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New Av In Portland- What To Do?

teksavy

teksavy

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Location
San Jose, CA
A week to go and I'll have my new 2003 Z71 Av! Woo Hoo! :love:

I'm flying into Portland on Saturday, March 8th and picking up my new baby. (Dealer is picking me up at the airport.) And we plan on messing around downtown Portland on Saturday day/night. We plan on heading back to Cali on Sunday/Monday. Thinking about a stop in Ashland.

Can anyone recommend a place to stay/dine/play in Portland and anywere in between there and San Jose, Cali?

Great route suggestions (off road and otherwise) would be appreciated.

If anyone would like to meetup and celebrate my introduction into AVdom, I'd love to meet fellow members.

Either reply or private IM me.

Much thanks.

-Ed
 
Dude! This is prime opportunity to make contact at the suggested Portland Chapter Lunch discussed in this thread. (Folks, are we still doing this?) I'm sure some of us would at least come out and roll out a welcome mat to this fine state and the Rose City. (I may be from Salem, but I can be an ambassador just like the rest of 'em, eh?)

Anyway, would love to make contact and check out your new toy. We could even ceremonially install the amber DRLs with you. Depending on how much time you have, there are only two choices (three, really) of routes: US-101 coast route, I-5, and US-395. The coastal route is very pretty; I've done it from San Jose to Salem and it is about 15-16 hours driving time or so. I-5 is pretty plain, but the fastest way to get where you're going. I no know nothing about 395, but have always wanted to take the "desert backroad".

I have a perfect recommendation for a night stay (if not booked) in the southern Oregon area if you are married, she's coming with you, and want to buy some MOD points--girls love this place. (Okay, I like it too.) Let me know--I'll get the contact information together in the morning. Ashland accomodations are spendy, but usually fairly nice. Well, some of them aren't, but no different than anywhere else.

Brendan
 
Congrats on the new AV! ...and welcome to Portland.

BTW - which dealer is it, if you don't mind my asking? We are going to cruise to check out a yellow AV at one and then maybe drive out to see a yellow Tahoo at our Chapter Sponsor Dealership. The Sponsor is just south of Portland on I-5, so you will probably be driving past it as you head to CA.

Nothing like starting off the first drive in a mimi-cruise!

As far as places to stay, I can help if you let me know what type of place? Just you? whole family? hotel ~ motel ~ bed&breakfast? Are you staying in Portland or somewhere along the way heading south?

Food?! This is the fun part. What type? I know some great Thai places, a great Mongolian BBQ (w/ NW twist) place, and others...

Either reply here or IM me for more info.
 
Wow! What a response! Thank you guys! This club is awesome!

I'd love to be a part of the 3/8/03 get-together!

brmiller & pdxkevin:
I'd be honored to take part in the "Amber DRLs" installation and have everyone play with my new toy. The more the merrier!

Regarding time, we plan on staying in the Portland area on Saturday (and start "heading to San Jose on Sun/Mon- To be back in SJ on Mon night). I was going to fly up to Portland by myself and pickup my new toy, but I decided to treat my mom to an outing since she has never been to downtown Portland and Ashland, so I figured, make it a "mini-vacation". She's pretty flexible and loves people, so although she doesn't know much about AV's and really isn't a "car person", she'd be game for group events, although I need to respect her interests in Portland with some "fun things" to do that she'd like. (Read: Shopping for arts/crafts/etc. You know, "womany stuff".)

So, with that said, I'd be honored to hang out with the group and do a "mini-cruise"- lunch/etc. I'd love some mild off-roading since I've never done it and would love to see some of the Oregon backroads. Oregon is such a pretty place. But I'm not sure that will fit into everyone else's GTG plans.

BRMILLER: I'd really appreciate your recommendation for a night stay in Southern Oregon. Please provide details as I need to make rez's.

PDXKEVIN:Its just going to be the two family members. I tend to like nice, modern hotels with frills- but not snooty or "ritzy". (If that makes any sense.) Someone recommended The "Heathman" in downtown Portland. Any good?

As for food, Mongolian BBQ sounds great! Always looking for good firepot! Good American food places "steaks, chicken, ribs, etc" Is good. When I travel, I tend to like to patronize places that are local to the area- places you can't eat at home. "comfort food" is always a good choice on vacation.

Let me close by saying that I really appreciate your welcoming hospitality. What is the plan so far for the GTG on 3/8/03? Offroading? Lunch? Enquiring minds want to know. ;)

Can't wait!

-Ed
 
I go to the Portland Autoshow every year and I allways stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel Down Town it is on Pine Street in a historic Moultnomah Hotel and the rooms are great you get a free brakefast every morning and free drinks for 5-7pm at night I really like the hotel it is great place to stay and they have a covered parking garge to park the AV in (y)
 
As far as shopping goes... there is the Saturday Market ~ open on Sunday morning too. If you want local arts and crafts and stuff. I have several out of town friends who always go there when they are visiting.
 
Thanks pdxkevin. You said that you have some hotel reccomendations and places to eat?

Also, is the plan for March 8th just a cruise down to a dealer to see the yellow AV? Were there more things planned? It didn't seem clear. (Or perhaps I'm still sleepy from this weekend.) ;)

-Ed
 
We are going to be able to play on Saturday afternoon, but the rest of the weekend is devoted to moving. We are closing on the house this week and get the keys either Thurs or Friday of this week.

OK Let's see... hotels.. yeah...

Here is a good deal...
Best Western Greenwood Inn & Suites
Experience the true flavor of the Northwest. Offering spacious guestrooms, cooked-to-order breakfast, two pools and fine dining.
Rate: $59.

A little more posh
Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel
Award-winning hotel offers around-the-clock room service, fitness center and indoor heated pool/spa. Near MAX light rail.
Rate: $99 includes upgrade to Club Level with evening cocktails/hors d'oeuvres.

A great place for breakfast is...
Tom's Pancake HouseA local favorite for good, basic American cuisine. Expect a crowd as the morning goes on.
Camp 18 is about an hour west of town. So why go? Huge portions in a real log bldg. smack dab in the coastal mountains. Great hwy drive through the huge pine forests out to it.

Here is a listing rated by locals:
Top 10 breakfast restaurants - I have been to the Original Pancake House . Good food.

If you like Thai - there are some really good Thai places around here, too.
 
Thanks pdx!

I'll check 'em out. What about this mongolian place you talked about? You piqued my interest! Com'mon and spill it! :)

Also, does anyone have a time frame for the get together on Sat? Lunch? Approx from when to when? I need to allow time to pick up the rig, settle in and have fun with fellow Av'ers. Whadda think?

-Ed
 
teksavy said:
BRMILLER: I'd really appreciate your recommendation for a night stay in Southern Oregon. Please provide details as I need to make rez's
Click to expand...
Yeah, I forgot about reservations and the fact that you're coming in just 5 short days. This place I was thinking of only has 9 rooms IIRC, and fills up months in advance EXCEPT this is the off-season. I mean, it's frigid in the winter down there, so not too many folks (except true outdoorspeople) use the place this time of year. One February we had the whole place to ourselves. But we've had a mild winter too, so maybe more people are out and about. The only way to find out is to call and see what their availability is. I don't know what kind of setups they might have for a mom/son combination--most of their rooms cater to couples (read: one bed) but I might be wrong. I know it's a place your mom would enjoy; that's for sure.

Anyway the place is Applegate River Lodge in Jacksonville, OR. It's miles off I-5; access is either from Grants Pass or Medford. OR-238 runs between Grants Pass and Medford along the Rogue River and is a wonderful side-trip between the two even if you don't stay at the Lodge. Their on-site restraunt is a great place for dinner (don't think it's open for lunch).

Hope this helps.

Brendan
 
Chang's Mongolian Grill has several locations around Oregon. Our favorite is just off Hwy 26 in Beaverton.

One review I found: Most amazing experience in Mongolian food. Assemble your meats, veggies, sauces in a bowl, deliver it to the grill, and they cook it up and give it right back. Sounds like nothing special, but you HAVE to see it to believe it.

For dinner, they add salmon and shrimp to the list. I usually get 95% salmon. I love fish. Since it is all you can eat, the first time around it is fun to try various combos you can come up with. They have a long 'salad' bar with various meats, noodles, veggies, and sauces ~ from which you load up your bowl(s). Take em over to the cooks and watch em go to town. Fun, fast and you choose what goes on your plate!
 
teksavy said:
I'm flying into Portland on Saturday, March 8th and picking up my new baby. (Dealer is picking me up at the airport.) And we plan on messing around downtown Portland on Saturday day/night. We plan on heading back to Cali on Sunday/Monday. Thinking about a stop in Ashland.
Click to expand...
Probably already covered in another thread somewhere, but I'm curious how you ended up buying an AV from a dealer in Portland while living in San Jose, CA? Were the rebates and what not enough different to make it worth your while for the 1 way flight ticket plus whatever it costs to bring in an out-of-state vehicle to CA? (I remember that being kind of steep when I lived there).

 
Hello:

PDX:Mongolian sounds great. I was looking at the locations in Oregon, and only found two in Portland proper. (All on the outskirts- looks like the one downtown closed.) And of course the one in Beaverton.

What time do you suggest? (later is better for us, but don't let that stand in the way of other plans.)

TXAvy:

Two words... Sales Tax and friendlier dealers. I'm saving about $1250 compared to the best price I could get in North Cali. Also, the dealers are more than willing to custom-order a car, vs. forcing you to buy off the lot. And the biggie. You avoid 8.25% California sales tax. (Which for me saves about $2800.) So, total savings for me is over $4000! And all this for a $120 plane ticket and $150 in gas.

And of course, a nice little mini-vacation while meeting new people like pdxkevin!

-Ed
 
Ummm, you may want to check that sales tax thing...

While most states are especially creative when it comes to collecting taxes, California is especially notorious. For example, I know that CA at least attempted (I don't know if they were successful) to collect income tax from professional sports players (e.g. NBA, MLB, NFL) for the games they played while in the state.

In this case, you may get a shock when you take you rig into the DMV to get your plates. ???
 
teksavy:

Don't let Nick and I rain on your parade (even though the NW is full of rain), but I was thinking the same thing about the sales tax. I was under the opinion that they charged you sales tax when you went to DMV to register. Typically, all this DMV paperwork is handled at the dealer, so you can pay your tax there. But a Portland dealer isn't going to register the car, so you get to take care of that when you get home. I sure hope they don't ask you to fork over a couple grand...

Brendan
 
Thanks for your concern guys, but this is the forth vehicle I've purchased in Oregon.

Actually, brmiller, I *am* registering it in Oregon and I'll keep it registered there for about a year. Then I'll reg it in Cali. As long as you keep it out of Cali for 90 days and it is California emissions legal (mine is), then you can register it without sales tax. However, if it isn't Cali emissions legal, then you have to wait for 7500 miles to appear on the odometer. (Not really a problem either.)

Cali keeps collecting sales tax through intimidation and pressuring Oregon DMV/dealers. You just need to know how to play the game.

-Ed
 
Very nice! Sounds like you know the system inside out. I didn't live there long enough to have to buy a car, but I did know about the sales tax scare. Eeks!

 
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