Portland, OR -- what to see and do

[Paul Rollins <psroll@domain.elided>]

>From: "Dr. Craig Walker" <veloce@domain.elided>

>Can somebody clue me in on Portland so I can schedule my life around
it?

Portland is well located as a starting point for many good adventures.

The Columbia River Gorge is very close. This is one of North America's
spectacular attractions. Mt. St. Helens is not far to the north, and it
has a great driver's  road up to the point where you can look into the
crater. There are great visitor centers along this road which have
fascinating presentations on the famous eruption. Mt. Hood is about an
hour east of the city, offering a picturesque drive up to Timberline
lodge and a teriffic view of the area. The ocean is about 1-1/2 hours
west, with an interesting coastline, lighthouses, and beach towns. South
and soutwest of the metro area there are many very good wineries. One of
Oregon's best wine varieties is Pinot Gris -- very competitive with the
Pinot Grigio we have had in Italy. South and southeast there are many
covered bridges to cross. Because of the mountain ranges (Cascades to
the east and Costal to the west) straddling the valley in which Portland
lies, you will find many excellent roads for driving to the east and
west. There are numerous daylight and evening cruises on the Willamette
and Columbia rivers.


Across the river to the north is Vancouver, WA. There is a full-size
reconstruction of the original wooden fort (which was actually a trading
post). In the summer, it is an interactive, live history experience,
similar to Williamsburg,VA, but on a small scale. Next to this is
Pearson Field, which claims to be the oldest, continuously-operating
airfield in the U.S., containing the Pearson Air Museum.

The city of Portland is modest in size and not pretentious; it doesn't
have a lot of spectacular attractions like the Eifel Tower, Statue of
Liberty, or Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. Although not a
vacation-destination city like New York, Orlando or Honolulu, there are
still interesting things to see and do.  Sitting at the high point of
the City is the Rose Garden -- a real rose garden, not the one where the
basetball teams play. From here, one has a spectacular view of Mt. Hood,
the beginning of the Columbia River Gorge, and the whole panorama to the
east of the city. Surprising for a city this size, Portland has a very
good art museum. Portland claims to have more micro breweries per capita
than any other city in the U.S., and it cetainly has plenty of friendly,
British-style pubs. Every variety of restaurant is available in the
area. Authentic Chinese food is particularly good here.

For kids, there is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, which also
has a real submarine to tour. There is also a small amusement park, Oaks
Park, along the Willamette River. Portland has a zoo, but it is pretty
modest compared to zoos like San Diego. In summer, an old-fsshioned
trolley runs downtown. A couple of the local shopping malls have large,
indoor ice rinks.

Oregon is "duty free" -- there is no sales tax, so it is a great place
to shop.

It is about a 2-1/2 hour drive to Seattle, which has a whole other list
of attractions.

There are probably a lot of other great things to see and do and others
will no doubt post them to this list.

Paul Rollins
Vancouver, WA

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