downtown nordies has a chanel boutique now!?!?! this is SO bad for my (non existant) purse budget! (i hate the way saks SAs treat me so i won't shop there.....but nordies is heaven that just got better!)
someone already mentioned pioneer place (LV, saks, coach, Tiffany plus all the "mall" type stores) but if you like mall shopping and are willing to go outside the downtown core i suggest washington square (south in tigard) bridgeport plaza (even farther south) woodburn outlets (about 45 mins south) or streets of tannesbourne (west). pioneer place is the best one though. and there's tons of galleries and boutiques in the pearl that will keep you occupied.
someone mentioned the melting pot....i totally second that. also at the paramont hotel on 8th and taylor there's a sushi bar called dragon fire that has "sushi happy hour"....phenomenal. and veritable quandry on first street is hard to find but EXCELLENT. http://www.veritablequandary.com/ i definately reccomend the chocolate souffle. mmmmm. the portland chinese garden has a very relaxing tea house inside it....i don't know if it's open this time a year, but worth looking into. http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/ there's also a really cute irish pub somewhere down town that i went to once that i can't for the life of me remember the name.....maybe someone else knows it?
like others said, powells is a must see. plan to spend a whole afternoon (or more if you're a book person). i once stayed in there for seven hours once. it was heaven.
once you're tired of shopping, there's quite a few cool museums. there's the portland art museum. they have a wonderful permanent collection of native american art in addition to travelling exhibits. (i think the visiting exhibit right now is egyptian) www.portlandartmuseum.com
across the river you'll find omsi www.omsi.org it's an interactive science museum geared mainly towards children but i always have a BLAST there. there's a planitarium, IMAX theater, and four or five exhibit halls. try and go on a weekday during school hours. it will be less crowded and you'll have more fun.
someone also mentioned the zoo, which is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE place. this time of year they also do "zoo lights" at night which is super fun. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Events/ZooLights/index.htm over in that area is also a forestry center than has lots of neat information about oregon's forest and eco-systems, if you're into that kind of thing.
this time of year there's also a lot of christmas type performances go on. oregon ballet theater does an amazing nutcracker every year. http://www.obt.org/home.htm also check the events at the portand center for performing arts and see if any appeal to you (www.pcpa.com)
if you're into sports there's the portland winterhawks (hockey...very fun and cheap tickets and beer) the trailblazers (NBA basketball) and the rose city rollers (roller derby! so fun! http://rosecityrollers.com/index.php).
there are tons of fun night clubs/shows but someone else will have to help you with that. i've heard the drag shows at embers and dante's are super fun if you're into that sort of thing.
i mentioned a lot of indoor things because the weather tends to be crappy this time of year.....but if it does turn out nice one day, the drive out to see multnomah falls is worth it!
portland is one of my favorite places ever! the people are so nice and it's a pretty, clean, very green city. good luck and i hope you enjoy your stay!
someone already mentioned pioneer place (LV, saks, coach, Tiffany plus all the "mall" type stores) but if you like mall shopping and are willing to go outside the downtown core i suggest washington square (south in tigard) bridgeport plaza (even farther south) woodburn outlets (about 45 mins south) or streets of tannesbourne (west). pioneer place is the best one though. and there's tons of galleries and boutiques in the pearl that will keep you occupied.
someone mentioned the melting pot....i totally second that. also at the paramont hotel on 8th and taylor there's a sushi bar called dragon fire that has "sushi happy hour"....phenomenal. and veritable quandry on first street is hard to find but EXCELLENT. http://www.veritablequandary.com/ i definately reccomend the chocolate souffle. mmmmm. the portland chinese garden has a very relaxing tea house inside it....i don't know if it's open this time a year, but worth looking into. http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/ there's also a really cute irish pub somewhere down town that i went to once that i can't for the life of me remember the name.....maybe someone else knows it?
like others said, powells is a must see. plan to spend a whole afternoon (or more if you're a book person). i once stayed in there for seven hours once. it was heaven.
once you're tired of shopping, there's quite a few cool museums. there's the portland art museum. they have a wonderful permanent collection of native american art in addition to travelling exhibits. (i think the visiting exhibit right now is egyptian) www.portlandartmuseum.com
across the river you'll find omsi www.omsi.org it's an interactive science museum geared mainly towards children but i always have a BLAST there. there's a planitarium, IMAX theater, and four or five exhibit halls. try and go on a weekday during school hours. it will be less crowded and you'll have more fun.
someone also mentioned the zoo, which is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE place. this time of year they also do "zoo lights" at night which is super fun. http://www.oregonzoo.org/Events/ZooLights/index.htm over in that area is also a forestry center than has lots of neat information about oregon's forest and eco-systems, if you're into that kind of thing.
this time of year there's also a lot of christmas type performances go on. oregon ballet theater does an amazing nutcracker every year. http://www.obt.org/home.htm also check the events at the portand center for performing arts and see if any appeal to you (www.pcpa.com)
if you're into sports there's the portland winterhawks (hockey...very fun and cheap tickets and beer) the trailblazers (NBA basketball) and the rose city rollers (roller derby! so fun! http://rosecityrollers.com/index.php).
there are tons of fun night clubs/shows but someone else will have to help you with that. i've heard the drag shows at embers and dante's are super fun if you're into that sort of thing.
i mentioned a lot of indoor things because the weather tends to be crappy this time of year.....but if it does turn out nice one day, the drive out to see multnomah falls is worth it!
portland is one of my favorite places ever! the people are so nice and it's a pretty, clean, very green city. good luck and i hope you enjoy your stay!
