what are the best shopping malls in portland,or?

Question

mostly ones with a nice mall. instead just stores, a place to sip coffee and look around.

Answer 1

Portland isn't really a big mall-oriented town. Just go downtown. Drink your coffee at the Starbucks in Pioneer Courthouse Square (plenty of people watching to do there, for better or worse), pop into Pioneer Place Shopping Center (a relatively small mall downtown), or walk over to Nordstrom or any of the many stores downtown. If you want more of a mall experience from there you can hop on the Max train (for free) and cross the river to the Lloyd Center Mall, Oregon's largest mall (think that's still true). Not necessarily the nicest to my mind, but plenty to do there. Like the skating rink.

http://www.pioneercourthousesquare.org/
http://www.pioneerplace.com
http://www.lloydcentermall.com
http://www.travelportland.com/visitors/visguide/tax_free_shopping.html

Answer 2

Even if Portlanders have mixed feelings about the inherent commercialism in the world, maybe you don't. My recommendation for you is to check out Lloyd Center. Granted it's just a mall but you asked.

I took my mom, who is from Detroit to Lloyd Center last year, and she was very impressed that there could be an urban mall that was vibrant and not in a state of ruin. She was also impressed that there was a ice skating rink inside the mall. She thought if the mall by her house looked like this rather than something resembling Baghdad, she'd be thrilled. She wanted to just sit and watch the ice skaters. Boring, but you got to admit, not just your every day mall experience. They have all the usual stores that malls have. And if you're still not satisfied, go downtown to Pioneer Square.

Answer 3

There are three large malls in the Portland area.
Two are in suburbs, only one is right in Portland.

Washington Square
Clackamas Town Center
Lloyd Center (in Portland, near the Rose Garden)

I would choose Lloyd Center, it has the most character.
It's not as classy perhaps as Clackamas Town Center, but it would be more of a delight and such.