apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

we're planning on spending a couple of nights each in seattle and portland (first vacation with my sweetie) and we're hoping
to get some suggestions for restaurants. preferably somewhere
interesting but casual, and not over the top pricewise. we like union square cafe in NYC, and slanted door in SF. any equivalents? while i'm asking, suggestions for any cute bed and breakfasts or other nice places to stay? thanks

for seattle hotels:

i've had some friends stay at the ace hotel in belltown (just north of the market). it is a small modern hotel with private or shared baths (if you're on a budget). if you're looking at the higher end, there is the westin, the new pan pacific or the inn at the market.

seattle restaurants:
the pink door (italian), barolo (italian), palace kitchen or dahlia lounge (both owned by tom douglas, a chef who has several great restaurants in downtown) have great seafood...

also, check out this site for seattle & portland info:

http://www.themodernlist.com/

thanks meredith. we've decided to spend a couple nights in SF as well, so hotel/b&b recommendations SF would also be welcome...

firefly - not sure if you receive daily candy newsletters, but today's "everywhere" edition focuses on portland travel tips.

staying in a hotel in sf is rare for me (since i'm local), but i have spent the night at the hotel adagio and enjoyed it. the hotel is home to cortez restaurant, which i love love love.

the hotel vitale is run by the same boutique hotel company as the adagio. i've only been in the lobby/restaurant/bar area, but thought it looked like a cool place to stay. and it's an easy walk to the ferry plaza (and slanted door) from there. note: the bar at the vitale is quite a scene; i had brunch at the restaurant and thought it was good.

Ace Hotel in Seattle is great and they just opened one in Portland.

Doug Fir is a fun lounge/ hotel / restaurant, Portland

Where to stay in Portland really depends on the type of experience you want to have.

If you're looking for the "downtown" experience, I'd recommend the Ace Hotel, or staying at the Jupiter just across the river.

For "Portland Weird" your best bet is staying at the Kennedy School, and then you'll have access to the Alberta district et al.

There used to be a restaurant in Seattle called Wild Ginger which was similar food (modern Vietnamese) as Slanted Door, but miles better. Don't know if it's still there or still as good (this was 10 years ago, but it's still memorable).

Ok, here's a question - if you were to spend time in Seattle and Portland by yourself would you find it easy to get around, things to do, not feel weird about traveling alone? I have a 1st class plane ticket I have to use ans want to use it on the longest flight possible. Living in Manhattan that means the west coast. I've never been to Portland or Seattle so I thought about taking a trip out there but I'd be traveling alone.

any thoughts?

Does anyone live near and visit a JCPenney's that has a furniture dept.? I would love to know the quality of this dresser:

http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=40525&CatID=40669&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=122fa4a&ProdSeq=20&Cat=dressers&Dep=Furniture&PCat=bedroom&PCatID=40529&RefPage=ProductList&Sale=&ProdCount=26&RecPtr=&ShowMenu=&TTYP=&ShopBy=0&RefPageName=CategoryAll%252Easpx&RefCatID=40529&RefDeptID=40525&Page=3&CmCatId=EXTERNAL|40529|40669

Anyone!?

Portland, Portland!

Restaurants worth a try, $10-20/person:
The Farm on East Burnside. All local, seasonal, organic. Located in an old house, good for a small group of 2-4, chic ambience.

The Screen Door. Great southern food with even better drinks in a candlelit Arts and Crafts style restaurant. Get some Fried Green Tomatos as an appetizer and then go for the Georgia Griddle Cakes topped with mixed vegetables tossed in an herb vinagrette.

Henry's Bar and Tavern, West Burnside. Located on the edge of the swanky Pearl District, great for the beer lover and foodie alike. Fun happy hour, sit outside on the patio to have an ivy-covered brick wall behind you adorned with twinkle lights.

Tin Shed on NE Alberta. Alberta Street is home to a monthly open-gallery-local-color event and it has restaurants to match. Breakfast is great, and all dishes can be made Veggie or Vegan, if that's your thing. Servers are quintessential Portlanders and the self-serve coffee station means you can sip while you wait for a table. Their dinner service is also delish.

Simpatica Dining Hall. SE Ash. The new and communal Simpatica is run by a couple guys with high-end butcher experience so the meat here is all-organic and amazing. Brunch is fantastic but there's usually a wait. Check them out at simpaticacatering.com

Aqui. SE Madison. Mexican food with a twist. The owner, Angie, is a delight and her decor of rustic Mexican art matched with mood lighting is a hit. Don't miss the jalapeno corn muffins as an appetizer because they will blow your mind.

Other delicious options:
Park Ave Cafe. SW Park and SW Market. Grab a bagel sandwich at this little cafe adjacent to the University. $4.95 gets you a bagel with cream cheese, lox, tomato, and onion. Or, go for my girlfriend's favorite: the classic sausage, egg, and cheese. Take it to go and wander down the Park Blocks to the Art Museum.

Rose's deli. NW 23rd Avenue. American food as simple and no-frills as it gets. Stop by the dessert displays on your way in and be sure to save room.

Rimsky Koraskoffee House. SE 12th Avenue. This coffee shop is filled with kitsch. Journals written in by travelers, regulars and servers alike line the entry way. Conversation starters hang from the ceiling and table tops are themed under glass tops. The desserts (a homemade waffle with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with a homemade raspberry sauce and marionberries) are to-die-for. I think they take cash or checks only, FYI.


Hope these help! <3

-kate.

P.S. And Anne-- Portland has fantastic public transport on fairly clean and reliable trains. Our city blocks are modeled after European cities so they are shorter and the whole downtown area is especially walkable. Good thing, too, because you don't want to miss all the street art installations or parks! Traveling alone at night is okay where ever you go- especially compared to NYC (I've spent some time on LI). The only potentially uncomfortable issue you might have is with high numbers of homeless people but by nightfall these folks usually gather near shelters on lower W Burnside. Plus, most of our homeless are very respectful and non-threatening. Portland (PDX) is also consistently rated as one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the US, with miles and miles of bike lanes so we're very used to pedestrians. AND, unlike NY, here it is customary for cars to wait for pedestrians to cross the road. Still, keep your head up, but prepare for the culture shock as drivers yield to those on foot.
;)

What a great post, PDX. You're really selling me on your city. Homeless I can take. But cars yielding to pedestrians!? What? The question is - do bikers yield to pedestrians?

thanks to all for the great suggestions. keep 'em coming! :)

YAY Portland!

SoutheastPDX really did give a great rundown of places to try. If you have a sweet tooth make sure you go to Pix Patisserie, there is one on SE division St, SE Hawthorne and another one on *i think* N. Williams. They serve AMAZING french desserts and such and have a very interesting booze selection too. Also, St. Cupcake, a cupcake bakery on NW Glisan and 16th, is the cutest ever and SO good!

you will love portland! have fun :)

Ooh I love Rose's on 23rd! I'm also trying to remember the phenomenal dessert place (I think it's also on 23rd) - is it Papa Haydn's? We used to go there after cheapo student night at the opera and it was a great way to end the evening.

Also if you hit Rose's, have an eclair for me. Mmm I miss P-town.

And I too have heard that the Kennedy School is a great place to stay for at true Portland experience. See if you can get a tunnel tour while you're there!

anh-minh, i don't receive daily candy newsletters, and couldn't find the article you mentioned on their site. do you have a link?
thanks!

firefly - here's the daily candy link:

http://www.dailycandy.com/article.jsp?ArticleId=30646&city=15

have a fantastic trip!

In seattle:

Le Pichet -- Pike Place Market -- authentic French cafe
Black Bottle -- 1 st ave in Belltown -- gastro-pub style wine bar with lots of small plates, wines by the glass, full bar, etc.
Brasa -- high end Mediterranean restaurant with great happy hour deals on fabulous food

I always travel alone. Seattle was no problem. I tend to pick a hotel that puts me within walking distance of what I want to see, so my experience with public transportation is limited.

Don't know what you like to do when you visit cities, but Seattle has two fantastic museums: the Burke -- for Pacific Northwest Indian Art -- and the Asian Art Museum -- for, well, Asian art.

Yay - Portland & SF! I lived in PDX for 6 years, and now I've lived in SF for almost 5.

Portland hotels:
- Kennedy School b&b - the only bad comment I've ever heard from a guest was that there's no TV in the rooms! But a totally fun place - 4 bars, restaurant, movie theater with couches where you can take your beer in, soaking tub. But check out the entire chain of microbrews & b&bs by McMenamins:
http://www.mcmenamins.com/
- Jupiter Hotel

Portland restaurants:
- Eleni's Philoxenia (Pearl District)
http://www.elenisrestaurant.com/
Order the appetizers and don't stop. This throws off restaurant reviewers, but you won't be fooled. The menu is based around appetizers. The tzadziki & skordalia are to die for.

Portland neighborhoods:
- Downtown
- Pearl District

Portland institution:
- Powell's books

San Francisco neighborhoods:
- Union Square (shopping madness. Go enjoy the historic glass dome in the SF Shopping Centre)

San Francisco museums for a modern perspective:
- de Young
- SFMoMA

San Francisco institution:
- Ferry Building

Will add more later!

If you enjoy Asian cuisine, skip the Slanted Door this time and check out where the locals eat in SF: try 'yummy yummy' (vietnamese) and 'san tung' (chinese) on 1031 block of Irving in the inner sunset.

To the poster above, re the Wild Ginger above, it's still open and it is still pan-Asian.

A non-modern Seattle hotel choice but one people always rave about is the Inn at the Market, mentioned above:
http://www.innatthemarket.com/

In addition, to the higher end restaurants mentioned, I always love stopping at Dilettante Chocolates on Broadway (Capital Hill district) for cakes and chocolate.

When I lived in SF I always seemed to end up at a great little restaurant in Potrero Hill called Aperto. Is it still there?

Also, best sushi in the world is at Sushi Ran in Sausalito!

Anne,

There's some ongoing tension between bicyclists and drivers in town. Of course, both teams cite the shittiest bicyclists/drivers as examples for why the other is so damn inconsiderate.

Not all bicyclists follow the laws of the road (as they're supposed to), but not all drivers follow the laws of the road, either.

For the most part, cyclists are super respectful of pedestrians. Kind of a shared "we're the most vulnerable on the road" feeling. ;)

*I* tend to embrace a survival of the fittest mentality in the city: if I can dart on foot more quickly than someone barreling down the road on a bike, it's up to me to get out of the way. ;)

Thanks, PDXCarrie and Anne (in Reno) for the support! And FYI, they are right: Pix, Papa Haydn's, Kennedy School and St. Cupcake are all super.

-kate.