Portland ... things to do, and where to stay??

Me and the wife are taking a 4 day trip to Portland (to visit to see if we want to move there) and wanted to know what you recommend we do while we're there? Suggestions?

Also, what are some hotels or areas to stay that are close to everything but also reasonably priced?

Portland, Oregon

The hotels downtown are really nice, but you'll pay loads to stay there. There are a few reasonably priced hotels out near the airport.

The typical touristy stuff is:

Visiting each section of town (Broken down into NW, NE, SW, SE)

NW is Chinatown/Old Town and the Pearl and I guess you could say 21st-23rd st
NE is where the mall is, The convention center, the Trailblazer's stadium, etc, and is the most corporate area of the city probably.
SE is a Bohemian/hipster section of town.
SW is mostly the downtown area and the University area.

Mt Hood
The Japanese Garden
The Rose Garden
The Chinese Garden (overpriced in my opinion though)
People like going to the Zoo
Powell's (the biggest independent bookstore)
Portlandia (Second biggest copper statue after the Statue of Liberty. Located downtown)
Normally the weekend market, but I don't think it is open in the winter.
21st-23rd Street (trendy shopping area)
The Waterfront
Art Galleries in the Pearl
Pioneer Square
A few of the burbs are worth going to as well.

That's all I'm coming up with off the top of my head for sightseeing.

Check out:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Nor...

For basic stuff. If you want a list of non touristy stuff to do just let me know.

Uhhhh...Portland, Oregon? Or Portland, Maine?

I would most definetly live there!!! I used to live there...I miss seeing Mt Hood everyday! Its a beautiful place to live, people are friendly, 1-2 hours to the ocean, being in the forest at the ocean is a huge plus! You could go skiing in a hour too! As for staying there....look online for an economical place...dont stay downtown as its too expensive!