I'm taking a trip to Portland, OR in Sept. can anyone recomend some cool coffee shops or hangouts with music?

I would check the Willamette Week when you get there. They are available pretty much anywhere. When I am in Portland I spend most of my time at the Red and Black.

You absolutely have to go to Coffeehouse NW. It’s the best coffee in the whole wide world. I am not exaggerating. Not much to do there but drink coffee and look at attractive people, so it’s probably a good spot to get started. It’s just up the street from the famous and stellar, Powell’s Books.

John Powell is correct that Willamette Week is a good resource.

awesome, I’ll check it out. Thanks for your contributions.

I was going to suggest Powell’s Books. It is wonderful and unique.

Go down Hawthorn Blvd. There’s several there.

There’s a coffee shop on every corner just about in Portland. Each has it’s own unique personality and clientel. Hawthorne is a good spot to hang with the hippies, do some shopping at second hand stores and peruse the eastside Powell’s bookstore.
SE Belmont has several good options including the Pied Cow and Stumptown. If you like your coffee strong and the barista to be especially knowledable about coffee one of the Stumptown shops is your place to be. Pied Cow has hookas, too and a nice patio.
NW 23rd is trendy and upscale , but there are good options there, too. As well as wandering the Pearl, which is probably the snootiest of neighborhoods in Portland…but worth a wander.
For an off the beaten track experience, find your way to Rimksi Korsicoffee on SE 12th off Belmont. Coffee’s good, music is often classical or jazz, and the bathroom is an experience.

thanks dorkgirl,
I’m totally into layed back/hippy style areas. I love live music too, so I’ll check out the areas you suggested.

Johnpowell’s suggestion of checking out the Willamette Week is very helpful. You can go to WWeek.com for their online info. The Friday Oregonian has the local entertainment guide in it, too.
Also, KNRK (94.7) is the local alternative station and they have good info on upcoming events.
Have fun!

LOL! Pied Cow is still there huh? I remember that place opening.

Also there’s a place on Belmont that is in an old house. The owners are really great people. When you go into this place look up. There’s this huge chandelier that’s actually made with little ceramic asparagus. It came from an “old house of ill repute”.

Stay at the Ace Hotel and drink coffee from the in-house Stumptown Coffee Shop. There is a sweet lounge upstairs. WiFi all around, etc. Now, I respectfully do not recommend The Red and Black, unless you want a hard-core anarchist-collective experience. Really, you cannot leave Portland without hitting Stumptown coffee. Go to their website & hit all of the Stumptowns; that will give you a nice tour of various neighborhoods.

While on Belmont, go to the Blue Monk at night for live jazz. The Laurelthirst has good bands and good beer.

For a hip movie and dining experience, go to The Living Room Theatre (between The Ace Hotel and Powell’s) where you can eat, drink, and watch a movie.

The Doug Fir is a great place to see bands.

Portland is such a cool city. Talk to people that seem reasonable and they will point you in good directions. I have lived in the area for about 20 years and I never get tired of this great city.

Bottom line: Stumptown, Stumptown, Stumptown: http://stumptowncoffee.com/

Also, a little local secret, try Rimsky’s Korsa Coffee House for dessert at SE 12th and Stark in an old unmarked house. Go at night. There is no advertising and you have to look for it. It’s next to a Plaid Pantry, across from a large school, and they only take cash. The sweet treats and live classical music are wonderful. It is all word of mouth, so you won’t find it advertised, etc.

great I’ll check it out, is Portland pretty dog friendly? I have a small dog that I’m bringing with me.

Oh yes it is. Just keep him on a leash that’s it.

There are a lot of parks that have off-leash areas, more and more people are bringing their dogs to outdoor eating spots and you see them in stores & stuff, too.
My building (the Jean Vollum/Ecotrust Building) is dog friendly and many staff bring their pups to work. It’s totally cool.
BTW, the Ecotrust Building is a LEED Certified Green building with lots of neat features and is in the Pearl. There’s a good pizza place (Hot Lips) in the building, Patagonia and a World Cup coffee (not as good as Stumptown, but worth a stop by). There’s a farmer’s market here on Thursday afternoons…actually there are farmer’s markets around town almost every day of the week.
Hope you have a wonderful visit in our fair city.

If you’re the sort of dog owner who drinks beer, a great place to check out in Portland is the Lucky Lab brewpub in SE Portland. Dogs are welcome and numerous on the outdoor covered patio.

There is Bean Scene which is awesome. The owner allows dogs, he’s super cool and his coffee is awesome. It’s on 2190 W Burnside St next to a Beauty Salon called Little Beauty.