A weekend in Portland, Oregon

Budget

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Mr. Janis Miglavs

A tour of wineries in the Willamette Valley includes a designated driver-guide.

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Special

The Classical Garden showcases Chinese plants and culture. Tickets are included in a hotel package.

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Travel Portland

The Saturday Farmers Market at Portland State University is a fun activity that can cost as little as you want.

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Getting there

Occasional one-way sale rates from $209-$229; 14-day advance; Continental, Frontier Airlines.

Stay

Be cool, stay in school. McMenamins Kennedy School, that is — a former elementary school, opened in 1915. Converted classrooms with private bath (and original chalkboards) from $109 queen, $114 king. Guests enjoy comp access to the movie theater and a courtyard soaking pool. View the Web site for numerous free live music events; kennedyschool.com, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave., 503-249-3983.

Eat

Award-winning bread baked at the Pearl Bakery is served on the tables of some of Portland’s finest restaurants. Indulge yourself with to-go breads, cookies, pastries, sandwiches. Located in the Pearl District, a former heavy industry area transformed into an upscale, eclectic neighborhood of galleries, shops, restaurants along cobblestone streets; pearlbakery.com, 102 N.W. Ninth Ave., 503-827-0910.

Experience

Don’t miss the Saturday Farmers Market on the Portland State University campus; portlandfarmers

market.org. Take the Portland Aerial Tram to an observation deck for spectacular views; closed Sundays; $4 round trip; under age 6 free; portlandtram.org. City streetcars make 46 stops on an 8-mile continuous loop. Ride all day for $2; portlandstreetcar.org.

Moderate

Getting there

One-week advance purchase rates from $279; Frontier Airlines.

Stay

Stay in a spacious two-room suite at the Downtown Embassy Suites Hotel, two blocks from the city’s light rail lines and within a stroll of the waterfront. The Chinese Gardens package includes an evening wine reception, cooked-to-order breakfast and tickets to the Classical Garden — a cultural heritage garden and living museum of Chinese trees and flowers, from $169 per night through Oct. 16, double; embassysuites.com, 319 S.W. Pine St., 503-279-9000.

Eat

Le Pigeon is small and casual with cozy communal seating (or sit at the bar to watch the chefs). Entrees to $28 (authentic French beef cheeks bourguignon $21); lepigeon.com, 738 E. Burnside St., 503-546-8796.

Experience

Head out on the road to Oregon’s stunning North Coast. From Portland, travel U.S. 30 west to Astoria, then south on U.S. 101. Stop at the ocean communities of Seaside, Cannon Beach, Nehalem Bay, Rockaway Beach and Tillamook. Return to Portland via Oregon 18/99W just north of Lincoln City. Bring a kite to sail on miles of dramatic beaches; visittheoregoncoast.com. Shop BNM.com for all rental car companies.

Splurge

Getting there

$619 round-trip/21-day advance; $1,017/seven-day advance; Delta, nonstop.

Stay

The boutique Heathman Hotel, in the Cultural District, features posh guest rooms with original artwork by local artists, windows that open, robes and slippers, French press coffee, L’Occitane amenities and a bed menu (choose TempurPedic, Euro-pillow-top, Featherbed). Wi-Fi, newspaper, and bottled water at evening turndown is complimentary. The Romeo and Juliet package includes a stay in the Symphony Suite with continental breakfast, bottle of sparkling wine, chocolate truffles, candles and valet parking, from $309 per night; portland.heathmanhotel.com, 1001 S.W. Broadway, 503-241-4100.

Eat

Enjoy live Latin guitar entertainment with the sounds of your sizzling grilled steak at El Gaucho. Caesar salads, tartare, flaming swords, and bananas Foster flambé prepared tableside. Steaks $21-$62; seafood tower $95; elgaucho.com, 319 S.W. Broadway, 503-227-8794.

Experience

Take a winery tour out to the countryside and sample from award-winning wines (and Oregon’s famous pinot noirs) of the Willamette Valley. Visit four wineries while learning about the process. The door-to-door, full-day trip includes a designated driver-guide, $59.50; ecotours-of-oregon.com, 3127 S.E. 23rd Ave., 503-245-1428.