Portland vs Bellevue LEGO store

[Arct3ryx]

Are they about the same size? Just curious. I was supposed to make it down to Portland a couple of weeks ago but long story short, hotel reservations didn't quite work out, and I ended up not making it down there.

[Gumby]

I'd say they're about the same in square feet, but the Bellevue store is more like a square, whereas the Portland store is very deep but narrower.

I find that the Portland store has more stock - probably cuz it simply doesn't see as many Canadian customers. Don't forget - they don't have any sales tax in Oregon!

[AC]

I have been to both and there is not much difference in the two when it comes to variety with the exception being the pick-a-brick wall. Sometimes the Portland store has some stuff the Bellevue store runs out of.-not a rule just an observation.

[beethead]

There's not much difference between the two stores from my experience. The layout and design of both stores is the same. I think the biggest difference would be the selection of elements on the Pick-A-Brick wall. I just came back from the Portland store and it's always nice to pay exactly what the price tag says for a change. The 2nd day I was there they had series 5 on the shelf for $2.99. I figure it's an extra 3 hours drive from Bellevue into Portland.

If you've got kids and the time, the Oregon Zoo is definitely a place to check out. You could spend 6-8 hours in there seeing & learning about all the animals. In the same general area is the Children's Museum and Japanese Garden. We went to the Japanese Garden which was very MOC inspirational. The Sea Lion Cave in Florence is nice to see but not worth the drive (3 hours from Portland) or price. The Tillamook Cheese Factory (1 hour from Portland) was interesting and has some great flavours of ice cream! For the shopping adults you could drive another 30 minutes south from Portland down to the Woodburn Outlet for some brand name clothing & shoes.

[AC]

The sand dunes in Florence are great. There is also a little diner in Florence call the Hot Rod Cafe and the burgers there are huge.

[Arct3ryx]

Hey thanks for all the advice on Portland - I've been there before but it was a food trip and we did hit up the zoo, but all the rest are news to me. Hoping to make it down there still, really enjoyed my last drive down, the kids weren't into LEGO at the time so add the store to the list for the trip next time