Where to Stay: Inn at Northrup Station

If you are planning to stay for more than a day or two, the Inn at Northrup Station may be the place for you. Each room is a suite, which has ample living area in addition to small kitchenettes. The kitchenettes are small, but may be nicer than the kitchen I've got at home as they are equipped with granite counter tops, maple cabinetry and very cute little fridges/dishwashers/microwaves that are nice and shiny and probably function better than the ones I've got. And, as an added and completely Jackie-style bonus, the lobby has gigantic bowls of candy. Gigantic! Bowls! of! Candy! How can you go wrong?

As fair warning, the decor is excessively bright (check out their web page and you'll get the idea -- www.northrupstation.com), and if orange duvet covers are not your idea of fun, then I'd suggest looking elsewhere. For the size of room that you get, the prices are very reasonable ranging from $170 for a standard two-queen bed suite to the $200 kind suite that has its own balcony. The Northrup Station is nice enough to probably qualify as a boutique hotel, so these prices are reasonable, especially once you factor in the ability to cook at home and to sit on a real couch rather than the end of the bed while watching TV (of which there are two plasma screens in each room).

The hotel also has the added perk of being directly on the streetcar line. Although it is already within walking distance (albeit not for the elderly and those in heels) of our reception, the streetcar connects the two almost directly. Convenient, especially while drunk! Other local amenities, also within pseudo-walking distance, are the fabled "restaurant row" on NW21st, several brewpubs (including our reception site), several small local theaters in addition to Portland's premier professional theater at the Armory, and pretty much all of the overpriced boutiques that your heart may desire. And that isn't even including the downtown area!

Where to Stay: Silver Cloud Inn

We have been looking at hotels in the area and have decided to post reviews of them periodically here so that you can make an informed decision when it comes to staying in beautiful Portland. Luckily, our wedding falls after the busy summer season, so good rates are available. I would also highly recommend several local bed & breakfasts, and if I have time I'll post information on them.

OK, the first hotel that we are going to cover is the Silver Cloud Inn. The Silver Cloud Inn is a part of a small chain of hotels in the Seattle/Portland areas. It is located between the NW23/21st area and the Pearl District in the alphabet blocks. While not directly located in a trendy spot, it is easily within walking distance of two of the biggest hot spots in downtown Portland. And since we are having our reception in the uber trendy Pearl District, this means that you are close enough to the reception site to park your car and walk or use the local streetcar, which runs directly in front of our reception site (Bridgeport Brew Pub). When we took a brief tour of the rooms, they were standard hotel fare but had the bright side of being slightly larger than expected (for example, in the double queen bed room, there is a full sofa & table). The hotel staff is extremely friendly, and I expect that they might actually enjoy working there! Happy employees = good sign. Maybe they are happy because plasma TVs seem to be everywhere. Hey - I wouldn't complain! Room rates are going to run you about $160, unless you go for the jacuzzi option (I find jacuzzi s that are out in the open in the bedroom area kinda freaky, so I wouldn't but hey - do what you will!) in which case you will have to shell out an extra $20. This hotel is functional and doesn't have much in terms of style (boutique hotel, this is not), but it is very serviceable and a good price. Check out their website, which includes a pretty complete virtual tour, for more info. www.silvercloud.com