Vancouver to San Francisco, by train
Have a sandwich at the Imperial, Portland
I wouldn't normally visit a hotel restaurant just for the purpose of having a sandwich. But this is the second restaurant by Vitaly Paley, one of Portland's most beloved chefs, and I'd been told it was a good place for lunch. I hadn't guessed that...
Take the sleeper train from Portland to Emeryville
Because you won't regret it.
Whatever Amtrak's reputation, this has to be one of the best train rides - and the best train services - in the USA. We actually started our rail journey in Vancouver and made our way, haltingly, down the West coast...
Get the pastrami fries at Kenny & Zuke's, Portland
OK, we didn't exactly go far for dinner. We were staying in the Ace Hotel, just two doors down, but we were jetlgged and we were hungry. We had seen many people hunched over enormous sandwiches through the window of this traditional-style deli at...
Buy a book at Powell's, Portland
Going to Powell's City of Books in Portland's Pearl District is a bit like finding yourself back in the college library. It's so big that books are categorised not by shelf but by room (Purple Room, Green Room, Pink Room, etc etc) and you keep...
See a film at the Living Room Theaters, Portland
The title really said it all. We just popped into this arthouse theatre because we'd seen the advert for Sleepwalk With Me on its sign. We knew it must be a hip joint because a) it's in Portland's Pearl District and b) there were lots of young...
Breakfast at the Ace Hotel, Portland
This is simply the best value hotel breakfast I have ever found. For $10 at the Ace hotel, you can help yourself to a generous spread of eggs, breads, pastries, granola, yoghurt, fruit and any number of yummy local jams and chutneys. Tea is from...
Go shopping in Northwest 23rd Avenue, Portland
We came across this little area of Portland's Nob Hill by chance - we were on the hunt for ice cream. But we were charmed by what we found - a really beautiful run of shops, five or six blocks long, that evolved over the course of the road from...
Eat in at the Loden hotel
Apparently the Loden was one of the first boutique hotels in Vancouver. I don't know what template they used, but it works very well - smart, modern, huge rooms and a really good level of service.
What's particularly nice about it is the Tableau...
Eat today's catch at the Pike Place Market
The Steelhead Diner was recommended to us by Charles Finkel, the owner of the Pike Pub and Brewery. He had a good reason for liking the place - one of the best dishes on their menu is fresh fish fried in Pike ale batter, and after eating it we...
