Portland, Oregon (1 Viewer)

[General Malaise]

Aw Man. That's sad.

As you know when I last saw you, staying downtown it was one of my favorite cities in the country. It always hit me as a story like blending of big city with small town vibe. 

Where we met up is still pretty safe and pleasant and I'm hopeful there's a path back to the way it used to be, but just driving through downtown and then off the airport or north to Seattle is a visual catastrophe.  What was once a freeway system buffered by well manicured green spaces and wild flowers has been replaced with dilapidated tents, broken and burnt vehicles and piles of litter and debris. 

It is sad.   And I don't know what the answer is to improve the matter because the people living in these camps either don't have another option or don't want to leave.  I'm sure a lot of it is drug addiction, plenty of people with mental health conditions that aren't getting treatment, sprinkle in some anger at the man, some resentment, failed efforts at social work....sigh.  I run into old timers who want draconian law, drastic punishment and solutions that are final (and I don't use that term in jest, I've actually heard a guy suggest a march into the Pacific for the homeless, which GAWD) but we can't just treat fellow humans like that.  

Still a pretty great place to live, just wish we weren't a punchline at the moment. 

 

[BeTheMatch]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

 

[General Malaise]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Both are fantastic, but the drive to Bend and back can be rough, especially if there's any weather (though I'm beginning to think we'll never see rain again). Bend is much bigger as well, so plenty to do and you can walk around the downtown area with ease. That said, there's a bunch of cool stuff around the Bend area that you'll want to explore and having a car to get you around is ideal. It's a beer lover's paradise and many of the breweries have top notch grub either in house or with food carts on the property. Honestly though, summer is the ideal time to visit Bend. Unless you plan on skiing at Bachelor, but again, with our hot, dry summer not sure that's an option in Nov.

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

 

[BeTheMatch]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

Thanks. Sounds like we'll do Hood River then. We were planning to do the Bridge of the Gods hike on the way there. We'll definitely hit a winery or two as well. Is there a specific hotel or area to target? Or is it really small enough that everything they've got is pretty much located in that one area?

 

[General Malaise]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

Thanks. Sounds like we'll do Hood River then. We were planning to do the Bridge of the Gods hike on the way there. We'll definitely hit a winery or two as well. Is there a specific hotel or area to target? Or is it really small enough that everything they've got is pretty much located in that one area?

Not a TON of hotels there. Hampton Inn might be your best bet. It's a half mile by foot to the heart of downtown and also close to pFriem, Ferment and a couple of new restaurants that offer wood fired pizzas and stuff. Maybe try and secure a room with a view of the river? There's a nice park by the river there too, so it's a nice area in general.

 

[urbanhack]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

Thanks. Sounds like we'll do Hood River then. We were planning to do the Bridge of the Gods hike on the way there. We'll definitely hit a winery or two as well. Is there a specific hotel or area to target? Or is it really small enough that everything they've got is pretty much located in that one area?

Not a TON of hotels there. Hampton Inn might be your best bet. It's a half mile by foot to the heart of downtown and also close to pFriem, Ferment and a couple of new restaurants that offer wood fired pizzas and stuff. Maybe try and secure a room with a view of the river? There's a nice park by the river there too, so it's a nice area in general.

The Best Western right there next to the breweries and the river access is one of the better ones.

Agree with everything you said about HR. I think the first time is the best. I got back once in a while and have trouble finding new things to do. Usually it's just to do a drive down the gorge and we end up there. I always gravitate to pFriem and Ferment but they are usually crowded AF...so then we look elsewhere.

Also have purchased the smoked fish at cascade locks and fresh fruit. Always a winner.

 

[Ridgeback]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

Thanks. Sounds like we'll do Hood River then. We were planning to do the Bridge of the Gods hike on the way there. We'll definitely hit a winery or two as well. Is there a specific hotel or area to target? Or is it really small enough that everything they've got is pretty much located in that one area?

Not a TON of hotels there. Hampton Inn might be your best bet. It's a half mile by foot to the heart of downtown and also close to pFriem, Ferment and a couple of new restaurants that offer wood fired pizzas and stuff. Maybe try and secure a room with a view of the river? There's a nice park by the river there too, so it's a nice area in general.

I would echo what GM said and add that Hotel Society is a super nice place to stay, complete with a spa/sauna that is really nice.

Also, Core cellars is one of the nicest wineries in the area. Very modern design, with very good, affordable offerings.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

has @General Malaise talked about the acropolis yet? i highly recommend the steak there, maybe not the salad bar.

 

[Ridgeback]

has @General Malaise talked about the acropolis yet? i highly recommend the steak there, maybe not the salad bar.

Or the dancers.

 

[General Malaise]

has @General Malaise talked about the acropolis yet? i highly recommend the steak there, maybe not the salad bar.

Haven't been there in years. Rude and I attempted to go once and they wouldn't let me in, so we went to the to-go window and ate steak bites in the parking lot with a few other derelicts who also couldn't get past the judgy bouncer.

 

[General Malaise]

I do highly recommend Bend, but go there when you can get a three day weekend and target July or August. Nothing better than floating the river with a few cold beers.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Both are fantastic, but the drive to Bend and back can be rough, especially if there's any weather (though I'm beginning to think we'll never see rain again). Bend is much bigger as well, so plenty to do and you can walk around the downtown area with ease. That said, there's a bunch of cool stuff around the Bend area that you'll want to explore and having a car to get you around is ideal. It's a beer lover's paradise and many of the breweries have top notch grub either in house or with food carts on the property. Honestly though, summer is the ideal time to visit Bend. Unless you plan on skiing at Bachelor, but again, with our hot, dry summer not sure that's an option in Nov.

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

In Hood River now. Ate at Egg River Cafe for breakfast, did the Mosier Plateau hike, hit the pFriem Brewery, then the Common House and now at Double Mountain for beers and pizza.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Didn't know where else to put this. Looking for some input from the local guys. Wife and I are looking to do a weekend away the first weekend of November. Trying to decide between Hood River and Bend. What say yous? And is there a downtown-type area to stay in where we could be walkable to all the eating and drinking establishments?

I thought there was a thread once about one or both places, but I can't find it, so...

Both are fantastic, but the drive to Bend and back can be rough, especially if there's any weather (though I'm beginning to think we'll never see rain again). Bend is much bigger as well, so plenty to do and you can walk around the downtown area with ease. That said, there's a bunch of cool stuff around the Bend area that you'll want to explore and having a car to get you around is ideal. It's a beer lover's paradise and many of the breweries have top notch grub either in house or with food carts on the property. Honestly though, summer is the ideal time to visit Bend. Unless you plan on skiing at Bachelor, but again, with our hot, dry summer not sure that's an option in Nov.

Hood River is much smaller, easier to walk around the downtown area and not a whole lot much to explore outside of the area unless you want to visit some wineries or hit some cool hikes. There might be some cool apple or pear orchards to visit in early Nov, but I think Sept/Oct is the ideal time for that. Hood River also has some excellent breweries with great food. pFriem is excellent. Double Mountain is very cool, great pizzas. The Naked Winery used to have a tasting room downtown that was a lot of fun. They changed their name to Evoke, same ownership. They've also expanded to other towns, but this was always a fun place to go.

Other odds and ends - Hood River is VERY windy, so it's no surprise the kite boarding, wind surfing, etc are VERY popular activities. Watching the colorful kites flying around the Columbia can be pretty cool. A wonderful spot to base out of if you want to explore the Gorge some more. Across the river is White Salmon, which is also a pretty neat little town with some good food and beer. Terrific views of Mt. Hood at Everybody's Brewing.

If just a weekend getaway, consider the fact that Bend is going to take roughly 8 hours (and likely more) of your time in travel there and back. Hood River will be more like 4 if traffic is snarled getting through Portland. Lastly, if you're a fan of fish, the Native Americans are able to catch salmon at will and they will sell their fresh catch near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks. You can get some terrific deals on fresh chinook, coho, sockeye and other fish that you aren't going to get in the stores (and certainly not as fresh).

In Hood River now. Ate at Egg River Cafe for breakfast, did the Mosier Plateau hike, hit the pFriem Brewery, then the Common House and now at Double Mountain for beers and pizza.

Also hit the Marchesi winery