Travel

 

HOTEL ROOM    DIRECTIONS    WEATHER    ATTRACTIONS   

How Do I Book My Room?

GCIR’s 2012 National Convening will be held at the Nines Hotel located in the heart of the city at the top of one of Portland, Oregon's most beloved landmarks, the stately Meier & Frank Building. Individualistic design traits celebrate the LEED Silver-certified hotel's surroundings, providing the opportunity to truly experience Portland's unique character.

GCIR has reserved a block of rooms at the rate of $189 per night, exclusive of taxes for both Deluxe King and Deluxe Queen/Queen rooms. The hotel will honor the group rate in addition to the convening dates three days before and after the event (subject to availability). Reserve your room online or at (888) 627-7208 by May 25, 2012. Be sure to indicate you are with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) to receive the discounted rate.

How Do I Get There?

The Portland International Airport serves the greater Portland region and is located approximately 12 miles from the Nines Hotel. Ground transportation options from the airport to downtown include:

  • MAX Light Rail: Portland's light rail system runs about every 15 minutes most of the day, every day. Service is less frequent in the early morning, mid-day and evening. Catch the MAX from Portland International Airport and pay only $2.40 for a 40 minute ride to the Nines Hotel. Exit at Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Nines is located across the street at 525 SW Morrison.
     
  • Taxis: Taxis are readily available and cost approximately $40 from Portland International Airport to the Nines Hotel. Travel time ranges between 20-40 minutes depending on traffic.
     
  • Portland Town Car: Town or private car pick-up is available and costs approximately $55 per hour. Please call (503) 754-3137 to schedule.
     
  • Driving to the Nines Hotel: Rental cars are available at the airport. The Nines Hotel offers valet parking to guests on a daily/overnight basis with unlimited access throughout the day and night. The current overnight rate is $39.00 and $16.00 for hybrid vehicles. Click on the link for driving directions to the Nines.

What’s the Weather Like?

June marks the beginning of the drier months in Oregon where the average rainfall per summer months is one inch. The climate is mild with temperatures ranging from 53 to 74 degrees.

What is There to Do in Portland?

 

STARTING POINT * TRANSPORTATION * ATTRACTIONS * EXPLORE * RESTAURANTS

Portland, also known as “The City of Roses” for its perfect growing climate for roses, “… is America's new food Eden, a confluence of every fertile trend in contemporary gastronomy.” – TIME Magazine, Nov. 17, 2010. Labeled as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world as a result of its public transportation networks and efficient land use planning, popular attractions include: Portland’s Rose Gardens, Washington Park, Multnomah Falls, Portland Art Museum, and Portland Walking Tours.

STARTING POINT

  • Travel Portland lists information on the city’s great neighborhoods, shopping, family, outdoors and nightlife offerings, as well as Portland’s hot culinary scene; nearby destinations (think wine country, Mount Hood, the Columbia River Gorge and more); and attraction-packed Washington Park (home to the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and Oregon Zoo — to name a few). In short, everything you need to know to plan your trip to the Rose City. PDF is available here.
  • Portland’s official Visitor Information and Services Center is located in Pioneer Courthouse Square—right across the street from The Nines Hotel. Here you can find maps, travel guides, brochures, and advice from local experts on staff. Visitor center hours: 8:30am-5:30pm M-F; 10am-4pm Sat; Closed Sun.

TRANSPORTATION

  • Getting around downtown: Free Rail Zone. You can ride MAX Light Rail and Portland Streetcar within downtown Portland, the Rose Quarter and the Lloyd District for free—all day, every day.
  • Taxi Companies:
  • Check out this map to help navigate your way around Portland’s city center.  
  • For visitors with additional time/interest to get out of Portland, visit the Travel Oregon website. 

POPULAR ATTRACTIONS

Most of the following are accessible through public transit in the Free Rail Zone. Click here for more information on these top sights. 

EXPLORE PORTLAND

Maps, lists, tours and guides for the following can be found at the Travel Portland visitor’s center in Pioneer Square (across the street from The Nines hotel).

View Portland’s annual travel guide for suggestions of where to eat, shop and play for the following neighborhoods:

  • Downtown
  • Pearl District
  • Northwest Portland/23rd Avenue Nob Hill
  • Old Town/Chinatown
  • Hawthorne/Belmont
  • Central Eastside
  • Clinton/Division
  • Alberta Arts District
  • North Mississippi Avenue

RESTAURANTS

Here is a sampling of what Portland has to offer in delectable cuisine:
 
At the Nines Hotel:

DEPARTURE RESTAURANT + LOUNGE(Asian)
525 SW Morrison St. (503) 802-5370
Departure is an escape from the ordinary, a journey into sophisticated surroundings with innovative Modern Asian cuisine and breathtaking city views.

URBAN FARMER STEAKHOUSE(Steakhouse)
525 SW Morrison St. (503) 222-4900
Urban Farmer redefines the modern steakhouse with a menu and beverage program focused on local and sustainable offerings in a uniquely sophisticated farmhouse setting. 

Throughout  Downtown Portland and in Nearby Neighborhoods:
Most suggestions listed below are found here.
($ Eat well for $10-$15; $$ Most entrees under $20; $$$ Most entrees $20 and up; $$$$ Most entrees $30 and up) 

ANDINA RESTAURANT(NovoPeruvian)
1314 NW Glisan, 503-228-9535, $$$
This immigrant family-owned restaurant is located in "The Pearl District"—10 minute walk from The Nines. 
 
BLUEPLATE(American)
308 S.W. Washington St., 503-295-2583, $
This downtown hole in the wall elicits nostalgia for old-time soda fountains. Jeff Reiter, former Park Kitchen sous chef, wields the spatula in a modest kitchen with impressive results, from slow-cooked brisket to properly gooey mac and cheese.
 
BRAZIL GRILL(Brazilian)
1201 S.W. 12th Ave.,  503-222-0002, $$$
This all-you-can-eat destination for serious carnivores is the only devoted outpost of Brazilian churrasco, the traditional preparation of spit-roasted meats. Waiters with bared swords, each skewering one of a dozen different meats, prowl an expansive dining room, stopping at a signal from a table to slice off a serving. You pay a flat fee -- and the food keeps on coming.
 
CLYDE COMMON(Northwest)
1014 S.W. Stark St., 503-228-3333, $$
At this slick storefront on the ground floor of the retro-hip Ace Hotel, the tattooed and tailored sit side by side at communal tables and converse over a menu that roams from chicken-fried chicken livers to popcorn, with an emphasis on edgy organ meats. Sure, you'll find ravioli here, but it's probably filled with beef hearts. Chef Jason Barwikowski is a promising talent who spins the likes of tongue and blood sausage into dishes with a playful rusticity. Detractors find the food and desserts uneven -- interesting, but still finding their way. Both would be correct. But everyone seems to agree on one thing: The Clyde is anything but common.
 
CARAFE(French)
200 S.W. Market St., 503-248-0004, $$
Every city needs a French bistro and Portland is lucky to have Carafe. Chef/owner Pascal Sauton isn't trying to rewrite le grand cuisine, and in today's climate of showoff chefs, that's reassuring. Here, French countryside cooking stays true to tradition, but because Sauton is obsessive about his handpicked ingredients (Ayers Creek beans, Cattail Creek lamb, etc.), the flavors are bright and alive. All the main courses stay under $20, a real feat these days, and a nightly prix fixe offers three courses for $20.
 
EL GAUCHO(Steakhouse)
319 S.W. Broadway, 503-227-8794, $$$$ -- and then some
If you can look a $50 entree in the eye and not blink, El Gaucho will give both you and your steak meticulous pampering and attention. This includes tableside preparation and carving, more tuxedos than a penguin colony and, indeed, some remarkable beef. It arrives gently seared and moist, with a mouth-filling, aged richness. Everything else, of course, is supporting cast, but some of the other dishes, including some appetizers and flambe desserts, considerably enhance the experience. The service, plus a complimentary cheese, fruit and nuts plate, encourages luxurious lingering.
 
THE HEATHMAN RESTAURANT(Northwest/French)
1001 S.W. Broadway, 503-790-7752, $$-$$$
Chef Philippe Boulot's polished, French-rooted cuisine shouts Pacific Northwest sourcing. But he's an eclectic fellow, reaching for a rustic Mediterranean-island-style octopus salad or jumping to Italy to capture a bagna cauda, the lusty "dip" heated enough to cloud seared, rare Ahi tuna strips served with fingerling potatoes, wilted leeks and Oregon truffle.
 
HIGGINS(Northwest)
1239 S.W. Broadway, 503-222-9070, $$$
Greg Higgins has done more to ennoble the humblest Northwest ingredients than anybody since Portland native son James Beard. And the restaurant that bears his name is at once an elegant gallery of local bounty and an earthy, no-fuss joint where great food and drink are served up Portland-casual style. The white-tablecloth restaurant in front boasts some of the town's best service and inspired seasonal menus. In the woody bar around back, a bistro menu allows you to enjoy an entire meal -- with drinks -- for less money than you might spend on an entree up front.
 
JAKE'S FAMOUS CRAWFISH(Seafood)
401 S.W. 12th Ave., 503-226-1419, $$$
This Portland institution has served locals and visitors since 1892, and it's still a favorite place to take out-of-towners. Jake's prides itself on the freshness of its fish, and the daily list of sea creatures is ample evidence. Most evenings the bar is as crowded as the bouillabaisse.
 
KARAM LEBANESE CUISINE(Lebanese)
316 S.W. Stark St., 503-223-0830, $$
Yearning for a Lebanese mamma to make your lunch? Head downtown to Karam, where artichoke stew and kafta casserole are simmering in the kitchen and sometimes delivered to your table by the chef herself. Though homey, this is Portland's most ambitious Middle Eastern cooking. Whether you order the unusual or stick to faves like chicken shawarma or lamb kebabs, Emelin Karam's home cooking is all about honest values: great flavors, big portions and incredible prices.
 
KENNY & ZUKE'S (Deli)
1038 S.W. Stark St., 503-222-3354, $
Owners Ken Gordon and Nick Zukin lavish attention on curing and smoking their meats and making everything they can from scratch. This is pastrami unlike any other, not only in its smoky taste and sheer flavorfulness but also in its equally original texture. Not everything scales the heights of the pastrami, but there's plenty here not to miss -- from superb bialys to benchmark Reubens.
 
LITTLE BIRD(French) $$$
219 SW 6th Ave. (503) 688-5952
 
MORTON'S(Steakhouse)
213 S.W. Clay St., 503-248-2100, $$$$
It doesn't quite match the vertiginous luxury of El Gaucho or the old-school local vibe of RingSide, but it's the best of the national steakhouse chains in town. From the ritualistic presentation of ingredients before the meal until the moment you reel out into the street sated and happy, you get first-rank treatment.
 
MOTHER'S BISTRO & BAR(Eclectic)
212 S.W. Stark St. 503-464-1122, $$
You make the trek home to the family hearth after a long absence and you don't want trendy, edgy or experimental. You want familiar, homey, comforting. You want, in short, the sort of fare that Mother's has been serving with reliable skill and care for years. Chef-owner Lisa Schroeder is a busy presence in the kitchen, dining room and even the swank Velvet Lounge bar. Her gracious touch, like the parlor-style furnishings and setting, gives you the essence of the place: It's all designed to make you feel at home.
 
MURATA(Japanese)
200 S.W. Market St. 503-227-0080, $$ (regular menu), $$$$ (kaiseki)
Besides consistent, impressively fresh sashimi and sushi -- like unexpected rolls and geoduck -- Murata sets out a range of Japanese specialties, including seafood-dense nabe stews for two, unusual grilled fish dishes and a kasu cod that makes "melting in your mouth" not a cliche but a literal description. Tempura is equal parts air and crispness, and it lures with nonstandard elements such as soft-shell crab.
 
PING(Southeast Asian)
102 N.W. Fourth Ave. 503-229-7464, $-$$
It has the soul of the 1917 Hung Far Low Building, the look of a Japanese drinking club and the green sensibility of indie Portland. It pays respect to Chinatown's past but looks to the future with food, art and design from local cultures all over Asia, like you'd find today in modern-day Bangkok or Tokyo. But mostly, as customers sit at the sleek counter inhaling pork bone tea, Vietnamese short ribs and black sesame ice cream, Ping feels exciting: the most daring, challenging, intriguing restaurant to open in some time.
 
PORTLAND CITY GRILL (Steakhouse)
111 S.W. Fifth Ave., 30th floor, 503-450-0030, $$$
The check may be expansive, but so are the menu and the eyepopping, sky-high view. Options range from upscale steaks to a full sushi bar and a range of Asian-inflected dishes. And yes, that is Mount Hood behind your pinot noir.
 
SAUCEBOX(Pan-Asian)
214 S.W. Broadway, 503-241-3393, $$-$$$
Sometimes you go to a place because it makes you feel cool. In downtown Portland, Saucebox is it. The vibe: high-energy Hong Kong happy hour. Bruce Carey's restaurants are always detail-oriented, and in the cacophony of Saucebox's sleek black bar and beyond, libations are the thing. The house cocktail menu lists more than a hundred, with rising talent Kyle Billings pouring; a glass "shrine" reverently houses liquors, cordials and infusions; and the daily happy hour and late-night DJ scenes are off the hook.
 
VERITABLE QUANDARY(American)
1220 S.W. First Ave. 503-227-7342, $$
Veritable Quandary accurately calls itself a local landmark since 1971, but it's been a landmark longer than it's been an interesting restaurant. Over more than a decade running the VQ kitchen, chef Annie Cuggino has changed things. Over time, and especially in the past few years, she's developed a cuisine that's still bar-muscular but steadily intriguing, with big portions and bigger flavors. Meals extend from accurately named giant prawns with bacon and avocado to chocolate souffle with a cap that rises heavenward as hot chocolate sauce infiltrates its core. The kitchen hits its peak in a Saturday-night $65 tasting menu, heavy with skill and protein, that can be paired with an imaginatively chosen six-wine accompaniment for $30 more.

 

 

 

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