Winter weekend adventures/essentials in Portland

January 4, 2016 11:52 AM

I'm looking for fun excursions, eateries, etc to undertake during MLK weekend in Portland OR with my wife. Any ideas?

My wife's birthday is coming up and we're going to spend a weekend in Portland. I would love to give her a fun-filled weekend with a ton of neat surprises. I'm doing some research on my own but would love to see what ideas the Hivemind can come up with as well.

Notes:
We'll be in town over MLK Jr weekend -- I'm looking for things we can do on Saturday and Sunday. We leave in the evening on Sunday so we should have plenty of time to do things both days.

I'm planning on taking taxis/Ubers everywhere, so trying to keep it within the city limits or thereabouts. We are staying at the Crystal Hotel so places within walking distance would be great! We are definitely down to stroll around.

Definitely interested in restaurant ideas -- particularly if we can find a dinner place on Saturday that's dressy and romantic (she's mostly vegetarian). I'm looking at this mega-comment but would love other ideas as well -- especially brunch! Was thinking Pok Pok would be good to visit.

She is a big fan of cider, so if there are any cider mills in the city, especially ones which have tours, that would be a fantastic experience for us to do.

Also interested in the outdoors, wildlife, cool museums. Loud music, not really, but if there are cool stage performances that would be fun.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

posted by miltthetank to Travel & Transportation around Portland, OR (8 answers total)

The BBC has an interesting article on Seven Quirky Collections in Portland that might have some museum ideas for you.
posted by dotgirl at 12:30 PM on January 4, 2016

Best answer: The Reverend Nat's taproom is a favorite stop of mine for ciders. You can get a cider flight and taste all the wonderful varieties they make there. The reverend himself is often on site and can tell you all about his cider creations.

The mega-thread covered all my favorite restaurants except Frank's Noodle House, which has pretty terrific hand-pulled noodles made fresh in-house. I will also call out Pine State Biscuits and Salt & Straw from the mega-thread as places I can't get enough of.

For outdoor things, I like the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden which is immediately next door. You can take the train from downtown for $2.50 (or get the $5 all-you-can-ride day pass, which covers train+bus+streetcar).

Taking a walk along the waterfront can be really nice and has great people-watching. A little further south and you can walk over the brand new Tilikum Crossing, which is primarily for pedestrians and cyclists and is closed to auto traffic.

I've found the Portland Art Museum and the Chinese Garden to be WAAAY overpriced, but YMMV.
posted by slagheap at 1:03 PM on January 4, 2016

For indoor stuff, I loved Kidd's Toy Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Craft.
posted by atropos at 1:14 PM on January 4, 2016

Best answer: I recommend Clyde Common for a meal. The food is beyond great; the cocktails are spectacular, they always have superb vegetarian selections, and it is just a couple of blocks away from where you are staying.
posted by djinn dandy at 1:14 PM on January 4, 2016

The Japanese Garden is closed for work and I think the Church of Elvis is gone (maybe to come back one day).
posted by fiercekitten at 6:23 PM on January 4, 2016

Best answer: You'll be right by Powell's books, which is an easy way to spend a few hours. Pok Pok is good, though not my favorite, but it's a little ways out of downtown. I would also recommend Clyde Common for your nice dinner. Paley's Place on NW 23rd also gets very good reviews from my friends, though I haven't made it there. For lunch, I'd go to Lardo and/or Kenny & Zuke's, but those are a little more carnivore-leaning, so check their menus before committing.

Or go around the back of the Crystal Hotel and check out Ringler's Annex. It's a nice little bar, and they sometimes have live music.

OMSI is a fun museum, depending on their traveling exhibits. They also have an IMAX screen there if that's your thing. The World Forestry Center, out by the Zoo, is pretty interesting too.
posted by hydra77 at 8:07 PM on January 4, 2016

Best answer: Powells book is lots of fun to check around. Also stumptown coffee is my fav coffee place in all of US and if you are in the pearl district , bombay chaat house is a delicious authentic indian food place. Right next to it is an ice cream place that is really good. If you are in the pearl district area, check out the middle school that is converted to a theatre. Tickets are reasonably priced and the sofa seating along with food and beer make the experience.
posted by radsqd at 7:01 AM on January 5, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks for the great answers! For those interested, we visited:

-Clyde Common (great brunch)
-Ava Gene's (cacio e pepe so good that it brought my wife to tears)
-Pine State Biscuits (TOO GOOD)
-Tilikum Crossing (kinda chilly, very fun)
-Rev. Nat's Taproom (AMAZING)

and a host of other locations, too. Can't wait to go back!
posted by miltthetank at 1:15 PM on January 18, 2016