

Hillsboro has a decent farmers market on Saturday mornings, and Orenco Station has one on Sundays. We also attend the Tuesday Night Market during the summer, which is less focused on produce and more on eating and entertainment.

We shop at Home Depot and Target and Bi-Mart often. There is also a Costco on Cornell. The Tanasbourne area has lots of shops but we don't patron that area often. Old town Hillsboro is where my favorite massage therapist has his shop ("Of Earth & Air", also an herbal shop), it has the HART Theater and the Venetian Theater for plays and movies. A few good restaurants there, and a neat little coffee shop across from the courthouse. An old pharmacy from the 1800's still operates the lunch counter ~ kids should like it because the ice cream is excellent (and I'm told that the peanut-butter shake is exceptional).

I go to Portland for certain things ~ Powell's Books, Music Millennium on the eastside, and the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in July. However, there is Barnes & Noble at the Tanasbourne area. Unfortunately, the Hollywood Video stores are all closing. People here use either Netflix or those "red boxes" at various stores. (I was a Hollywood Video fan; today I joined Netflix on mixed feelings.)

Hillsboro-Beaverton has a LOT of parks to walk and bike. I particularly like Dawson Creek Park in Hillsboro. Beaverton has an EXCELLENT library.

South Beaverton has expanded a LOT in the last 20 years; hopefully, there's a poster on here more familiar with what's available there.

Let's see. . . What else. . . There's always "drives". We like to go to the Skyline Restaurant once a year. During summer there's Sauvie Island to play on the river. (A lot of people get squeemish at the idea, but it hasn't killed me yet.) A drive along the gorge during the "good" months is always a treat.

[aroseinrain]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

Here's my pick and choose:

*Hillsboro Tuesday Market (is that only on Tuesday eve's?)
*Century 16 @ Cedar Hills
*Beaverton Library (don't they also have a "flicks by the fountain" thing there? -- anyone been to it?)
*Uwajimaya Grocery (sounds expensive.. is it organic? exotic? better quality? -- checking it out)
*Elmer's
*the Washington Square mall and its food court -- check out the Apple store there and he can introduce himself maybe (we always end up buying clothes in Oregon anyway 'cause of the sales tax thing)
*Summer Lake park sounds nice. Sounds similar to a park we live close to here. http://www.fremont.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2291
*Beaverton Town Square and the farmer's market.
*Valley Cinema Pub sound good for "date night" after we actually move there.
*Tanasbourne scares me a bit... maybe we'll drive by to check it out.
*Mazatlan's
*Pizza Schmizza
*Hillsboro Pharmacy! We used to have a place with an old time lunch counter in Eugene when I was a kid... so sad when they shut down.

Wow! That's a pretty full agenda already. Thanks all!

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by aroseinrain

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

Here's my pick and choose:

*Hillsboro Tuesday Market (is that only on Tuesday eve's?) Yes, summer only. You can get the schedule online by typing in "Tuesday Night Marketplace in Hillsboro, OR."
*Century 16 @ Cedar Hills
*Beaverton Library (don't they also have a "flicks by the fountain" thing there? -- anyone been to it?) Yes, there are. Check www.beavertonoregon.com see if there's a listing of the movies.
*Uwajimaya Grocery (sounds expensive.. is it organic? exotic? better quality? -- checking it out)
*Elmer's
*the Washington Square mall and its food court -- check out the Apple store there and he can introduce himself maybe (we always end up buying clothes in Oregon anyway 'cause of the sales tax thing)
*Summer Lake park sounds nice. Sounds similar to a park we live close to here. http://www.fremont.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2291
*Beaverton Town Square and the farmer's market. You'll be disappointed in the Townsquare, although it does have a Trader Joe's. Beaverton Farmer's Market is popular. (I prefer Hillsboro's ~ much less chaotic.)
*Valley Cinema Pub sound good for "date night" after we actually move there.
*Tanasbourne scares me a bit... maybe we'll drive by to check it out.
*Mazatlan's
*Pizza Schmizza
*Hillsboro Pharmacy! We used to have a place with an old time lunch counter in Eugene when I was a kid... so sad when they shut down.

Wow! That's a pretty full agenda already. Thanks all!

Hope you have a delightful time.

[Bluesmama]

I stand corrected. The site for Flicks By the Fountain at the library is: www.beavertonoregon.gov

I guess .com can be an automatic thing.

Also, I re-thought my comment about Beaverton Townsquare. Part of living somewhere is learning out on your own what you don't like. Me, I like Tanasbourne area but I never patron The Streets of Tanasbourne (an upscale Mall a few miles west) unless I want to pop into REI for something in particular.

[aroseinrain]

WOW! Isn't it funny that when you go on vacation each day is about 25 minutes long?
So we came, we wandered, we loved it! We saw almost nothing from my list while we were there, but it was enough to decide that we want to move a.s.a.p!

Here's where we went:

*Shari's: I had the chicken salad sandwich and cherry pie- yum!
*Freddy's at town square: for camping food and etc.
*a cabin at LL Stub Stewart state park: nice enough and cheaper than a motel
*Elmer's: Excellent! I can't get enough dutch baby.
*The library and park with the fountain: I think the farmer's market was going on too -- hard to tell because it was pretty small). It was a wednesday. Very diverse with lots of kids playing in the fountain, just as in the pictures.
*some horrid little smoothie shop across the street from Freddy's: not that yummy and too spendy.
*Washington Square mall: I hated it... made me claustrophobic to be closed in with all them rick folk. I think my husband liked it o.k. though.
*Bridgeport village mall: Somehow this one didn't bother me... maybe because it's not indoors. I liked it, and my son liked the little playground there. My daughter loved it too and my husband adored it.
*Sir Charles court apartments: weird neighborhood. The office person was not super enthused about showing us around.. hmmm.
*St. Mary's Woods apartments: same company as Sir Charles, same floor plan too. The office person was super-nice and we'll probably end up living there. The apartments are 10 times nicer than where we live now but cost about $400 less. NICE!
*The AAA office off the Beaverton-Hillsboro Hwy: I think the lady was a bit put-off since I came in smelling of campfire and asking for free maps. But I saw some of my destination spots as we drove by. So close.
*Baja Fresh: it was o.k. and convenient. I'd never been to one before.
*Beaverton Bakery in Lake Oswego: pastries=good, espresso=not good
*Motel 6 across the way from the above mentioned bakery: It was clean, nearly friendly, and offered extra towels. Some guy in the parking lot tossed some rice crispy treats up to my kids from down in the parking lots (not in a creepy way), so that was nice. They have a coin-op laundry there, perfect for a mid-vacation break.

Mostly we just drove around in our car and got lost. In any case, we came back and my Husband told his boss he wanted to transfer around mid October. His boss used to work at the Apple Store at Bridgeport so he has some connections there and said he'd take care of it personally. HOORAY! We're Moving!!!