The International Rose Test Garden is a perfect cheap date, or in our case, pit stop after a long drive. We arrived in Portland Friday afternoon, and Paul was starting to lose it in the car. We were all relieved to get out and stretch our legs. The garden is spectacularly beautiful and smells amazing. There are even nice public bathrooms and a children's playground.
Cost: free
The Pacific Science Center is convenient because it's just down the hill from our house, but it's got nothing on Portland's OMSI. That place was incredible. Joseph and Paul could have played in their kids' room all day. Paul was covered in glittery white sand when we pulled him out of there. Mom tip: the museum's "cafeteria" is actually an upscale dining room with yummy, affordable food.
Cost: Free admission with a reciprocal Pacific Science Center membership. $25 for lunch for our family of four.
Just outside OMSI, we caught a streetcar over Tilikum Crossing, a pedestrian/cyclist/transit vehicle-only bridge. It's just one stop across the Willamette River, and my kids loved the ride.
Cost: $2 per adult for a 2.5 hour pass
There's no gondola in Seattle, so I had to take our transportation-loving boys to try out Portland's Aerial Tram. What a view, what a city.
Cost: $4.55 per adult
One bite of Saburo's in my mouth and all my Portland dreams came true. Sushi that good means there's a long line but it's worth the wait. One friend generously stood in line for 45 minutes before the restaurant opened to snag a table for our party.
Cost: I don't know! We were treated by friends. Saburo's sushi costs about the same as other sushi places, but their portions are twice as big. So either go in ordering less than you normally do, or stuff yourself silly and leave with a big take-out box.
Other cost-savings:
- We crashed with friends, so our lodging was $0.
- I packed lots of fruit and snacks from our pantry, so our dining bill was minimal. Also, it's not like you're going to order fruit at a restaurant, and fruit is pretty much all my kids eat.