Before my long-winded reply: I am in North Portland and haven't had a decent technical conversation for a while, so hit me up if you want to grab a beer and nerd out, or possible go climbing weather permitted. cullen@ridewithgps.com
A huge part of Portland is the beer, and there are a few different styles of brewpubs. The first I'll address is the style I like the least, which are the annexes of larger distributors. These include Rogue, Widmer, Bridgeport etc. They don't have any charm to them, they are just restaurants attached to a beer label, and there is better beer to be had. Also, McMenamins has cool locations but their beer sucks and so does their food, prices and service. If you like drinking in cool buildings (old church, old elementary school with lots of bars inside) then check them out, otherwise don't bother. If you are going to go to a McMenamins, make sure it's the Kennedy School, since that one offers the most redemption. As far as the good places to go: Hopworks makes damn good pizza and damn good beer. Their red and their IPA are both fantastic, and the bar is really freaking cool. Lucky Lab is another place with good beer, but their vibe is completely different - if you don't like dogs and a big open cafeteria style game room, then don't bother. Right now my favourite place to grab a beer is the Fifth Quadrant (a Lompoc brewery location) - they have the best burger I have yet had in Portland, and Tuesdays they offer $2.50 pints. Their c-note IPA is great! Haven't had a bad server yet, which is saying something.
Unless you want a seedy experience, avoid the strip clubs. I am not a fan but have been to a couple over the years. I think it takes a certain person, and I can say it's easy to ignore someone when they say "but this one is really good!" - there's nothing special about portland strip clubs except the sheer number of them, so unless it's your thing don't bother.
Some of the best things about portland have nothing to do with portland itself, but rather the proximity of cool shit nearby. The gorge is gorgeous (haha), lots of cool stuff around mount hood as well. The coast is something else - if you haven't been to a northwest coast, it's a must. Don't expect nice weather and fun, but rather intense scenery, weather and wind. Head straight to either Astoria (see the Goonies house), or Manzanita for a cool small beach town feel.
If you are a rock climber, there are cool things to climb within a reasonable distance. I am happy to get some climbing in if you have some experience and want to tie into a rope, though I can't promise nice weather or warm hands.
Something that could be fun for around portland is one of the many pedicab routes offered. You can get a basic tour, or they have specialty tours going on for things like whiskey tasting among others. http://pdxpedicab.com/ and look for their pub tour and distillery tour.
How far away are the local Portland crags? I'm a climber as well and have been thinking about moving to Portland. I know Smith Rocks is a few hours away. Is there anything closer? I boulder and do trad and sport climbing.
Beacon is great - trad only and a good set of locals. Broughton's has more douchebaggary going on, but it's trad only aside from 3 top rope routes. Farside is a locals joint as well, mostly trad but lots of toprope (rappel down, climb out).
A huge part of Portland is the beer, and there are a few different styles of brewpubs. The first I'll address is the style I like the least, which are the annexes of larger distributors. These include Rogue, Widmer, Bridgeport etc. They don't have any charm to them, they are just restaurants attached to a beer label, and there is better beer to be had. Also, McMenamins has cool locations but their beer sucks and so does their food, prices and service. If you like drinking in cool buildings (old church, old elementary school with lots of bars inside) then check them out, otherwise don't bother. If you are going to go to a McMenamins, make sure it's the Kennedy School, since that one offers the most redemption. As far as the good places to go: Hopworks makes damn good pizza and damn good beer. Their red and their IPA are both fantastic, and the bar is really freaking cool. Lucky Lab is another place with good beer, but their vibe is completely different - if you don't like dogs and a big open cafeteria style game room, then don't bother. Right now my favourite place to grab a beer is the Fifth Quadrant (a Lompoc brewery location) - they have the best burger I have yet had in Portland, and Tuesdays they offer $2.50 pints. Their c-note IPA is great! Haven't had a bad server yet, which is saying something.
Unless you want a seedy experience, avoid the strip clubs. I am not a fan but have been to a couple over the years. I think it takes a certain person, and I can say it's easy to ignore someone when they say "but this one is really good!" - there's nothing special about portland strip clubs except the sheer number of them, so unless it's your thing don't bother.
Some of the best things about portland have nothing to do with portland itself, but rather the proximity of cool shit nearby. The gorge is gorgeous (haha), lots of cool stuff around mount hood as well. The coast is something else - if you haven't been to a northwest coast, it's a must. Don't expect nice weather and fun, but rather intense scenery, weather and wind. Head straight to either Astoria (see the Goonies house), or Manzanita for a cool small beach town feel.
If you are a rock climber, there are cool things to climb within a reasonable distance. I am happy to get some climbing in if you have some experience and want to tie into a rope, though I can't promise nice weather or warm hands.
Something that could be fun for around portland is one of the many pedicab routes offered. You can get a basic tour, or they have specialty tours going on for things like whiskey tasting among others. http://pdxpedicab.com/ and look for their pub tour and distillery tour.