request for Portland info.

[cassidyrose]

I am performing at FatGirl Speaks in Portland in June and we are making a family vacation out of it. We are planning our trip and I don't have as much time to spend researching the area as I normally would prior to visiting so I am looking for suggestions about things to see/do, places to eat, etc. from those of you who have lived or visited there. The specifics/our requirements are as follows:

• We will be in Portland for four nights. The show eats up one day, so with travel we will have three full days and one partial day. We will be there over a weekend.
• We will have a car and will be near downtown (very near the Lloyd Convention Center
• We would like suggestions about things we shouldn't miss (other than Powells, duh!). I've never been to Portland and we want to do as much as we can while there. We are especially interested in things to be done outside. I love photographing and exploring nature. Of course, queer places to visit are also on the top of our list. Places where we can walk around with the baby are highly desireable.
• I'd love to know what attractions are not worth it and that we should pass on.
• We would like suggestions for infant-friendly and vegetarian/vegan-friendly restaurants. By this I mean places where we can bring a nine and half month old, set him up in his booster seat, feed him and no one will be bothered. We need restaurants where we can get quick service and are casual, preferably ordering at the counter, though casual restuarants with quick table service are OK as well. I am thinking of casual middle eastern (falafel shops), lard-free taquerias, sandwich shops, etc.
• We will need to make a grocery run and would like suggestions for good grocery stores with plenty of organic produce.
• What else should we know about Portland before our trip?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Comments

[dangerpudding.livejournal.com]

Ok... so, I lived in Portland for a few years, but it's been a while. I'll try to give accurate information.

-Old Wives Tales is tasty, veggie/vegan friendly, and *very* family friendly. If you eat all of the ingredients, I strongly recommend the hungarian mushroom soup.

-Peanut Butter and Ellies is focused on kids/family and healthy food. Fun!

-Finnegans is my favorite toy store. Their stuffed animal and puppet selection is great.

-OMSI is lots of fun. They have a wee kids section, too.

-CM2 (the childrens museum) is lots of fun, as is everything else up at Washington Park.

-If you have free time on a Saturday or Sunday, Saturday Market is fun.

-My favorite breakfast place is Zells, but I'm not sure I'd do it with a wee one on the weekends - it can be a wait.

-Saint Cupcake is not to be missed. Yay Cupcakes!!

-Portland Farmers Market happens often and is fantastic.

And, actually, most stuff in Portland is veggie/vegan friendly, and lots of it is kid friendly. I think this is most true in SouthEast (fewer hipsters). Lots of parks, lots of nifty shops (Hawthorne!).

That's, er, probably enough, eh?

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Old Wives Tales is fabulous - Mia and Ryan took me there on my first trip.

cassidyrose, I'll point them at this post to give you recommendations. They'll probably be at Fat Girl Speaks - Mia's a Cupcake dancer and they've been asked to participate.