What about this trip

I am traveling at the end of September with my girlfriend to Portland for a week for my cousins wedding. I already booked the flight, car and rooms. I was wondering what everyone thought and suggested things to do and what I can expect for the weather. Here is the trips itinerary. Just need to fill in some fun things.

Day one and at the airport and pickup the rental car.

Night 1: Red Lion Astoria

Day two drive down the coast stopping along the way to see and do things.

Night 2: Inn at Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City

Day 3 drive through wine country and maybe stop to tour and taste some wine

Night 3: Mcmenimans Edgefield, Troutdale

Day 4 drive up the gorge and sight see waterfalls

Night 4 Comfort Suites, Hood River

Day 5 seenic route around Mt Hood, maybe stoping at the timberland lodge.

Night 5: downtown Portland

Day 6: Open till wedding at 4:30pm

Day 7 Fly Home

What about this trip

I love this trip! It%26#39;s everything I would do if i were 28 years old. Fortunately for both of us, I%26#39;m 30. So let%26#39;s tweak it a little bit:

Night 1: Red Lion Astoria

Great choice! It%26#39;s the best deal in Astoria because every room has a view of the marina/bridge. Since you%26#39;re getting there late from the PDX airport, be sure to stop at the Safeway and buy some beer with a twist-off cap. I suggest Henry%26#39;s because it%26#39;s brewed in Oregon. Drink the beer, then write secret notes. Put said secret notes into the empty bottles and throw them back into the river. You never know what will come back to you. If you get bored that night, go to Annie%26#39;s. That redhead girl with the high forehead is shy at first, but give her a couple drinks and she%26#39;ll be okay. Red Lion has movies for $8.99.

Night 2: Inn at Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City

Ask for a room on the south side of the building, because the further south you are, the better the view at this place. Of course you%26#39;ll eat at Pelical Pub. Don%26#39;t order anything that requires skill to cook. Stick with the burger, and ckeck to make sure the bun isn%26#39;t moldy.

Night 3: Mcmenimans Edgefield, Troutdale

No self-respecting Portlander ever goes here. So good luck with that.

Night 4 Comfort Suites, Hood River

If you go to choiceprivileges dot com and sign up for their stupid credit card, you can stay here for free. Otherwise, you%26#39;re in for a world of hurt if you actually pay for this place. The best part of Hood River is staying within walking distance of downtown, and that means losing your shirt at Oak Street Hotel or Hood River Hotel. It%26#39;s totally worth staying in town because if you find that Chinese place on 3rd then you%26#39;ve got it made.

Night 5: downtown Portland

Cheap: 6th Street Days Inn. Cool: Hotel Deluxe. Best: Bid $70 on a 4* on priceline. Portlandy: Hawthorne Hostel.

Day 6: Open till wedding at 4:30pm

Depending on where the wedding is, I%26#39;d take some time to check out downtown.

What about this trip

Hmmm, I a little suprised at the comment about the edgefield. Appartently people either love this place or hate it. The good thing is it%26#39;s only for one night so we can move on if its bad. Yea, I am starting to realize that staying at the hood river hotel would have been a better choice then comfort suites. I messed that one up. I forgot to mention that were staying at the portland Marriott City Center for two nights. What is a must see to do in portland, would it be the japenesse chinese gardens. We are in our late 30%26#39;s early 40%26#39;s if that matters.

Hey Oregone, whats with the Edgefield? We stayed there a few years ago and loved it. Granted, it is not a luxury hotel, but I love the uniqueness of it.

I second the vote for Pelican Pub %26amp; Brewery in Lincoln City. They won awards for ';Brewer of the Year'; and ';Best Small Brewpub'; at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival. Great beers that win tons of awrds and a gorgeous location, too.

I also question the negativity against Edgefield. I%26#39;ve been out there a number of times and always enjoy walking the grounds, dining on the patio, playing a round of golf on the pub course, and always grabbing a drink at the Little Red Shed. OHTravelGuy, you will enjoy your stay there immensely.

At the end of September, the Japanese Gardens will be stunning. Brilliant colors on all the foliage - definitely make a visit there. You should check out the adjacent Rose Test Garden, too, though by then the roses will have passed their prime. The view is still pretty spectacular.

Brian

Hi

Of the two, I would pick the Japanese Gardens..so very beautiful. If you are really pinched for time, the Chinese Gardens are right in town, on NW Flanders ( in Chinatown) ..

The Pittock Mansion is also a pretty spot with good views.

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i966-Gardens_in鈥?/a>

Are you set on where you want to eat?

Oregone, you might be 30 but you don%26#39;t sound a day over 28 :)

weather in oregon usually pretty good late sept. but no guarantees.

Curious why you picked Astoria. It is a river city some distance to the beach, However it is very historic if you like history. Lewis %26amp; Clark sites, Fort Steven, Astor Column

Day 2 you should check out Cannon Beach. very strollable town with some nice shops and a good beach. Suggest you drive three capes road to Pacific City. nice lighthouse along way. and some rugged coast.

Day 3. How do you plan to go to wine country? If direct from Pacific City you could have a short day. not a lot to see along OR-22 OR-18 or 99W. OR-22 is really crooked. 2 or 3 wineries won%26#39;t take much time. I suggest you consider driving south maybe to Newport to see some of that coast if you get an early start

Day 4. Drive old highway all the way from Troutdale since you have all day, Be sure to stop at Womans Forum. It is not obvious stop from road. Most of key waterfall stops are pretty obvious, but one that is not is Bridal Veil. Short hike down to see falls and worth it. you really can%26#39;t see it well any other way. Oneonta Gorge another not really obvious good stop. Bonneville Dam worth a visit. see the sturgeon in the fish ponds at hatchery and the fish ladder from underground. I enjoy getting off I-84 at Eagle Creek. I like to old bridge there. you caneither walk a ways up eagle Creek or along th trail on old highway. across Tooth Rock think I have filled your day.

Day 5. Do drive up to Timberline. and through Government Camp

HI there and welcome to the Forums! You will love Astoria. There is lots to do there. You may want to consider the Maritime Museum, a ride on the riverfront trolley, a climb up to the Astor Column and the Flavel House. If you are in Astoria on a Sunday, check out the Sunday market. I have a review posted on the Astoria forum with pics.

Sounds like a great time, please report back after your travels! :)

You guys are giving me some great ideas. Thanks for all your suggestions so far.

Astoria? I really not a huge history buff but I do enjoy it. I thought it sounded neat with all the boats and the river where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean; definitely want to check out the Column and some of the Lewis and Clark sites. When I asked my Girl Friend what she wanted to do when we went to Portland, she suggested all the outdoors stuff and unique stuff we can%26#39;t do here in Ohio. So this was kind of my goal.

Like the idea of Cannon Beach, and taking the three capes scenic route. Will eat and drink at the Pelican Pub for dinner.

If I drive down to Newport would I be able to squeeze in a trip to the Aquarium and then drive up through wine country from there. 2 - 3 wineries would be fine for me since I will be driving, not like I was on a tour, but would like to see and experience this. What routes would we take from Newport through wine country?

It sounds like there is a lot to see driving up the Historic River Gorge Hwy. I wonder if there would be time to squeeze in a half day raft trip either in the afternoon on Day 4 or in the morning on Day 5. Would it be too cold this time a year to do this? I imagine this might be a cold thing even in the summer. If we do the morning trip would we still have time to see the Timberline lodge and drive around the Mount Hood Area? Do most agree that Hood River Hotel would be a better hotel for that unique experience? I am thinking of changing that.

We will have luxury, I hope when we get to the Portland Marriott City Center. The wedding reception is at the Oba in the Pearl District.

www.oldoregon.com and www.cannon-beach.net are a couple of informative websites for you. :)

History buff or not, one of the coolest thing about the Column is that you can sail balsa wood airplanes from the top. :-) But like phirl, I%26#39;m not sure that%26#39;s enough of a reason to spend a night in Astoria.

In my opinion, the best place to view the mouth of the Columbia is from the interpretive center of Cape Disappointment State Park, near Ilwaco, WA. It%26#39;s 15-20 miles from Astoria. Lots of Lewis %26amp; Clark and maritime history there too. Not to mention a couple lighthouses. You might want to head up there just to say you drove the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

But if history is not so much your thing, I think you%26#39;d end up regretting not spending more of your time on the coast. Things like the riverfront trolley, Flavel House, and the Sunday market pale in comparison to exploring tidepools around Haystack Rock or taking the walk around the headland in Ecola State Park, just outside of Cannon Beach.

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