Portland Girls Weekend! Suggestions Please!

I spent one night in downtown Portland last year (business trip) and loved it, but didn%26#39;t really have much time to explore. I do read these threads and have seen so many restaurant suggestions and I know many of you are local. I keep telling my best friend that we need to go on a shopping trip! (No tax, you know!)

We%26#39;ll be flying from Fresno or Santa Barbara CA and staying for two or three nights max. Right now we%26#39;re thinking of visiting in October to do Christmas shopping.

Can we do it without a car?

So where would you stay? What restaurants are not to be missed? Great relaxing spa? Movie theatre and great bookstore? (Yes, I will sopend time at Nordie%26#39;s.. any local boutiques or shops that are wonderful?) TIA.

Portland Girls Weekend! Suggestions Please!

Yes, absolutely, you can do it without a car :)

Our car sits in the garage, sadly waiting for someone to come take it out once in a while..lol.

5th Ave Suites

Vintage Plaza

Lucia

Westin

Paramount

I gave you a list because they are right in Downtown and I try to be equal in my recommendations, but I always stay at the 5th Ave Suites.

Dosha is a good spa.

Closest downtown cinemas are the Pioneer Place and Fox Tower..we go a few times a week, nice theaters..Cinema 21 is a good Art House theatre on NW 21st street.

Of course, the best bookstore is Powells! Also the biggest :)

Just take the streetcar into the Pearl and start walking. Every block has a great boutique/store/gallery/restaurant.

Then get back on the streetcar and go to NW 23rd..get off a 23rd and Marshall and walk ..one boutique after another with a couple of nice restaurants.

Restaurants:

Everett St Bistro

by the time you arrive Pho Van will be open as Silk

Vault for drinks

Carlyle

Wildwood

Serratto

Oba

Carafe

Hope this helps get you started :)

Portland Girls Weekend! Suggestions Please!

No car needed. Walk, cab, streetcar or bus. All do the trick. I%26#39;d stay downtown, Scarlett%26#39;s recommendations are perfect.

Dining, I%26#39;d defintely visit Carlyle or Giorgio%26#39;s for an elegant dinner.

For lunch I like Piazza Italia. Ole Ole has great mexican food for really cheap. Papa Hayden%26#39;s on 23rd has good lunch food, and seriously incredible desserts.

Books? Powells. Almost too many, it can be overwhelming, but it is great.

Monique%26#39;s on 10th under the Gregory building in The Pearl has the best style, class and price for women%26#39;s clothes. Monique is probably in her 40%26#39;s, an ex high fashion model who shops carefully in Paris, etc., to bring affordable style to her shop.

Aubergine is also in The Pearl, but prices are too high for sane people.

For a spa, I need to know more about what you are looking for in order to be of help.

Even though I live here, I did a girl%26#39;s weekend like that last spring. Friends from WA came down and we stayed at the 5th Avenue Suites. The hotel was perfect for us, as the suites are large and it was perfect for the late night chats. We had connecting rooms which was really nice.

Like mamababoo and Scarlett already said, the city is so easy to get around without a car.

I have done other girl%26#39;s events at Dosha and like the Glisan location. It is a nice spa, and the location is great. You can wander/shop/eat all around the NW 23rd area and then be right there at the spa.

My favorite spa by far is Aequis (definitely make plans in advance). Avalon Spa is also nice (one of the best pedicures, IMO). For a treat for your feet (but no pedicure), consider Barefoot Sage. Very relaxing. It%26#39;s on SE Hawthorne, close to downtown (easy cab).

If you%26#39;d like to see some local clothing / jewelry designers (clothing), check out Seaplane (NW 23rd), Lilith (1524 NE Alberta St), Dragonlily (SE Hawthorne) and Ella%26#39;s (NE Alberta).

Food -

Personally, I%26#39;m not fond of the Carlyle. Too many mediocre dinners there for me, although their cocktail bar is nice.

For NW cuisine, I prefer ClarkLewis (amazing dinner there last night - once again a perfect 10), Paley%26#39;s Place, Wildwood is a good standby %26amp; their cocktails are good and 820 is great for cocktails but I%26#39;m not impressed with their menu (they%26#39;ve been featured in a number of nat%26#39;l magazines like Gourmet for their cocktails).

Also, you might check out barflymag dot com if you want a plethora of bar reviews in the area.

Movie theatre -- the only ones I think would be worth visiting would be the McMenamin%26#39;s bunch (Mission, Kennedy School and Bagdhad) because they are unusual but their movies aren%26#39;t always the most recent. If you%26#39;d like to learn more about the McMenamin%26#39;s theatres, I%26#39;d suggest going on their website. Good beer, good ';pub'; food and cheap movies in historical buildings. Some of their locations serve hard liquor and they also have cider and wine although I%26#39;d steer clear of the wine as it%26#39;s near bloody awful.

Hi beachtrvel, I love the Nordstrom%26#39;s in Portland! We also like the small boutiques in the Nob Hill District for unique accessories and clothing.

clarklewis is a great suggestion, we also like Gotham Building Tavern for some great food. Paley%26#39;s is very good, it would be more of a romantic-type place. Wildwood would be a great fit your group, very good food in a nice setting. Bluehour is another great option for your girl%26#39;s weekend dinner. It is in the Pearl District, very swank and cool place with great food. I love their potato gnocchi with black truffles and the profiteroles are also very good for dessert here.

Haven%26#39;t been to any spas in Porland, we have a couple of nice spas on the coast that we go to. You may want to consider a day trip over to Cannon Beach, very pretty coastal scenery and Haystack Rock is gorgeous to photograph! I%26#39;ve posted some pics in the review section of Cannon Beach and in the Portland section if you%26#39;re interested. Have a great time! :)

I agree with Syrahgirl 鈥?you should consider the coast. I know you are coming up from SB, and the coast there is breathtaking, there are some very beautiful spots up here too, and there are spas on the coast and some lovely hotels (Salishan and Inn at Spanish Head). For that you would need a car, otherwise, no car down town use public transit. Hope you have a great time and happy travels!

beachtravel said she would be here in Portland for 2-3 nights max, in October, so I think a trip out to the Coast might be a little too much for such a short trip.

Girls%26#39; weekend? Did anyone mention Darcelle%26#39;s yet?

LOL, oregone, no, but I am glad you did!

http://www.darcellexv.com/