In Portland, Or. for 24 hours. Is there something not to miss?

Yes.
The coffee!
Portland is the coffee capital of the U.S. ;D

A friend told me she enjoyed going to the Classical Chinese Garden in Portland and doing some photography,. This may or may not be the type of thing you’re interested in…I haven’t been to Portland yet, but the place does look gorgeous.

I haven’t been in years, but family who still live in the area say the Peral District is great.
There are always festivals going on so you may want to google the dates you’re going and see if something special is going on that day.

Are you here now? Or will you be?

If you’re around tomorrow, check out the Saturday Market.
Japanese Gardens are cool.
Definitely check out 23rd Avenue for shopping and whatnot.
Like beer? Take a tour of one of our breweries.
http://voodoodoughnut.com/
Check out the Street of Dreams homes in the Pearl District.

For a ton more, follow this link: http://www.travelportland.com/event_calendar/

Portland is all about weird, so taking a walk around downtown would be pretty cool. You could walk along the waterfront, check out the different stores, bars and restaurants, then walk to Pioneer Courthouse Square – which is Portland’s outdoor living room. :)

If you have a car, I highly suggest visiting Multnomah Falls: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Multnomah_Falls_from_the_base.jpg

OMSI might have something cool going on right now, too. So you can check the site to see: http://www.omsi.edu/

It’s hard to actually experience this city in just a day, but I hope you have fun and that you’re able to.

Powell’s City of Books.

The main store is incredible, the largest independent bookstore in the world. I know a couple from the midwest who plan an annual trip to Portland just to browse Powell’s for two days. I always wonder how many empty suitcases they bring with them for books.

I like bridge architecture, so I could spend hours driving around Portland randomly, just crossing bridges.

I’m with frdelrosario. Go to Powell’s Books. When you walk in, they give you a fold out map of the store. Yes . . . a map. And you’ll need it. They have a shipment counter, so you can have the books you buy shipped to your home. Very convenient.

There’s a lot to pack into one day – and Drastic Dreamer had some great suggestions. The last time I was there, I loved eating at Clyde Common and the drinks there were amazing too. I think Seattle’s Stranger newspaper actually just did a pull-out guide to Portland and these were some of the must-sees.

I hope you have a great trip!

Thank you all. Good suggestions. It was a great if short time in Portland. Lots of coffee and amazing food at a French little place (St. Honoree), a quick Powell’s visit on Hawthorne Street (and bought some vegies there at a fantastic little market), and walked around. What a delightful town.
Will definitely visit soon again.