Visiting PDX with my girlfriend on a budget (Portland, Burns: theatres, school)

[JesseJB]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if you had any tips for a mid-20's couple visiting on a budget. We are taking the Amtrak from Seattle on June 19-21. We are pretty hip (but not necessarily hipsters) and really into food and drink, vintage shops and anything else on the quirky side. We plan to take public transportation everywhere. Anything we should definately do/not do in Portland?

[Lilly12103]

Check out the hostel in Hawthorne for buget accomodations and something uniquely Portland.

[EnricoV]

There's a nice brochure online of Portland's Small Museums.

This is a good website with some of the quirkier, cheaper things to do in town.

If you're into vintage shops, Sellwood's the place to visit. And for the even lower cost, check out The Bins.

If you don't want to go the hostel route, another budget alternative is the White Eagle Saloon (http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=60&category=Location%20Homepage - broken link).

[LeftCoastee]

Take the Epicurean Portland Walking Tour. You'll get to sample some good food, wine, and beer. It takes about 4 hours and its reasonably priced. My wife and I enjoyed it.

Culinary tour | Epicurean Excursion | Portland Walking Tours | Oregon

[JesseJB]

Awesome! Ill check these out.

[Todd.LA]

Check out the recent NYT "Frugal Traveler" article on Portland. "Frugal" by the Times' standards still is not all that cheap, but the article is pretty good.

[Rob Allen]

Also consult Around the Sun: A Blog About Saving Money in Portland, Oregon, and beyond -

[lemonbutter]

Hawthorne Blvd is great for shopping eclectic stores mostly between 35th and 39th but there are some shops above and below that. Alberta St. and Mississippi St. are also cool strips of artsy, eclectic shops with good food and drink. Hoyt Arboretum in Washington Park and Tryon Creek Park are great places to hike and they are free. Other good parks you can get to via bus are Mt. Tabor, the waterfront, & the East Esplanade. You might check out some of the movie theatres here like the Bagdad (Hawthorne), Kennedy School (further out in NE), the Living Room (downtown) and Laurelhurst (close in on Burnside/28th). They all serve beer and pizza and you can catch a movie for about $3. I've heard about the Portland walking tours where you can either do the epicurean, the general Portland one or the underground one. They all sound pretty cool. Powell's bookstore downtown is always great for a visit if you're into books. If you are looking for cheap, late night food, there's a food cart area on Hawthorne and 12th that is worth checking out (YARP is awesome!)
have fun!