Portland

Portland needs 3 days: Powell's City of Books, the world's largest independent bookstore with an entire block of shelves, on one, an excursion to the Columbia River Gorge with Multnomah Falls on another, and touring the food carts and craft beer scene -with more breweries per capita than any other US city- on the third. June-September is best, avoiding the constant rain of the rest of the year. It's mid-priced for the West Coast. Nicknamed 'Rip City' and known for its unofficial motto 'Keep Portland Weird', it's an epicenter of alternative culture, sustainability and chef-driven food, just an hour from volcanoes, redwood forests and the Pacific coast.