I am making a road trip to Seattle, then Portland for your Thanksgiving (from Vancouver, B.C.)

Can anyone give me some ideas on where to go in Portland for shopping, dining, accomodations? I want the inside scoop on Portland, not just what the tourism books or websites say!

Thanks!

2003 G35 AT Sedan
Twillight Blue, Premium & Aero

 

give us some more info. how much to do you feel comfortable spending on dinner? Do you normally shop at Walmart or Saks?

 

Looking for some unique Portland dining experience - not really interested in fine dining though.

Shopping - looking for some Thanksgiving deals. Should we stay downtown? We normally shop at Banana Republic, GAP, etc.

Thanks.

 

Downtown in the Pioneer Square area will give you everything from Louis Vuitton to Baby Gap.

I don't know if there is something in PDX unique to it or not but here are my recommendations:

Thai: Lemongrass which is about 5 minutes from downtown in NE.
Surf and Turf: El Gaucho under the Benson Hotel
Very good fare w/ a view: The Portland City Grill

The last two places are spendy but El Gaucho is worth every penny. Lemongrass is mid priced with great thai food.

Hope this helps.

 

I live in Seattle, but this place in Portland intrigues me. It is called the Kennedy School, and is a school converted to a hotel/restaurant. Take a look at their Web site. http://www.mcmenamins.com/Kennedy/index.html

Greg
2004 6mt Coupe, red, picked up Friday.

 

The McMenamin brothers have converted some interesting sites all over town into cool brewpubs. I've visited *all* the ones in town and my favorite McMenamins hands down is Edgefield Manor. It's an old farm located east of town (about 20 minute drive from downtown). The property has been converted into a European-style hotel (shared bathrooms down the hall), a nice restaurant, a brewpub, a brewery, a distillery, a vinyard and winery. The site also employs several resident artists and every wall, crack, plumbing fixture, etc is tweaked or hand-painted or in some way beautified. This place reeks with Portland-cluster.

If a more cosmo feel is what you're after, the City Grill is located on top of one of our highrises downtown. Reservations are a must (or you can hang in the bar until a table opens up). Window seats offer a great view of the city and river. If it's clear, you can also see all the peaks.

Pioneer Square downtown is great for shopping.



-townsley-
2003 Brilliant Silver Premium Sedan
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Sport Suspension Stocks & Struts (soon)

 

I'd also vote for Portland City Grill. A friend of mine works there and I can tell you it's a really nice place. Expect to spend a ton of money, however. The other day, Labron James (pro basketball player, all the hype these days) ate there. I guess it gets many visits from out of town famous folks. I'd also suggest Jake's seafood if you like seafood. It's pretty good and has nice atmosphere. Also, pioneer square area is a must. I think they light the Christmas tree on the night of Thanksgiving so be there if you like that sort of thing, or avoid it if you hate dealing with lots and lots of people. Have fun!

 

Thanks to all who chimed in. We had a great time visiting your city. And no sales tax was simply marvelous!