Hi All,

Am planning to drive up to Oregon this weekend for a caffeine tour (kinda like this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonbauer/sets/72157594527471659/ )

Any restaurant or coffee or otherwise "don't miss" places that I should plug into my GPS?

So far, I only have two places:

1) Crema Bakery & Cafe in Portland
2) Wandering Goat in Eugene

Others?

- Thanx in advance!
- Jon

There are some incredibly gorgeous places along the Columbia River Gorge, as I recall.

St. Helens is not that far. On a clear day you can see it from Portland, or you could drive up and visit it. In certain spots you can actually see three volcanoes from Portland: Hood, St. Helens, and Adams.

There's a decent view of the area from the top of Mt Tabor Park, a tiny little eroded volcano in the middle of the Eastern suburbs of Portland.

Decent Art museum downtown.

My favorite part of driving to Portland is going Northbound on I-5 at night. When you reach Portland proper (assuming you stay on I-5 north and don't head directly into downtown), there's a stunning view of downtown and the river as you crest the top of the Marquam Bridge. It's quite breathtaking, especially at night, because the I-5 journey up until that point is mostly suburbs, and you don't quite get to see downtown or the river much at all until you hit the bridge. Then once you're on the bridge, it's like *BAM*, hello Portland.

Isn't Oregon orchard country? Apple season too, I'd try and visit some orchards for fresh pressed cider.

Tony - great suggestions - & I'll try to ensure I enter the Portland area via 5.

Tahir - mmm. Cider... Will have to check that out!

- Thanx
- Jon

I frequent a fruit forum run by an Oregon apple nut, let me know if you'd like him to locate a good cider maker for you.

Gimme some kind of idea of route and I'll find out, better for you than caffeine too

Plan is to go where the wind is blowing. No plan yet whatsoever, except to try to get to as many interesting stops as possible...

- Jon

Here's my current coffee stop list:

Albina Press, 4637 N Albina Ave
Bellatazza, 869 Nw Wall #101, Bend, OR 97701
Corbett Coffee Plant, 5911 SW Corbett Ave
Crema Bakery & Cafe, 2728 SE Ankeny St
Dog River Coffee, 411 Oak Street, Hood River, Oregon 97031 US
Extracto, 2921 NE Killingsworth St
Fresh Pot Hawthorne Blvd, 3729 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Fresh Pot Mississippi Ave, 4001 N Mississippi Ave
Ristretto Roasters, 3520 NE 42nd Ave
Sleepy Monk, 1235 S Hemlock St
Stumptown Belmont, 3356 SE Belmont St
Stumptown Division, 4525 SE Division St
Stumptown Downtown, 128 SW 3rd Ave
Stumptown The Ace, 1026 SW Stark St
Wandering Goat Organic Coffee Roasters, 269 Madison St

Found what looks like a really cool hotel in Portland for Sunday night - http://www.acehotel.com/portland/ - it has one of the Stumptown's IN it (The Ace). Great looking website's work! I was totally sold by their design, pictures, flash animations, etc. Well, I was REALLY sold by the fact that they have Stumptown!

Anyone know a good place to stay in Eugene? I believe that we're going to try to target being in Eugene tomorrow night.

Miss anything?

- Thanx
- Jon

Trip was great. Thanks for the help.

Tony - due to your comments, the center of the Marquam Bridge was our first GPS point - and we got there at night. You are right - that view is amazing. Portland is an amazingly beautiful and vibrant city.

Tahor, had some cider & thought of you!

The things that have really bothered me about San Francisco are REALLY starting to bother me (after visiting both Seattle and Portland)... The massive # of homeless, the general dirtiness, congested parking problems, peoples general attitude (people seem entitled in SF), etc. Portland doesn't really have the same degree of these issues, if at all.

I'm starting to think about relocating. Never thought I'd say it, but I'm feeling it.

- Thanx again y'all! Pictures are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonbauer/sets/72157601812521788/
- Jon

Glad you had a good time, Jon. I agree with you about how San Fran has kinda gone downhill in recent years. Portland and Seattle haven't yet reached that state of decay, and look downright utopian in comparison. If you are serious about relocating, come up and let me show you around Seattle some weekend.