Visiting Portland, OR in late Jan
 

It looks like i'm going to see my big brother in Portland the end of January. the tentative dates are the 25th through the 28th. I've glanced at some of the touristy web sites but nothing caught my eye. I'm taking my boyfriend with me so I want to make sure it's a good time. I would like to stick around the downtown area if possible. My bro lives in St. Helens (about a half an hour drive, if I remember correctly) so nothing that requires a ton of driving, please :) Thanks for your help, guys.

Are you guys driving? If so, I'm good for a beer or a cup of coffee if ya stop in Grants Pass.

A few things to check out, OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, is cool. The Oregon Zoo has over 200 species. If books are your thing, Powell's City of Books is the largest independent bookstore in the United States.

OMSI is definitely worth seeing. Very fun place. Powell's is awesome, and there is a lot of shopping that has sprung up in the Pearl District around Powell's.

If you are of age and enjoy beer, then there are lots of microbreweries to hit up in the Portland area. There are also a lot of good coffeeshops too :) Portland is all about the coffee and the beer.

For exploring downtown, I would seriously recommend getting a day transit pass that you can use on the MAX, the streetcar, and the bus. The streetcar goes from downtown up through the Pearl and over to 23rd Street, a very hip and fun shopping area. The MAX goes through downtown and will take you to the zoo. A bus can take you across the river to OMSI, or you can drive. If you are going to park downtown, I recommend the SmartPark garages: http://www.portlandonline.com/smartpark/ because they're a LOT cheaper.

It's too bad you're visiting in wintertime. Portland is much better in the spring and summer, when the roses come into bloom. Washington Park and the International Rose Test Garden are beautiful when the weather is good. You'll also be missing out on the opportunity to see the Portland Saturday Market, which is definitely interesting (especially for the people-watching).

If you like old, historic homes I highly recommend touring Pittock Mansion, or at least driving up there for the view of Portland; it's amazing. If you like gardens the Japanese Garden is worth seeing, and I've heard that the Chinese Garden is also good (and it's downtown in Chinatown). That's all I can think of at the moment.

As for bars, I fully recommend Ringlers and Kells. If you want 24-hour food, there's this weird joint called the Roxy on Stark St. They have the best cheese fries ever. Oh, and if you like drag shows, it's worth seeing Darcelle, just for fun. Horribly cheesy...but still fun.

Wow, all the ideas :) I'm down for coffee and micro brewed beer (yes, i'm of age :) ). I'm looking to see the things that only people that live there see, nothing super touristy, although Pittock Mansion is totally going on my list so I can see an amazing view of Portland. That city has so much to offer, I know I can't take it all in in the four days i'll be there. Do you guys recommend anything like flea markets, swap meets, etc?

sorry, fogot something :) Maybe a really trendy club, just for fun?

I live in St.Helens, and wish I could tell you there is alot to do here. The Oregon Coast is only about an hour or so from Portland, if you wanted to take a day trip. Hope you have fun.