Sunday, September 6, 2009

Things to do, see, and eat in Portland, OR


Since folks often visit us in Portland, I thought I'd put together a list of where I like to take people, in case it's handy for anyone else. These are somewhat centered around Downtown, but not completely:

Nerdy Things to See

Nature & Animals

Misc

  • Oaks Amusement Park and the nearby wildlife refuge. There's a very nice, largely car-free bike route from the Waterfront Park, across the Hawthorne Bridge past OMSI through the wildlife refuge to the Park. That would be a fun day :)
  • Pioneer Courthouse Square: 715 SW Morrison St. Good people watching and some local history.

Eating

There are tons of great coffee shops, brew pubs, and restaurants in Portland. Here are some of my favorite places to eat:

Getting Around

  • Bikes: You can see much more of Portland if you have a bike, and if you can ride it :) I use a bike to get around everywhere. You can rent a bike at various places, and there is an awesome Google maps mashup of how to get around by bike.
  • We have a pretty good public transport system that gets you all around the city, and it connects to the airport. There is a trip planner at Trimet.org.
  • Of course you can rent a car.