Heading to Portland in May. It will be over memorial weekend.

What are some things to see and do up there? I think I want a hotel near downtown. Nothing crazy to stay in. Only plan on sleeping there.

What some of your thoughts, those who live there and those who have explored Portland? :-)
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I grew up there and my family still lives there. I know that the mark is the best place in town to have a stick and kell's is probably your best bet right downtown. What are you interested in doing?
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I am just wanting to explorer Portland, see the night life. Bars, Decent dining. No club really.. Relax and hang out is what I am looking for.
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You could stay at the shilo INN. It conveniently has the "mark" cigar lounge. the go in to down town for the night life. Keep me posted.
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I did see that Jared. I also would like to visit Broadway Cigar.
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I think it's just down the road. Rich's cigar is great too.
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From the map, it seems that way. And downtown? Is right across the water there?
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"Down town" Is a bit of a drive from the shilo but not too far. I'm not real familiar with Portland though.Hopefully CigarNut or some other PDX locals will chime in.
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I was looking at a different Shilo Inn in Portland. It is closer to downtown than the one with a cigar lounge in it.
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Well I hope you like beer. I would start you at either lompoc on 23rd or the lucky lab on the east side. If you want a fancier dinner type place yet still a pub hit up dechutes, henerys, or Bridgeport.

For a fancy fun dinner that wont break the bank Toro bravo in the rose quarter is fantastic.
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I do love beer. I will have to make a list and figure things out.. Go over them with the wife and see what we want to do.
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I live about 3 hours from there, Markem and I have herfed it up a few times. I might be up for the drive to meet a brother!
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http://www.salvadormollys.com/ is an amazing place to eat in Portland. If you love spicy food they are right up your alley or they have other worldly dishes which are just fantastic!
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Image

SUH!!!!
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Smitty81, this isn't a banter thread -- the OP asked a serious question and your post is wasting space...

The Shilo w/The Mark cigar lounge is 5-10 minutes from downtown depending upon traffic. It is a decent hotel. You can find better for more money, but I would recommend the Shilo.

There are three cigar shops (Timber Valley, Paul's, Rich's) within 5 miles of the Shilo. Broadway cigar is a little farther away. I prefer these over Broadway but that is mostly due to convenience.

If the weather is nice it might be nice to visit McMenamins (Brewers) Cornelius Pass Roadhouse -- they have the "White Shed" cigar shack. Lots of good local beer as well as scotch. You can sit outside around the fire pit and have a nice afternoon / evening.

Lots of stuff to do as well -- the coast, the mountains, the Columbia Gorge, and more.
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This is a good site for ideas: http://www.travelportland.com/

Since you will be coming in on a holiday weekend, I like your plan to basically stay put. There are many very good things to see and do very close to Portland, but freeways tend to suck on holidays and speed enforcement tends to be very tight. There are lots of things to see and do that are convenient to the light rail and trolley lines; see http://trimet.org/ for details.

The Washington Park Zoo is very nice, although likely to be quite busy. The Rose Gardens are spectacular that time of year as are the Rhododendron Gardens over by Reed College (also worth walking around). I always send people to the Pittock Mansion if for no other reason that you can see all the major peaks from Ranier in the north to Mt Jefferson in the south. Quite spectacular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittock_Mansion).

Of course, Powells City of Books is one of the largest bookstores in the world and a must. A stroll along the waterfront and maybe a trip on a sternwheeler is always a blast. Don't forget that OMSI (omsi.org) has a decommissioned nuclear sub (the Blueback, I think).

But Portland is known for beers and food. Don't go to any of the microbrew chains like McMennemins or such, but get thee to a real bar like Kelly's Olympian (http://www.kellysolympian.com/). There are some really cool eateries for any meal you may want at any time of day (just watch some episodes of Portlandia). For real good ideas, take a look at the Willamette Week website (http://www.wweek.com/portland/index.php), especially the food and entertainment section. They cover Portland better than anyone. When the weather is good, I would recommend heading to any of the major food cart locations and just go for it. Note: food carts can't yet serve alcohol, but it's up for discussion with the city council, so maybe by May.

The Mark at the Shilo Inn on Canyon is the place for smoking cigars. The cigar bar at El Goucho is now closed and the Horse Brass quit allowing smoking 2 years ago. This is a decent web site, http://cigarplaces.com/city/portland-cigars.aspx, but I'd always call a cigar bar listed there just to be sure before wasting time heading over there.

Finally, watch this before you go so there are no surprises http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVmq9dq6Nsg
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Some member of the stumptown crew is likely to be hosting a herf party that weekend, so ...
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My bad, My bad.
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:-)
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The dream of the 90's is alive in Portland...portland...portland....

Sorry, not trying to pull a Smitty...just a catchy song. I grew up just outside of Portland...I second the rose garden idea as well as the Japanese gardens nearby. Great place to go with the wife if the weather is decent.
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