My wife and I are going to be spending a few days there this summer and I was wondering what local sites/restaurants and especially record shops we should not miss out on. I hear the Pearl District is good for shopping and it's pretty close to our hotel, but other than that, I don't know much at all. Thanks in advance for any pointers/recommendations.

np: Ween - Quebec

rparis74, dnorwood, and contradiction ALL live in Portland.

But, more importantly, why are you just now making your 10th post, Jerry?!?!? You and Jeff need to post A LOT more often!!! Hope things are going well in the SLC, even though it's a down year for your beloved Jazz. Don't feel too badly, though, because even if the Jazz were on top of their game this year they (like the rest of the NBA) would still be no match for the almighty Spurs!

I remember posting a response to a similar query made by Pumachik on the cmj board. Try doing a quick search over there. I commented on my favorite record stores in the area, btw. If I have time later, I'll supply the link.

...cause it fits his handle?

I am from Portland. As far as record shops, my favorites are Everyday Music on west Burnside (also an eastside location on Sandy) and Music Millenium (one location in NW Portland neighborhood on 23rd ave and one on east Burnside).

There are a bunch of pretty good record stores all along east Burnside, near Powell's Book store (a must visit)

Other stuff:
1. Washington Park - great views, good spot for a picnic - check out the International Rose Test Gardens or the Japanese Garden
2. A good walk - walk along waterfront park, cross over the Willamette on the Hawthorne Bridge, go north along the Esplanade to the Steel Bridge, then cross back over the river.
3. Forest Park is another cool spot - largets urban park in the US.
4. Shopping - lots of cool stuff to check out in the Pearl District and in NW Portland (21st/23rd Aves) but a lot of yuppies - I am one though so what do I care? There are also some cool eastside neighborhoods which are a little grungier like Hawthorne, Belmont, Alberta.
5. Restaurants/Bars - there are a lot of pretty good ones for a town this size, http://portland.citysearch.com/find/sec ... aurants__1 has some good info and for bars
http://www.barflymag.com/ has some good info. Make sure to check out some of our microbreweries (Rogue, Bridgeport, Widmer, Portland)

When I went to visit Portland, I LOVED it... places I checked out were Pearl District, Hawthorne District, and Burnside. Here's what I hit up in the few days I was there-

Music-shopping: I hit up Everyday Music in Burnside and there was another store I hit up in the Hawthorne District that had a TON of vinyl (but I forgot what the name of the shop was) and a decent used cd collection. I'm sure someone knows what I'm talking about here. There was another store I checked out in Burnside, but I didn't like that one too much (it was across from Powell's).

Bars: Matador (in Burnside) and Bar of Gods (Hawthorne District) were really low key and had CHEAP beer. But then again, I'm the dive bar type of gal.

I also really enjoyed Reading Frenzy which was an indie lit shop, Powell's was overwhelming- but if you're into books, it's heaven. Found a lot of awesome vintage stores (there was one right near Rocco's that had $25 Pumas!) in Burnside & Hawthorne District. And take advantage of the no-sales tax... shop shop shop!

As for restaurants, the 2 I hit up that I really enjoyed were Madam Butterfly (sushi) and this Meditterannean buffet near the Pearl District.... damn, my short term memory is shot so I wish I could tell you the name of the spot.

The public transportation system up there was awesome, so you shouldn't have any problem getting anywhere...

Oh, and here's the link from my inquiry about Portland/Seattle. That should help you some.

I know - I do need to post more. I read the board all the time and enjoy it, though. The Jazz are SUCH a disappointment this year - they were such a pleasant surprise last year and this year's team looked so much better on paper, but they've taken the proverbial handbasket straight to thte 7th level. On the plus side, giving up on my NBA team so early in the season has given me a lot more time to devote to college ball which has been AWESOME this year. Hopefully my man Andrew Bogut and the Utes can make some noise in the tourney this year.

just be lucky you don't follow the blazers. ugh.

Awesome
It's actually quite a tragic story, though. My hand was bitten off by a renegade seal wearing a bow tie. The doctors were able to attach a prosthetic hook, but that makes things such as typing, saluting, and back-rub administration difficult.
Also, please note how I am posting individual responses in this thread to artificially inflate my post count and thus avoid the scolding finger of FT.

ps. Your I-pod is awesome.

Hey rparis and pumachik -
Thanks so much for the info. This is exactly what I was looking for. You guys are awesome.

And yes, rparis, at least by not being a Blazers fan I don't have to watch D. Miles bang himself in the noggin everytime he does something praiseworthy. That Talfair (sp?) kid is awesome, though. I saw him play in a summer league here in SLC and was really impressed.

Jerry, maybe the Jazz could end up somehow landing Bogut. That would be cool. He's the next Nowitzki.

Sorry, I'm late in responding... rparis and pumachik pretty much covered most of the ground of cool places to see and things to do. Puma, was the record shop you went to on Hawthorne called Reverb Records? It's right down the street from where I get my hair cut. I also agree BOG (bar of the gods) is wonderful!

From a cultural aspect, include a visit to the Japanese Garden if you head up to Washington Park... very nice. Also we have a Chinese Classical Garden in the Chinatown section (close to the river, north of Burnside-- kind of a sketchy area, but some good dim sum can be found there!). Pearl District is nice, but like rparis said, not for the budget-conscious.

When are you planning on visiting? Depending on your dates, you could potentially hit some fun beer festivals:

Portland International Beer Festival (my personal fave) - July 15-17
Oregon Brewers Festival (fun for the first-timer, but not so exciting after the first couple of years) - July 28-31

just replying for the sake of replying. cuz i live here and all.

You are a fountain of information.

Dude, hit this up, and drain one for the good (OK, Bad) Senator's birfday. then drink another, and another and another. Ok then like 10 more.

The 'rents moved up there a few years ago, so I'm up there now and then. Everything has pretty much been covered already. You may also want to check out ozone music on burnside.

There's a bar I heard about but have never been to called the kennedy school. It used to actually be a school, but it was converted into a bar. They have different rooms, like the detention room, etc. It always sounded cool to me; don't know if it is or not.

Kennedy School is pretty nice- especially in the summer when the open up the courtyard...I have spent some good time in the detention bar.

I think so. It's kinda at the start of that whole area right? (around 35th or something like that, if my memory serves me correctly.) There were 2 areas, one of all vinyl, the other of cd's... I really liked that store because I found a lot of goodies there. And the best thing about BOG I liked was that little hot dog shack that was right down the block... Zack's Shack. He was the coolest person EVER and makes the BEST veggie dogs I've ever had. Anyway, I really liked that whole area and wished I had more time to check out the Japanese garden as well. But, I'll be back. My mom and stepdad are planning to move to Portland soon, so I'll definitely be visiting more.

And damn, you guys have some awesome beer.

i had the best pho ever last month out in pdx. pho hung maybe? does that sound right?

hit belmont station (aka "the best beer store ever"), and then head next door to horse brass for some kickass beers.