I *hate* you with all the seething hatred of overwhelming envy.
The bf's fav. hotel in Vancouver is Pacific Palisades. In Portland, I recommend you stay with my friends C. and J. and their two adorable boys, neither of whom I've met yet, goddammit.
I just back from a long weekend in Portland, myself. We stayed at the Ace Hotel. You can get the backstory online, but it's basically an old SRO renovated into a hipster boutique hotel -- cool design, perfect lobby for lounging. The rooms are sparse, but the price is right.
I stayed at the Heathman in Portland years ago and loved it. FWIW.
Damn. I won't be there. But Jesus probably will be!
It's probably quite full of a certain yuppie vibe, but the McMenamins inns in the Portland area are popular.
Isn't someone supposed to tell Ogged not to move to Portland?
Slightly OT bleg: I'm headed to Seattle in a couple of weeks. I'm staying near Pike Place, but I only have a little bit of time, and I really, really need to get to Fran's Chocolates (in University Village) while I'm there. What's the public transit situation like in Seattle?
My advice is to forego Fran's Chocolates and go to the Zig Zag Cafe, which is also near Pike Place.
If my committee finally puts its collective head together, I should be taking a celebratory trip to Austin in the last few days of May.
My advice is that Ben's smoking something. If the bus routes are still the same as they used to be, the routes that run from downtown to the U District are 71, 72, and 73. You'd catch the bus on 3rd (maybe in the tunnel now?), get off on University, and either catch a bus across 45th (don't know the route) or just walk over the hill to U Village (maybe a mile).
Obviously Ben meant that jms should go to Fran's first, and only then go to Zig Zag Cafe. What's the problem?
Also, we were pretty happy with the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland. It's an old hotel that's been refurbished and rebranded. Comfortable and convenient. But we're pretty bourgeois and have a kid.
9: The #25 bus goes to U Village from downtown, but not on weekends. U Village is actually in Ravenna, not the U District. I would say it's a long way to go for chocolate, but I buy Hershey's, at the gas station.
16: I am not allowed to return from the Northwest without Fran's. Downtown Seattle to University Village is not a major undertaking.
I'm travelling almost 1000 miles to get to Seattle (it's a business trip, but I thought of Fran's when I agreed to go); I don't mind taking an extra bus ride or two.
I'm staying near Pike Place,
Make sure to stop in here.
@9
Too bad you can't wait until September, when one opens in the Four Seasons on First Ave.
Getting to U Village from downtown would take a while. You can get Fran's chocolates at a lot of places, including this place. You should also check out Theo's chocolates. Again the trip to Fremont to get them on site is probably not worth it, but you can get them at the aforementioned place as well.
Or for about the same amount of time as it would take to navigate public transportation to and from the U Village, you could do this.
go to a portland timbers game. probably one of the best american soccer experiences you can have, despite the timbers being one level beneath mls. the timbers army is the supporters group and one of the coolest groups you'll find in the united states as well as europe (seriously). some english supporters went to a recent game and said that the atmosphere rivaled any stadium in england (albeit with fewer people). they play montreal on august 16th.
I should be taking a celebratory trip to Austin in the last few days of May.
Sigh, the rest of TX is always second fiddle ...
I've only ever stayed in Portland or Vancouver on someone else's dime, but the Hotel Deluxe in Portland and the Pan Pacific in Vancouver were quite nice and not super expensive.
Not to jinx anything, but I'll be in the Northwest sometime around then and would like to have another go at a meetup if it works out. No holidays + less assembled family should mean less chance of missing the meetup due to family weirdness this time.
I'm not an accommodations connoisseur, but I'll second the Ace Hotel recommendation for Portland. It's centrally located (~30 seconds to the main Powell's, and on the streetcar line), and there's a Stumptown Coffee in the building where you can get a single cup brewed from your choice of fair-trade beans, although I guess that may be a concept that has traveled. The downside is that Stark Street is no longer much of a gay district, although you can probably think of something.
August is a great time to be here; the climate approximates Oakland's for a couple months. Some element of Forest Park (5,000 acres) will interest you; I'm partial to the actual rose garden, as opposed to the place where Allen's Folly break hearts. Outside of that, though, I think you're going to find it to be like a cut-rate version of the Bay -- though you being you, and Portland being Portland, you should probably visit one of the "gentleman's clubs" (nobody will be offended).
"gentleman's clubs"
I'm told the Acropolis has really good steak.
20: That's a thought, in case I run out of time, but for years now (since my last trip to Seattle) I've been dreaming about Fran's figs stuffed with ganache, which I think they only have on-site. They are only days away! I can almost taste them.
The Japanese Garden in Portland is the best I've ever seen, and there are more good options for locally brewed beer than in most cities (Rogue Brewery and Lucky Lab are great).
Funny you should ask, a friend and I are in the middle of writing a Portland travel guide. The Ace is good if you want to be downtown, but there are a few others I could recommend; email me if you want more info.
The Japanese Garden in Portland is the best I've ever seen
But did the original owners get interned during WWII?
Reed College girls are promiscuous and have a fascination with exotic middle eastern types. Wear the gold chain.
People recommend the high desert museum in Bend, which is a day trip. There's a Rodin museum out in the boonies which is a must-see if you're big on Rodin.
People recommend the high desert museum in Bend
I'm one of them.
I'm another, but it's kind of a long drive from here.
And like they said, more strippers per capita than Las Vegas. Stripping is a constitutional right.
I've been dreaming about Fran's figs stuffed with ganache, which I think they only have on-site. They are only days away! I can almost taste them.
Damn you!
more strippers per capita than Las Vegas
Everyone in Portland is either a barista or a Suicide Girl. Even the loggers.
Everyone learns the story of the heroic pioneers on the Oregon trail, but few realize tha full scope of their accomplishment. With unimaginable foresight, they put language in the state constitution which ultimately would guarantee the right to strip. Like the early abolitionists, they knew that the battle would not be won in a day, but worked resolutely for a goal the achievement of which they would not live to see. But today we -- their great-granddaughters and great-grandsons -- thank them.
"Like the Oregon Trail itself, the path to freedom to strip would be a long one." Forgot that part.
"Like the Oregon Trail itself, the path to freedom to strip would be a long one."
Candy has died of dysentary. Sinnamon has broken a leg.
I'm a third on the high desert museum, although it is indeed a long drive. But a really beautiful one, if you're into mountain road trips.
If you happened into Bend accidentally though, the Victorian Cafe is a great place for lunch.
All you learn on the Oregon Trail is that if you caulk the boat, you sink and someone dies. Pay the Indian guide.
How many of y'all are in Portland, Oregon? What about Vancouver, BC?
Well, I'm forced to live in Vancouver BC, hell-hole that it is. But I never stay in the hotels. The earlier thread covered most of them that I know of.
A few other things to do that weren't covered in the earlier thread is taking a tour of one or more of the huge Buddhist Temples in town, cycling the West Dike Trail to the old Japanese fishing village of Steveston, eating as much dim sum as you can pack in, or hiking some of the excellent trails in the North Vancouver mountains overlooking Vancouver. There's also a large Iranian community in North Vancouver if you would like some restaurant ghormeh sabzi.
Vancouver BC has one of the best Chinatowns in the world.
Vancouver BC has one of the best Chinatowns in the world.
Oh, nearly forgot, there are several ginormous Asian malls that are fun to go to, as well as the Chinese night markets in Richmond and Chinatown (although I heard that the Richmond one isn't open this year).
Vancouver BC has one of the best Chinatowns in the world.
According to Jennifer 8. Lee, the world's greatest Chinese restaurant outside of China itself is in Richmond, very near Vancouver.
Thanks for the info, all, and I forgot to ask: has anyone done the drive from Portland to Vancouver? How long does it really take, and should I just fly? (I've been to Seattle before, not much desire to linger there.)
I've biked from Portland to Vancouver a few times. That takes the better part of two days. The drive is around 5-6.5 hours, depending on traffic and the border crossing.
50: Five hours, give or take, depending on how long the border crossing takes. In your case, I'd allow some time for extraordinary rendition.
Planes are less likely to be held up at the border, I think.
It all depends on the border. I made it in about 6 hours once. No traffic and no border wait, and it can take as little as 5 hours. Some traffic and a 1.5 hour border wait (which I've had), and you're up to 7-8 hours.
In your case, I'd allow some time for extraordinary rendition.
Only on the way back.
I've always wanted to go to Egypt.
Try Damascus.
Vong's Kitchen, a hole in the wall in Vancouver, is also one of North America's best Chinese restaurants. There's no menu; they just serve whatever they can make with the ingredients they get fresh on the day you're there. Yum. Also, Tojo's is reputed to be some of the best sushi in the world. And it has a world-class view of downtown and the mountains to the north. Very pricey but totally worth it.
I think Vong's closed down a couple of years ago.
I imagine that the Egyptian interrogators work the "denial is not a river in Egypt" line really hard. Though that's only part of the torture.
DENIAL ISN'T JUST WHAT YOU'RE DROWNING IN, TERRORIST!
DENALI IS NOT A MOUNTAIN IN ALASKA!
I want to point out the mistake in 63, but keep thinking that maybe it was intentional, since President McKinley would most likely want the mountain in question to be referred to as Mt. McKinley.
DAKEOOOOO
Ogged you must try the pot while you're there.
If you're there in July, you could participate in Cannabis Day festivities.
I'll be out that way too -- exact dates unknown. Noodling around on the various travel sites, it looks like we save buckets of cash flying to Seattle instead Vancouver (or Victoria, which is even more convenient).
66: You're so right. How could I forget? (Something to do with short-term memory? Huh.)
Also, it may have been covered in the other thread, but Vancouver has an awesome public pool. Speaking of which, I may be able to get you into a pool here, if you want to maintain your workout schedule.
70: you realize, Jesus, that ogged is putting this whole trip together to get free wine out of you. And the man hardly drinks! Craven.
And the man hardly drinks!
That's the only reason I'm willing to help. The rest of you winos can fuck off.
I may be able to get you into a pool here, if you want to maintain your workout schedule
Ha, thanks. I've been looking up pools first, then trying to decide which hotels are near the good ones. Vancouver has two I want to check out, including one that's 137 meters long.
(I've been to Seattle before, not much desire to linger there.)
What, are you on crack?
JMS, the buses in Seattle are excellent. You can take the advice already proffered, or you can take the #7 or 9 from downtown, get off mid-block on Broadway, pop into Bailey-Coy books, buy something, take it down the street to Dilettante, and have something chocolate there while you read. Then you either hop back on the University bus, get off at the University, walk across the pretty campus and down the hill to U Village *or* walk down to Bdway and John, hop the 43, transfer to the 68, and there you go. Either of those would make for a very nice afternoon.
Of course, if you take the 7 or the 9, you'll cross the U. Bridge, which gives you an opportunity to stop at the little French bakery on the south side of the bridge and have a pate sandwich, a latte, and a pastry for like $7.
Sigh.
Tweety, even I can see through that pathetic troll attempt.
Just sharing my experience. I spent a week there and couldn't wait to get home, which almost never happens to me when travelling.
I took a trip with some friends to the Pacific Northwest one spring in college and we really liked Vancouver and Victoria. Seattle paled in comparison - and we were there for about the same amount of time as in the other cities, which wasn't very long - and then the day we left we found out the car had been broken into. Seemed like a city that's much better to live in than to visit.
79
Actually, as a Seattle resident, I totally agree that Seattle is a better city to live in than to visit. And that to visitors, it can seem kind of boring. I feel the same way about Portland, too, though. The cool parts of both of these cities are the atmosphere, comfort, and having city amenities while still having easy accessibility to nature.
Vancouver, on the other hand, has all these things, but is much more exciting to visit.
79
Actually, as a Seattle resident, I totally agree that Seattle is a better city to live in than to visit. And that to visitors, it can seem kind of boring. I feel the same way about Portland, too, though. The cool parts of both of these cities are the atmosphere, comfort, and having city amenities while still having easy accessibility to nature.
Vancouver, on the other hand, has all these things, but is much more exciting to visit.
Oops.
I kind of feel the same way about San Diego, too, especially compared to San Francisco and LA.
Use Seattle as a base to visit the amazing national parks that practically ring the place. Go to the city for great food between hikes, on your way from one park to another.
Jesus Christ, I hope none of you suckers are actually getting worked up over ogged's sort-of-proposed visit. You know he's going to have the flu or cancer or something when the actual date rolls around.
the flu or cancer or something
I'm betting on schistosomiasis.
No, no, that was "Ogged fucks like a rabbit."
Vancouver has miles and miles of beach. I was at UBC near the Anthro museum. You could walk ten minutes down to the water and there might not be anyone visible a a few hundred years either way. Too cold to swim, but you could have those romantic walks on the beach in your singles ad.
Probably in Vancouver romantic walks on the beach are devalued, the local equivalent of a McDonalds date.
Does this ring a bell?
At first, normally the disease is visible by lumps (myxomata) and puffiness around the head and genitals.
F is right. The point of Portland is the scale of economy: since everything is relatively cheap, people can live in a much more marginal fashion than other West Coast cities, and since it lacks big economic and cultural capital and what is available is pretty "open" those marginal people can contribute in a more meaningful fashion to the arts, politics, and the republic of letters than similar people elsewhere. On an architectural and commercial level urban planning has made things compact, and the lack of sales tax makes funky restaurants and businesses feasible, so there are lots of cool street scenes. But gentrification has made it less interesting and accessible, and even at its best it's primarily a place to be engrossed in your idiosyncratic projects: not much is going to wow the visitor. (There are a ton of cool outdoor activities within a short drive, though.)
Jesus Christ, I hope none of you suckers are actually getting worked up over ogged's sort-of-proposed visit.
Ogged has mentioned the idea before and, of the items on that list, the Vancouver trip seems worth encouraging.
As Chuck Palahniuk put it:
"Katherine's theory is that everyone looking to make a new life migrates west, across America to the Pacific Ocean. Once there, the cheapest city where they can live is Portland. This gives us the most cracked of the crackpots. The misfits among misfits."
Well, I'm not sure I would choose Chuck Palahniuk as the area's literary ambassador to the world -- but that's basically him, he worked putting together Freightliner trucks while writing Fight Club. But I was primarily thinking of people you have immediate experience of, Emerson and Jesus McQueen (if he's who I think he is, I used to work with him on a magazine and have fond memories). For people who haven't been through umpteen years of postsecondary schooling they're intellectually tough as shit, and performing public services to boot. I live in the suburbs, and my deal's a little different, but I have to confess that strippers making witty references to Nietzsche and suchlike is a sort of beau ideal for me.
Katherine's theory is that everyone looking to make a new life migrates west, across America to the Pacific Ocean.
Portland is a jumping-off point for China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, etc. (And also for trendier places like Bali, Nepal, etc., but probably the Bay Area wins there.)
I think of Portland as a Triple A city that can sometimes compete with the not-so-good major-league cities. People have been trying to make it big-league since about 1975, but the town is just too small for that (and people say the richest locals are stingy). But Portland does send people to the majors, and it's big-league in a bunch of the minor things, like brewing and luthery and (?maybe?) glass-blowing.
70: you realize, Jesus, that ogged is putting this whole trip together to get free wine out of you. And the man hardly drinks! Craven.
Jesus, I'm sure ogged would be more than happy to courier a bottle of douglas fir eau de vie to me, if you give him one for that purpose. Something to think on.
Vancouver has miles and miles of beach. I was at UBC near the Anthro museum. You could walk ten minutes down to the water and there might not be anyone visible a a few hundred years either way.
Well, if you take that particular walk in August, John or Ogged, be prepared to strip down to the buff. That's Wreck Beach, Vancouver's nude beach. A lovely spot.
If you like trendy, you might like the Jupiter Hotel, attached to the Doug Fir, which is both a club and a very good restaurant. Definitely go to Powell's books downtown: FOUR FLOORS OF BOOKS. Mt. Tabor is well worth walking, and has a view of the entire city: go at dusk. Have breakfast at Gravy in North Portland (heretofore known as NoPo). Visit a Stumptown coffeeshop (the one on Belmont street or downtown). Visit the Sunday Farmer's Market in the park blocks downtown. Try out the Yogashala in NoPo. Visit Alberta and Mississippi Street. Get a cheap acupuncture treatment at NCNM's Pettygrove clinic in NW, and let the students experiment on you.
Oh, please come! I work in the Portland Building downtown and would love to go to any meetup.
The Stumptown coffee shop to go to is, of course, The Bipartisan Cafe, 79th and Stark SE. Out of the way, but a must-see. Run by my brother.
You could be waiting a long time for a table at Gravy on a Sunday.
That's funny, I don't remember signing that last comment with my real name. I'm not the only person that uses that pseudonym, though, so don't get it twisted.