Portland, OR

[markem]

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

[CigarSquid]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

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.

I was thinking of staying more downtown. Shilo looked ok. Still have plenty of time to figure that out. Broadway cigar is the only place I knew of at this time. I will find more and see. Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by markem

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

Thanks for all the links. Checking them out now. I have seen the cigar places website, also forget to bookmark it. Not this time.


Thanks all for the info. Hopefully I can meet up with some of the BOTL's up there!

[BlindedByScience]

Originally Posted by markem

.....Don't go to any of the microbrew chains like McMennemins or such.....

....I chuckled when I realized you'd burned the place I recommended....

I hear where your are coming from; Portland is without a doubt "BeerVana" and the McMenamins brothers are not at the top of the pile. In fact, if guy was a total beer snob and wanted to see the really cool esoteric breweries in town, there are tours that would be a great way for a new visitor to see the places that are off the beaten path. Some of them are damn hard to find, actually...

Having said that, I can honestly say that every single time I've taken out of town guests to Kennedy School...they've loved it. Grab a bite of dinner, have a pint or two, then head to the cigar lounge for a great smoke and a whiskey. Pretty tough to beat, and most "noobies" love it. More than once, folks have said "....damn, wish I'd have stayed here.!.."

...YMMV, etc.

One man's opinon - B.B.S.

[markem]

Originally Posted by BlindedByScience

....I chuckled when I realized you'd burned the place I recommended....

Heck no, didn't mean to imply that! The Kennedy School is very nice and it does have a small room for cigar smoking. Let's face it, terminator stout was the standard by which other brewers were measured for years. I guess I should have said to not fall into the trap of only going to the local chains, but search out bars where they serve a wide variety from different brewers.

That's more what I intended, but while the spirit was willing, the tequila last night was strong.