Portland -- City of Roses and Bridges

The Portland Rose Gardens offer an incredible view of the city in addition to beautiful flowers. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is fascinating for young and old alike.

Quick Tips:

Bring a light raincoat and wear sensible (waterproof) shoes.

Best Way To Get Around:

Portland's downtown is very walkable and has an excellent mass transit system of busses and "Max" light rail.

Owned by the same family for four generations, Dan & Louis' Oyster Bar is a wonderful find in old part of Portland's downtown area. Dan & Louis' (a.k.a. "The Oyster Bar") is on a funky alley one street south of the bustling Burnside Ave., which bisects Portland north and south.

As the name implies, this is the place for oysters. The owners have their own oyster beds on the Oregon Coast. Fresh oysters are available year-round and can be had on the half shell, in cocktails, in stews, and fried. A bowl of "double diced" and a plate of fried oysters is a hearty meal.

The decor includes a marvelous collection of plates and photos from times past. A strong nautical theme pervades the place. The service is friendly and conducted by waitresses of which many have more than 30 years at the Oyster Bar. You won't feel rushed. Come once and you'll be addicted to the food.

Portland's best steak house. Also voted for the restaurant with the best onion rings in the city. If the exquisite ultra-prime-quality beef steaks don't make you salivate to near dehydration before you even reach the door, the onion rings certainly will! They're heaven!

Tuxedo-clad waiters provide first-class service. A fairly dark restaurant environment which tends to inhibit boisterousness. This is a serious steak house. Cholesterol be damned! Long live the Ringside!

Great food, very reasonable prices, incredible river view, good service, entertaining atmosphere. On Fridays and weekends, be prepared for a wait as they don't take reservations. It's worth the wait, however.

Portland's has a large number of beautiful fountains scattered around the downtown area. They range from Art Deco drinking fountains to restored horse-waterers to cascading walls of water to dozens of synchronized jets of water sprays.

Fountains are wonderful to gaze at regardless of the weather, but warm weather, obviously, encourages closer examination and more detailed exploration of them. Some of the fountains, like those in the park adjoining the Willamette River, are very people-friendly and getting "wet and personal" is encouraged.

My favorite fountain is in the corner of downtown near the Saturday Market on Ankeny Street. It's a perfect spot to take one's shoes off and soak pedestrian weary feet for a while.