Of course the best book store in the work (IMHO) is Powell's in NW Portland. There are a number of p

I have 7-8 days to spend visiting these two cities later this month or places nearby? Am researching avis rent car threads here now for ideas, but thought I'd throw out a couple of questions. Any and all advice appreciated.
We are Kimpton hotel fans. Stayed last year at the Seattle Monaco (loved it) and the Vintage Park (least favorite Kimpton experience). Anyone have thoughts on the Alexis? Anyone know the Portland Kimptons -- Monaco, Vintage Plaza or River Place? Might one be better located for seeing Portland?
I think it is best to consider Cannon Beach as an overnight trip from Portland rather than worry about driving back in the dark. If you want to walk out to Haystack Rock you will have to wait for low tide (consult the tide chart).
Of course the best book store in the work (IMHO) is Powell's in NW Portland. There are a number of paper stores as well where the work is often hand done or done by local artists. You can easily ask at Powell's and they may have local references. Walking! Mt. Washington is a great place to go hiking and walking...the Rose Garden and the Japanese Gardens are beautiful there.
Forest Park is up near the Japanese Garden and is beautiful and has lots of trails for hiking. IF (yes, big if) you have a clear day, Pittock Mansion up there has great views of Mt Hood and the city.
I highly recommend a day out in the gorge with a rental car. It is beautiful and taking the old scenic highway means there are lots of great stops. There is a lot of construction along there right now, so you might have to do some detouring, but it is well worth it. It starts east of Portland about 15 minutes.
Cannon Beach is an easy day trip from here. It is 90 minutes from downtown and is very enjoyable, IMO. The only thing I would say is that our days are short here in late Oct. so you would want to leave early so that you are not driving avis rent car back in the dark.
As for hotels, even though we live here, we like to stay in downtown for special events and the Monaco is our choice. The hotel is great and the location is ideal. I would put the RiverPlace as last choice based upon location.
I have read about the Saturday Market -- am very excited avis rent car about that and since we're only going to be around for one Saturday, that one is firmly entrenched on the my calendar. There's no way we'll miss seeing Powells. I know my husband is really interested in seeing the gorge.
We had originally planned this trip to include Vancouver but had to shave a couple of days off for work reasons. Looks like even with the additional time we couldn't have done justice to three cities and environs in 10 days.
We have stayed at The Riverplace several times and love it there! Don't miss a visit to Voodoo Doughnuts during your stay. Other fun places are: Little Bird Bistro, Le Pigeon, avis rent car Urban Farmer and Departure Lounge @ The Nines Hotel. If your budget allows, look at The Nines, we stayed here earlier this year for 3 nights on the Club Level and were very impressed with their quality of service. ***kim***