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Rob_C

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Okay, I did my due diligence and searched for a thread I remembered people talking about things to do in Portland around the station and came up empty. Planning a 14-28 overnight transfer and have the evening and most of the day to kill.

Any suggestions ideas are greatly appreciated! Also what's the best for overnight? Someplace near the station perhaps?

Thanks!

Rob
 
portland has a fare free area for busses but more inportantly for max (light rail) and the portland streetcar. the area has its eastern border at portland union station. this lets you see a lot of portland free. also they have day passes which are a good deal too. right near the station are a beautiful chinese garden and powell's technical bookstore. a couple blocks farther is powell's main store. check out a portland web site for maps and scuh. we like to stay at the la quinta at the convention center. reasonable rates, nice enough rooms and good bkfst. it's a nice max ride across the steel bridge from downtown. still in the fare free area. portland has a great history museum and art museum. across the street from one another and still in the fare free area (transfer from max to the streetcar). portland is one of my favorite towns
 
Thanks for those tips! Will investigate further!

Cheers.

Rob
 
Whoops, nevermind, found it here.

Is there any special Max line we need to look for to get there?

Rob
 
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I spent 4 hours in downtown Portland last March on a layover between the EB and the Cascades, I wrote about it in a long 'n' rambling trip report, the Portland part is post #5:

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?...scades&st=0

Don't know how helpful it is in terms of "things to do" but it does emphasize how easy it is to get all turned around there, I was told that before I went, and I know a mostly sleepless night and many hours on the train had put me in a kind of pleasant daze, maybe not the best for exploring strange cities on my own! :)

I want to go back in the summer sometime and see the rose gardens. That seems like it would be worth a trip for sure.
 
Gorgeous pics! And thanks for the trip report!

I went ahead and booked the La Quinta, so Yarrow's feet are over the fire! ;)

Avoiding the bad part of town will be interesting, but thanks to Google and Cascadia, I think it's do-able.

Definitely thinking about the museums. Anybody done those?

Thanks again!

Rob
 
Gorgeous pics! And thanks for the trip report!
I went ahead and booked the La Quinta, so Yarrow's feet are over the fire! ;)

Avoiding the bad part of town will be interesting, but thanks to Google and Cascadia, I think it's do-able.

Definitely thinking about the museums. Anybody done those?

Thanks again!

Rob
If you stand at the door of the train station, facing downtown, the area you want to avoid is on your left, along the river there. Hang toward the right for a few blocks before you head downtown and all will be well.

I was lucky to have some help from an engineer who lived in Portland who went over my map with me and pointed out a few things, I marked the map up, and that was very helpful.

Your crew and staff on the train and in the station might be one of your best resources if you approach them right, especially if you have a cheap map and a pen/highlighter to take notes on the map with.

The guys in the Portland station are super great guys.
 
Reminds me of another question (sorry!)

We'll be checking out of the hotel at noon (or earlier) and would like to leave our bags somewhere for the 5 hours before #28 departs. I read the part about you checking your bags early, but I wasn't planning on checking the bags. (we travel light). What are the options? Lockers, ask them nicely to hold it with the checked stuff? Pay the funny guy that barks like a dog on 5th street to watch them? ;)

Rob
 
Reminds me of another question (sorry!)
We'll be checking out of the hotel at noon (or earlier) and would like to leave our bags somewhere for the 5 hours before #28 departs. I read the part about you checking your bags early, but I wasn't planning on checking the bags. (we travel light). What are the options? Lockers, ask them nicely to hold it with the checked stuff? Pay the funny guy that barks like a dog on 5th street to watch them? ;)

Rob
if you are travelling sleeper you can leave your bags in the metropolitan lounge (first class lounge) at union station for no charge. we have also left bags at the la quinta desk without problem
 
Reminds me of another question (sorry!)
We'll be checking out of the hotel at noon (or earlier) and would like to leave our bags somewhere for the 5 hours before #28 departs. I read the part about you checking your bags early, but I wasn't planning on checking the bags. (we travel light). What are the options? Lockers, ask them nicely to hold it with the checked stuff? Pay the funny guy that barks like a dog on 5th street to watch them? ;)

Rob
you can leave your bags at the station, you don't have to check them through as baggage. I only had small carry on bags and I left them at the baggage area while I ran around downtown. It cost a dollar or two a bag and a tip, no big deal. I mean, i did have a ticket for later that day, but I offered to show it and they didn't seem to care.
 
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