Riverplace Area New Visitors to Portland

Two travelers arriving in May who have never been to Portland. Using Portland as a base to see Hood River, St. Helens, Wine Tours, etc. We are not big city people so prefer to stay a little outside city (but close enough to airport for early depature).

We are booked at Residence Inn Riverplace...is this an easy enough area to get in and out of for our daily travels? I know there is mass transit right outside the hotel, but is there food and such within walking distance? We want convenience but also enjoy being in a relatively okay/atractive area.

Thank you!

Riverplace Area New Visitors to Portland

Hello and welcome, the waterfront is a very nice area to stay, we have enjoyed nice stays at the Riverplace Hotel in this area. You can walk to the Harborside or the Marina Fish House (floating restaurant) out on the water for nice seafood meals. The Riverplace also has a good restaurant where we have enjoyed lunch and breakfast, you will have pretty water views in all of the restaurants in this area. Enjoy Portland! :)

Riverplace Area New Visitors to Portland

Restaurant choices in that area are limited, but the streetcar will take you through the downtown core, into the Pearl District and inner NW, two of Portland%26#39;s more popular shopping and dining areas. So if you%26#39;re at all adventuresome, you%26#39;ll be fine.

As to getting in and out.... It%26#39;s not hard, but access to Residence Inn is mostly via a road that also serves as the main connector between the city center and I-5 south. Which means it%26#39;ll be particularly busy during rush hour times. Good for your trip to wine country, though!

Portland isn%26#39;t really a big city. Pretty much any hotel you%26#39;d choose in downtown is 20-25 minutes from PDX, so there%26#39;s no advantage to staying at Residence Inn for that reason. And I wouldn%26#39;t say that the area around there is any more ';attractive'; than the city core, just quieter.

I agree with mistletoe (as usual ) ... here are some lists with websites that might help you with planning..

The Streetcar with map

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1396-Portland_鈥?/a>

Restaurants ....

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1397-Portland_鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1398-Portland_鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1395-Portland_鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1394-Portland_鈥?/a>

My preference is to be more centrally located in town, not on the river... since syrahgirl stayed at the hotel, some huge high rise apartments have been built in that area, but the dining and sightseeing is still, imo, in downtown/the Pearl/NW ...

Here are the hotels websites..

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i892-Sleeping_i鈥?/a>

Sounds like cparker has already booked a reservation at this hotel and if so, no need to suggest alternate places to stay.

You aren%26#39;t far away from downtown, within easy walkind distance, actually.

There are several places to eat and drink right along the waterfront and it is a beautiful area near the marina. Harborside restaurant, Thirst wine bar, Stanford%26#39;s for happy hour, Mandarin Cove. These are all fairly close, but as mentioned, the streetcar runs right by the hotel so you can go anywhere to eat.

Thank you for all your great responses! This was my first post on TripAdvisor and I think I%26#39;m addicted. What a cool way to get information, share information, and learn about all areas of the world...right from the comfort of your favorite chair.

I feel much better about our stay near Riverplace. I was concerned by one guest%26#39;s response that it was out in the middle of nowhere. I don%26#39;t mind that it is a little further out, I just didn%26#39;t want to be in a deserted area of town.

One week to go. I am soooo excited to get there!

Thanks again.

I am happy you found TripAdvisor and also that you find it helpful! I have used it for advise to soooo many trips around the world!

No, you are definitely not in the middle of no where. It is right next to the Marquam Bridge but I hear it is well sound proofed. It is very nice to walk along the sidewalk up the waterfront.

Will add my welcome to TA, cparker, but be careful of that addiction ;-)

I don%26#39;t live in Portland, but am familiar with it and surrounding areas, and had to laugh at the idea that the Riverplace is in the ';middle of nowhere';!

Hope you have a great trip.

Not to worry about Riverplace being ';in the middle of nowhere';. It is in downtown Portland, which is geographically, very small. You can go from Riverplace to the Pearl in very short order. You can even walk from one to the other, if you like to walk.

Your hotel is at the south end of downtown. The ';little road'; that you have to go down is soooo not an issue. Not sure why anyone would infer that it could be a problem.

Need to agree with Syrah on one place....the restaurant in the Riverplace Hotel has a great breakfast menu. The Lox and Bagel breakfast is my personal favorite.

Thirst Wine Bar is also one great place to go in to. It is right on the harbor walk at Riverplace. A few of the Pearlies may not have found it yet, but it is quite the hot spot.

You have chosen a spot that will serve you well for your trip.

Being from Florida, be sure to bring layers of clothing. May can be warm, or it can be cool. Come prepared.

Enjoy Oregon!

PS...to respond to the comment that restaurant choices, in the Riverplace area, being limited.....WHAT? Umm, the hotel is downtown. While there are only a few within walking distance, there are hundreds within a 10-15 minute drive....from downtown, proper, eateries to the NW area, including the Pearl.

If you do not have a rental car, you can easily take a cab or wander up to the transit system. I would take a cab, from Riverplace, if I were you, if you wanted to go dine in the Pearl district. It may cost $10-15 with tip. Have to admit, I have not taken a cab in this city, or any other, in years, so I cannot give you accurate info on cab fare.

You should read a little more closely PDXWineauxs. This is what I wrote; ';Restaurant choices in that area are limited, but the streetcar will take you through the downtown core, into the Pearl District and inner NW, two of Portland%26#39;s more popular shopping and dining areas.'; If you don%26#39;t think that%26#39;s accurate, why did you say almost exactly the same thing? And, you%26#39;re on the east side, right? So, you don%26#39;t often see how traffic stacks up along Harbor Drive during rush hours? Thought so.... Appears you have more bones to pick than advice. Rough day?