I travel down to Portland pretty regularly. Caveat emptor: I hate recommending places to people as either they get really popular as word of mouth spreads (eg Jak's in Issaquah), or they're having an "off day". Ymmv, though with that context:
If you need hotel to stay in: Westin Downtown Portland. They have 2 80A hwpcs, free charge, though you'll need to pay regular valet charge with them (39$ overnight). They're a good bunch of valet attendants and haven't joy ridden any of my cars yet. Of course, they appreciate being treated like people. They might let you valet by the hour for local restaurants, though check first.
Charging: Woodburn supercharger is ~25 miles south of city center on the I5. If you like spirited driving, traveling from there through Newburgh to Hillsboro has lots of straight, empty, roads and challenging hill section ;-)
Food
- There are numerous food trucks which are pretty good. A large number of stationary ones are a block away from the Westin.
- Indian cuisine would be East India Company downtown. It is more traditional than your usual chicken tikka masala fare. ~2 blocks from Westin.
- Thai food, slightly out of downtown (Couch street) is a local's place I love: Lemongrass. It's a more unique experience, in that it is not speedy service, though think of it more like good things come to those who wait... plus, it's interesting chatting to those close by. Few tips: 1) the fresh fish is often the best dish, 2) Don't order > level 1 spice unless you've spent time in Thailand ;-), 3) it is cash only.
Bar food: Henry's Tavern on 12th street is pretty standard fare. Tip: sit upstairs and if you like pool there's a couple of reasonable tables in the upper bar where you can snack and drink - much nicer beer and quieter than Rock Bottom. Additionally, if you like microbrews, no visit would be complete without visiting Deschutes brewery.
- Steak: El Gaucho is just like El Gaucho in Seattle in terms of menu, though I like its ambience less. I generally prefer Portland City Grill as in early evening (dusk) on a clear day you get some spectacular views and the steak is good too.
- vegetarian: Once the meat sweats overcome you, there's a great vegan restaurant downtown, Prasad. Even for a regular "me-gan" like myself, there's a lot of tasty dishes.
- Mexican: Haven't found a great one in Portland. Once you've been spoilt by the fresh corn tortillas and home cooking of La Tarasca in Centralia everything else pales in comparison.
Shopping:
- Pioneer place is similar to most downtown shopping malls, Apple Store and Victoria's Secret included. There are also numerous bestbuy stores in the greater area.
- there are many galleries in the Pearl District area of Portland, and they hold an art walk there the first Thursday of each month (
Explore The Pearl | First Thursday in the Pearl, Portland, Oregon)
That's about all I can suggest, though I do like the idea about an Amazon locker. Would save a friend from receiving many parcels as an indication of my next visit ;-)
Hope this helps, Mike