Me and the wife are trying to plan a weekend getaway in the next couple of months. Just the two of us to get away from the boys for a few days. All we're looking to do is find a cheap flight to some city and just explore it for a few days. Right now on the top of the list is Portland.

If you're heading this way, do consider Seattle, I've been to Portland many times, frankly, we went for the no sales tax. Not a lot to see there.
Seattle is only about 120 miles to British Columbia. A 2 1/2 hour drive ( or about the same travel time via the shoreline on Victoria Clipper ) if you want to visit a beautiful place out of State. We go there for the fantastic food it offers ( Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby ). I was told it offers better food than even the San Francisco Bay area. Golf and hiking , did I say golfing ? Renowned ski resort is it's not out of the season.

We have everything they offer here but the choice of food. I think they have a different import regulation than we do here so, they have fresh veggie and exotic fruit even at the local super market.

    For a weekend getaway, there is plenty to see in and around Portland. My wife and I really enjoyed the Saturday morning market downtown with the myriad of vendors selling food and crafts and live music to enjoy. The gardens in the hills above the city are something my wife still talks about. It's short drives west to the ocean, east to Mt. St. Helens and the mountains, or north to the Columbia River Gorge and the quaint shops and cafes in Astoria.

    We also have spent a couple of weekends in Seattle and my money is on Portland for being able to see more in a short period of time.

    I live in Portland, and I love it, but until at least May it really isn't the best place to visit, although I love the coast even in the winter. Seattle is better if you want touristy stuff. Portland is bohemian, lots of little wacky artsy things.

    My parents used to do junket trips to some of smaller Nevada towns (Ely and Elko come to mind but I might be wrong) for dirt cheap and a nice way to get out of the snow.

      Release
      We were in Seattle last summer. We're looking to go somewhere we've never been before.

          azgreg

          Portland is good to visit if you had never been there. Vancouver B.C. is very nice. Discounted airfare to Portland might be more readily available..........

              Release
              We went on a Alaska cruise last summer. We spent the day before and the day after in Seattle. The last stop was Victoria, BC on Canada Day. What a great city, loved it.

                  azgreg

                  Cruise is great, but you really need to layover a few days to enjoy and explore the landing spot. You can only scam the surface if it were a one day stop. If riding bicycle is something you enjoy doing , then bike around the bicycle route will allow you to see everything. For goodness sake, the Seattle council tried to make Seattle a bicycle friendly city, at the cost of everyone else.

                  We had been up to the B.C area severs times a year for the past 20+ years and still finding new things to do. Same with the Puget Sound area, almost a native here for close to 46 years rooting but many new comers had been to places where we had not been yet. My wife used to tease me that I'm too homey.

                  One negative here is the traffic, getting really bad anytime of the week. A price to pay when population growth is not properly managed. Or can it be managed ?

                    glebert
                    I was just reading about the Shanghai tunnels. Sounds interesting as hell.

                      If you go to Portland, check out Powell's Books. Amazing place.