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Portland Journals

Portland with a family

An August 2002 trip to Portland by WLai

Quote: I'm usually travelling with my small child and wife to Portland, and try to find establishments with a mix of fun, luxury, and family-friendliness.

    Portland with a family

    Overview

    Quote:
    While on previous visits we've stayed near downtown Portland. The last visit we made to the city we stayed in what's called the NW 23rd neighborhood, due to us finding a gem of a boutique hotel: Inn at Northrup Station.

    Quick Tips:

    Best Way To Get Around:

    One of the best parts of the Inn at Northrup station is that it's right on the Portland Streetcar line, and the hotel provides all the coupons to ride the streetcar to the Pearl district, the NW 21st/23rd corridor, and downtown. You can also use transfer to get on the MAX trains as well. Portland being a city of great public transportation, you can leave the car at the hotel and just enjoy riding the transits with the locals.

    Inn at Northrup Station

    Best Of IgoUgo

    Hotel

    Quote:
    The Inn at Northrup Station is a nice boutique hotel whose service is personal, decor is funky, and value is high. All the rooms are good size mini suites, with a fully furnished kitchen, i.e stove/oven, fridge, and pots/pans. It's great to have all the convenience of home if you are staying for a few days, or if you are traveling with children. The decor is fresh and creative, using fairly standard material to present a very nice, hip atmosphere. Continental breakfast and newspaper are self-served every morning, and jars of cookies and candy at the reception area are ready for the picking any time of day. Get the room facing the street if you are interested in seeing the street car...Read More

    Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 2, 2002

    Inn at Northrup Station
    2025 NW Northrup
    Portland, Oregon 97209
    (503) 224-0543

    Doubletree Hotel Portland - Lloyd Center

    Hotel | "DoubleTree Portland - Lloyd Center"

    Quote:
    I booked this hotel thru Priceline.com, and received a rate below $50 for one weekend night. The hotel is perfectly adequate and clean, and is convenient to most of Portland. It is situated across from Lloyd Center Mall, and is right on the MAX line and therefore easy to get to everywhere that the wonderful transit system can take you. The hotel decor is your standard business class hotel; the room we got was rather large, with a sofa, a chair, a writing desk, a king size bed, and of course a TV in an armoire. The bathroom is utilitarian, and there is an extra wash basin. For the rate of a motel room, it is quite a bargain. Watch out for the parking charges, though; it's $18 for weekday and $9 f...Read More

    Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 23, 2003

    Doubletree Hotel Portland - Lloyd Center
    1000 NE Multnomah St.
    Portland, Oregon 97232
    (503) 281-6111

    Quote:
    Jo's located in the trendy NW 23rd neighborhood, and is probably a very trendy place itself. The atmosphere is cozy and smart without excess. We had lunch there on Sunday afternoon, and had a table right by the window. We ordered the rotisserie chicken, which was quite good, as well as a dish whose spanish name I can't remember, but it is a mound of fried tortilla chips, with chicken, pico de gallo, and two poached eggs on top. Both dishes were well done, as is the cheese fondue, though the later was made with a "stinky" cheese that my daughter refused.

    All in all, a very nice bistro atmosphere and good food, recommended.

    Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 24, 2003

    Jo Bar and Rotisserie
    715 Nw 23rd Ave
    Portland, Oregon 97210
    (503) 222-0048

    Springwater Grill

    Best Of IgoUgo

    Restaurant

    Quote:
    Springwater Grill is located in Westermoreland, a mostly residential neighborhood in SE Portland. The clientle seems to be folks from the neighborhood, as a couple of tables recognized each other. The decor and atmosphere is nice and rich, light level nicely dimmed, with original artwork exhibition on the wall. It does have a bar, so the noise level is lively rather than hushed, which, in combination with a kid menu, makes for a sophisticated dinner out with the family. The food is superb end-to-end, with a dungeness crab cocktail served with pico de gallo and avocado a perfect blend of texture and spice. A raviolli with various funghi and truffles is rich and meaty, but not overly heavy. A simple lin...Read More

    Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 23, 2003

    Springwater Grill
    6717 SE Milwaukie Ave.
    Portland, Oregon 97202
    (503) 232-2442

    Nicholas Restaurant

    Best Of IgoUgo

    Restaurant | "Nicholas' Restaurant"

    Quote:
    Nicholas is a Lebanese restaurant with large portions and great food. It is also one of the smallest restuarnt with every sq ft stuffed with tables. We went on Saturday around 2pm, and yet there was a long line outside. One has to squeeze in the door to get the name on the list, and there is virtually no space to stand and wait inside. However, your patience is rewarded with great food. We orderd the mezza, which consists of humus, falafel, tabouleh, pita, and a few other dishes that I didn't recongnize, and all were excellent. If you order a mezza for four people or more, you get the bread fresh out of the oven, still puffed up from the steam inside; quite a sight. The lamb kebab was also v...Read More

    Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 23, 2003

    Nicholas Restaurant
    318 SE Grand Ave.
    Portland, Oregon 97214
    (503) 235-5123

    Saburo's Sushi House Restaurant

    Restaurant | "Saburo's Sushi House"

    Quote:
    Went to Saburo on the recommendation of another website. It is located in Westmoreland, which is off the tourist path but has a few nice restaurants within a block or two of each other (See the Springwater Grill review). Saburo is a no-nonsense sushi house. It has no visible signs outside, but the wait is long due to the limited amount of space and an enthusiastic following. The fish we had that night was huge by most sushi standards, and while it wasn't the freshest we've had, it was all fresh. Non-sushi items are not recommended, however.

    Bottomline is that if you want most sushi bang for buck, this is not a bad choice at all.

    Recommended.

    Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 23, 2003

    Saburo's Sushi House Restaurant
    1667 SE Bybee Blvd
    Portland, Oregon 97202
    (503) 236-4237

    About the Writer

    WLai

    WLai
    Seattle, Washington

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