jelle

Hello, how are you?Im from California, and I am planning to visit Portland in Oregon by taking a Amtrak train on the second week of Feburary for few days. so, I was wondering, since I am new to Portland, do you know any hotels, malls, fun activities nearby the Amtrak Station?Secondly, is the train station nearby Downtown Portland? Portland International Airport?Lastly, since Im just visiting there for few days, Im interested to visit the state capital, which is Salem, and Im interested in taking the train but I dont have a clue . Do you know which train to get there? Is it free? How long to arrive?Thank you for your time to read this *10 points for best answer!

jeffs2861

Salem is a waste! But, the Lloyd Center, which is a decent mall with an ice skating rink inside, isn't too far from the train station. The Westwind Hotel is probably pretty close to the station, but there are definately lots of other choices as well.

JeffTheGodOfBiscuits

You are very close to hotels (within 1 mile the Benson Hotel and Embassy Suites) and shopping (Pioneer Place and Lloyd Center around 1 mile), but there are lots of hotels and shopping within walking distance. The Max is a good way to get around and there is a "fareless square" area downtown that has free rides. Portland is a great town to walk. Lots of history and beautiful architecture. Friendly Oregonians will gladly suggest dining, and sights. The choices are so plentiful for dining you'll have a hard time deciding.

JehoshuaDroitAuBut

Stick with Portland. Salem is not far away and you'll probably pass through it on the train ride...but Portland will be the place to be. Have a fun visit. The Amtrak station is walking distance to a lot of things and Portland has a great bus and light rail system.This is a great resource for getting around. Check it out.http://trimet.org/Nearby ShoppingLloyd Center is just across the riverhttp://www.lloydcentermall.com/Pioneer Place is downtownhttp://www.pioneerplace.com/html/index19.aspThe Pearl and NW 21/23 streets have all sorts of shops and restaurantsPowell's Books is a fabulous and HUGE bookstore http://www.powells.com/Gardens / Zoo / Etc.Portland Classical Chinese Gardenhttp://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/Portland Japanese Gardenhttp://www.japanesegarden.com/Oregon Zoo - ride a train, see some animalshttp://www.oregonzoo.org/Oregon Museum of Science and Industry - see a submarine, watch an omnimax moviehttp://www.omsi.edu/ParksForrest Park - hike in the woods in the city.http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=127&action=ViewParkWaterfront Park - check out the waterfront parkhttp://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=156&action=ViewParkThe International Rose Test Gardenshttp://www.rosegardenstore.org/thegardens.cfmRent a bikehttp://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?a=hbjhe&c=deibcExplore the Shanghai Tunnels - get reservations.http://members.tripod.com/cgs-mthood/shanghai_tunnels_FAQ.htmLike Music and Shows?Local events Calendarhttp://www.travelportland.com/event_calendar/Bars / Clubs (admittedly I didn't go out much - but I liked these spots)Lotus Cardroom and Cafehttp://portland.citysearch.com/profile/8456490/portland_or/lotus_cardroom_and_cafe.htmlDante'shttp://www.danteslive.com/Doug Fir Loungehttp://www.dougfirlounge.com/Great Burger and BrewBarley Mill Pub - Deadhead Heaven - my kids loved this pub too - kids allowed until 10 p.m.http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=10Like Art?http://portlandartmuseum.org/Drag Shows?http://www.darcellexv.com/Out of Portland, but really coolMultnomah Fallshttp://trips.stateoforegon.com/multnomah_falls/

jelenaj

Make sure you go to Powells books, it's downtown near the station. I want to say 9th and Burnside but can't remember for sure. The MAX ride is free in a large area of Portland so that will take you up to the Rose Quarter where there are lots of hotels and Lloyd Center is located. Portland is a very nice city and there is a lot to do. MAX is low cost and runs west to Washington county and east to Gresham, the bus is pretty good too in Portland.

JeffTheGodOfBiscuits

Clackamas tOWN cENTER!!nEAR jOHNSON cREEEK bOULEVARD

JeffTheGodOfBiscuits

You will be in central downtown Portland. There is a ton of shopping, art galleries, hotels, museums, library and parks. You will be in fareless transit zone so you will be able to travel around cheaply. You can also go to Washington Park on the MAX train and see the zoo and forest park. There really is a wealth of activities with world class restaurants, the nations most vibrant music scene with many bars to choose from. I agree with the other posters though Salem is kind of boring not really much to see.

JeffTheGodOfBiscuits

From the Amtrak station you can walk across a bridge over the railroad tracks to a park along the Willamette River. The Amtrak station is at the north end of downtown Portland. Downtown Portland is small so you can walk anywhere in less then 15 minutes. It's miles from the airport, but there is a light rail line that will take you there and it runs every fifteen minutes about 20 hours a day. From Portland, Salem is back towards California. The train station is about a five minute walk from the capital building and another five minute walk from downtown. Salem also has a park along the Willamette River. By the way, Amtrak doesn't run very often. Greyhound runs every three hours. In Salem, Greyhoud is downtown. In Portland, the Greyhound station and Amtrak station are across the street from each other. I think it's about the same price.