I’ve never been to Oregon before and I get slightly overwhelmed trying to plan a trip to a place that has so much to offer. I don’t know where to begin. We have about a week. What places would be your “not-to-miss” places along the coast and around Portland? – Lynn S.

Around Portland the not-to-miss stops probably include Multnomah Falls, Powell’s Books, Saturday Market, and the Portland Farmers Market.  If you like beer, you have to visit some of Portland’s breweries and pubs.  If you’re partial to wine, visit some wineries a short drive out of town in the Willamette Valley. On the North Coast I recommend stopping in Astoria, Oregon – the oldest American settlement in Oregon, and one of the oldest west of the Rockies.  If you’re a fan of the movie The Goonies, you’ll love Astoria even more.  It’s a quaint cute town at the mouth of the Columbia.