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Enjoy
the French flavor of the Everett Street Bistro at
1140 N.W. Everett St. in Portland's Pearl
District.
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PORTLAND, Ore. — Tired of
reading about traveling on the cheap? Me, too, when
"cheap" translates into a budget motel and an
early-bird dinner special.
I'd rather rest my head at
a four-star hotel, dine on dishes created by award-winning
chefs and let someone else do the driving ... all without
paying a fortune, of course.
If this sounds like your
kind of weekend escape, read on. A stylish getaway to the
Rose City has never been more affordable. Four-star
Portland on a two-star budget was my mission. Here's the
plan:
—Leave the driving ... to
Amtrak
Avoid $25-$30 nightly hotel
parking rates and hassles with directions and traffic.
How: Take Amtrak. It's not
a private limo, but it's comfortable and hassle free. Sit
back and enjoy the views over a bowl of Snoqualmie Falls
oatmeal as the train skirts the shore of Puget Sound
between Seattle and Portland.
What to expect: Amtrak's
first Cascades train leaves Seattle at 7:30 a.m. and
arrives around 11 a.m. It's an easy walk to downtown or a
short ride on a bus or MAX light rail, both of which call
at Portland's Union Station.
Tip: Amtrak fares start at
$29 each way. You and a friend can go for half-price
between now and May 21 if you picked up one of the 10,000
free companion-fare coupons that PCC Natural Markets
handed out last year. Single travelers can get a 25
percent fare discount with a coupon from the Chinook Book
sold at PCC, Whole Foods and other outlets. (See www.amtrakcascades.com)
—Sleeping in style
What's a stylish weekend
without a classy hotel? Why settle for less when you can
sleep in the AAA Four-Diamond Benson (www.bensonhotel.com)
or another luxury hotel for not much more than a night in
a Days Inn?
How: Make a bid on
Priceline (www.priceline.com).
Narrow your choices to four-star hotels downtown.
Priceline lets you choose the area and class of hotel you
want, but doesn't reveal the name until after your bid is
accepted and your credit card is charged.
After bidding $60 several
times before Christmas and being rejected, I repeated the
bid in early January, and snagged two nights for late last
month in a standard double room at the Benson ($72 nightly
with taxes and fees). The hotel's Internet rate for the
same nights was $139.
What to expect: Built in
1913 by Oregon philanthropist Simon Benson, the Benson is
an old-world hotel with a new-world feel. Updated rooms
come with touches expected in a first-class hotel —
early check-in, terry robes, free newspapers and Caffe
Appassionato coffee and Tazo tea.
The lobby feels like an
elegant living room with its Italian marble floors,
Austrian crystal chandeliers and walnut paneling from
Russia. I loved sitting by the big gas fireplace listening
to soft jazz and sipping morning coffee dispensed from a
silver urn.
Best part: The hotel is
just a few blocks from Powell's City of Books and the
Pearl District, Portland's hip former warehouse blocks
filled with art galleries, cafes and restaurants.
Tip: Consult www.biddingfortravel.com
for advice from other travelers on how much to bid on
Priceline and what hotels you can expect to get. Recent
bidders report snagging other downtown four-star hotels
(e.g., The Lucia, Monaco, Vintage Plaza) for $50-$70 per
night.
—Urban drinks and gourmet
eats
Enjoy drinks and dinner for
two at some of Portland's swankiest spots for $30 or less.
How: Take in a happy hour,
and not just between 4 and 6 p.m. Consult www.urbandrinks.com
for all the options. It's possible to find happy hours
that last all day, start very early, or happen twice a
day, once in the afternoon and again in the late evening.
What to expect: Elegant
atmosphere, surprisingly high-quality and healthful food.
Here are three of my favorites, all within walking
distance of downtown hotels:
—The Heathman Hotel's
Marble Bar (www.heathmanportland.com).
Happy hour starts at 2 p.m. and goes until closing daily
at this downtown Portland landmark.
Chef Philippe Boulot sets
out a bistro spread of small plates in the $1.50-$6.50
range, all ample enough for two to share. Among the most
satisfying were five plump pumpkin ravioli ($3.95) paired
with sauteed greens. Add one of the two daily $5 drink
specials or a local microbrew, and two can enjoy a late
lunch here for $15 each, including tip.
—The TeaZone (www.teazone.com)
in the Pearl District. Loose-leaf teas including hand-tied
flower teas from China and herbal medicinal teas draw a
following of locals who drift into the retro-style
Camellia Lounge for the $3-$5 happy hour, 4-7 p.m. daily
and all day Sunday.
Try the house chai spiked
with Frangelico, or prep for the theater with a Streetcar
Named Desire, an icy Champagne cocktail made with
pomegranate liqueur and hibiscus juice. The $5 black bean
burger served with potato salad is one of the most
healthful meals I've found on a happy-hour menu.
—Portland City Grill (www.portlandcitygrill.com).
It's all about the view at this classy night spot on the
30th floor of the U.S. Bancorp Tower. Settle into a couch
by one of the big picture windows and look out over the
Willamette River as you nibble on a white Cheddar burger
($5) or plate of rice-paper spring rolls ($3). Afternoon
and late-night happy hours Monday-Saturday and from 4 to
11 p.m. Sundays.
Tip: Restaurant bills come
with a nice surprise. Oregon has no sales tax, so the
price you see on the menu is what you pay.
—Around the world with
TriMet
Spin the globe and chances
are your finger will land on a country whose culture you
can sample within a few miles of wherever you are in
Portland.
How: Buy a $4.75 all-day
TriMet (www.trimet.org)
pass good for unlimited rides on buses, MAX light rail and
the Portland Streetcar. There's also an extensive
"ride free" zone for the streetcar and light
rail.
Sample itinerary: Start out
in France with breakfast at the Everett Street Bistro (www.everettstreetbistro.com)
in the Pearl District. Notice the pressed-tin ceiling as
you dig into a wild mushroom scramble, sip Stumptown
coffee and listen to Edith Piaf recordings. "A great
place to take a date," says coffeeGirl, author of the
Breakfast in Portland blog.
Drop in next door to Ten
Thousand Villages (www.portland.tenthousandvillages.com)
and shop tax-free for fair-trade handicrafts made by
artisans in 38 countries. Then walk three blocks to
Powell's (www.powells.com)
and find the Red Room. Plan your next world adventure with
a few titles plucked from shelves stocked with used travel
books selling for half or less what they cost new.
Refuel across the street at
Cacao (www.cacaodrinkchocolate.com)
with a $2 ceramic cup of drinking chocolate infused with
paprika, ginger and cayenne pepper. Then, take the bus to
the Lan Su Chinese Garden and wander the serpentine mosaic
pathways (www.portlandchinesegarden.org),
or ride the streetcar to the Oregon Jewish Museum's (www.ojm.org)
new Nob Hill location.
End your international tour
with a bus trip across the Willamette to the Tao of Tea (www.taooftea.com)
in the Belmont neighborhood. Order a pot of milky 500 Mile
Chai ($5) and find out why the blend was a favorite among
long-haul Indian truck drivers who stopped at tea stalls
along highways for a late-night pick-me-up.
—High culture/low cost
Take advantage of free and
discounted museum times, plays, free author readings and
neighborhood art walks.
How: Check http://aroundthesunblog.com
for weekly listings of free or low-cost cultural events.
Sign up for e-mail alerts from the Portland Center for the
Performing arts, which sends out news of last-minute
discounts (www.pcpa.com).
Three suggestions:
—Go to the Portland
Center Stage Theater's Web site (www.pcs.org)
through the end of this month. Type HOTEL in the promo
code box. You'll get a two-for-one price on its latest
production, "The Receptionist," performed in the
Gerding Theater, a renovated 1891 building that once
housed the Oregon National Guard.
—Visit the Portland Art
Museum on the fourth Friday of each month from 5-8 p.m.
and admission is free. Kids younger than 18 get in free
every day (www.portlandartmuseum.org).
—Take in a $3 movie at
McMenamins Mission Theater (www.mcmenamins.com),
originally built as a church and used as a labor hall.
Wednesdays are "Burger, Beer & a Movie"
night, for $10.50.
Tip: Can't make it to a
performance? Show up for a free tour of the Gerding
Theater on first and third Saturdays of the month at noon.
Its transformation from armory annex to beer warehouse to
playhouse wins praise for green architecture and design.
———
IF YOU GO:
Consult Travel Portland's
Web site (www.travelportland.com)
for a one-stop guide to Portland.
If you're reluctant to make
a bid for a hotel on Priceline, or if you're driving to
Portland and want to avoid expensive parking rates, check
out packages available through the Portland Perks program,
with special rates on more than 35 hotels. Rates include
overnight parking, a continental breakfast and coupons for
two-for-one admissions to museums and cultural
performances, plus dining and shopping discounts. Book
online or call 800-962-3700.
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