<p>Apparently this is the time for our family to visit colleges that start with R.</p>
<p>Any suggestions about events on campus, things we shouldn't miss, etc?</p>
<p>For Reed are you taking a tour? If so ask your tour guide to tell you about the history of the Doyle Owl.</p>
<p>If you have not been to Portland before make sure you go downtown to Pioneer Square and see the man with the umbrella and the people in general. If you have more down time go to 23rd avenue and shop and eat or for a more alternative experience find the Hawthorne area. Reed is close to Sellwood which is a very cute community and where you can go for great food if you only have a limited amount of time. If you are interested in interesting hotels stay in the downtown area in one of the boutique hotels such as Ace, Moderna and there are a # more. Have a good trip–bring your gortex rain jacket. OH! and do not miss Powells bookstore on Burnside. It is open until 11pm and a great place to go after dinner.</p>
<p>Powell’s is wonderful. Reed is supposed to be pretty intense. Ask how many smoke (both pot and cigarettes). Have heard one report of lots of cigarettes (but that may have been one group one year).</p>
<p>Houston in February can be rather lovely. Houston in early September is hot and brutally humid.</p>
<p>Rice Village-right near the campus- has restaurants and nice shops. There are also some wonderful ethnic restaurants in the area. There is a 3 mile walking/running path around the entire campus. It’s nice to do the whole loop.</p>
<p>This may be more of a “guy” thing, but if you are on your own for a meal near Rice, go to Goode Company on Kirby Dr. for real Texas barbecue. Be prepared for a lifetime of disappointment afterwards with barbecue from other parts of the country.</p>
<p>I can’t see visiting both schools, which have significantly different cultures. A kid who likes one may be out of water at the other.</p>
<p>Portland: do NOT miss Powell’s bookstore. The best bookstore on the planet (until they start selling direct at the Amazon warehouses). </p>
<p>What do you like to do? There are don’t miss activities of all kinds in Portland.</p>
<p>[Local</a> Portland Event Calendar - Travel Portland](<a href=“http://www.travelportland.com/event_calendar/]Local”>Portland Events | The Official Guide to Portland)</p>
<p>I <B the Nickel arcade
[Avalon</a> Theatre - Portland | nextstop.com](<a href=“http://www.nextstop.com/p/NUPI99nE5_M/avalon-theatre/]Avalon”>http://www.nextstop.com/p/NUPI99nE5_M/avalon-theatre/)</p>
<p>such great suggestions! I knew I could count on the knowledgeable folks on CC.
I will let you know how it goes.</p>
<p>Here’s a thread that gives some great info on visiting Rice: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/411126-visiting-rice-soon-what-see-do-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/411126-visiting-rice-soon-what-see-do-2.html</a></p>
<p>You should first see the area surrounding the campus, so be sure to visit Rice Village [Rice</a> Village](<a href=“http://www.ricevillageonline.com/]Rice”>http://www.ricevillageonline.com/) My favorite restaurants in “the Village” are Prego [Prego-Houston</a> an Italian Restaurant in Houston, TX<a href=“an%20upscale%20yet%20casual%20Italian%20restaurant”>/url</a> and Benjy’s [url=<a href=“http://www.benjys.com/flash.html]BENJYS[/url”>http://www.benjys.com/flash.html]BENJYS[/url</a>] (also an upscale yet casual restaurant, but with a more eclectic menu). Ruggles Cafe is also good, as is El Meson (cuban), Shiva’s (indian) and Miss Saigon’s (vietnamese). Going a little farther afield, Chuy’s is a fun inexpensive Mexican restaurant with good food [url=<a href="http://www.chuys.com/]Chuy’s">http://www.chuys.com/]Chuy’s</a> Dot Com](<a href=“http://www.prego-houston.com/]Prego-Houston”>http://www.prego-houston.com/). Houston has a wealth of great, reasonably priced restaurants, so I could go on and on. If there’s something specific you’re looking for, feel free to PM me and I can offer some suggestions. </p>
<p>As to what to do while in town, after checking out the campus (especially sitting for a while and enjoying an iced tea at Brochstein Pavilion), I also recommend going to one of our fabulous museums. My two favorites are the Houston Museum of Fine Arts [MFAH:</a> The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston](<a href=“http://www.mfah.org/home.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3=1&par4=1&par5=1&par6=1&par7=&lgc=0&eid=¤tPage=]MFAH:”>http://www.mfah.org/home.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3=1&par4=1&par5=1&par6=1&par7=&lgc=0&eid=¤tPage=) and the Museum of Natural Science [The</a> Houston Museum of Natural Science](<a href=“http://www.hmns.org/?r=1]The”>http://www.hmns.org/?r=1) Both are just around the corner from campus. If you aren’t renting a car, you can take the light rail from campus to these museums.</p>
<p>If you want to just wander a bit, the new downtown park, Discovery Green [Events</a> - Discovery Green Conservancy, Events](<a href=“http://www.discoverygreen.com/en/cms/?829]Events”>http://www.discoverygreen.com/en/cms/?829), is pretty interesting. If you have a car, take a ride down Kirby Drive towards downtown and see some of the houses in River Oaks; drive west on Westheimer past the shops and restaurants at Highland Village to get to the uptown area and visit the Galleria. Drive to Memorial Park and see all that it has to offer and stop at the inexpensive Beck’s Prime for a burger or grilled ahi tuna sandwich set on the beautiful expanse of a public golf course.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit!</p>
<p>If you’re willing/able to leave the immediate campus area, I have to give a shout out for my favorite Houston’s restaurant, Fadi’s. It serves Mediterranean fare. Dh loves the hummus and baba ghanoush, ds1 loves the meat pitas, ds2 loves the coriander potatoes, and I love the bread, tabbouli and everything else.</p>
<p>[Mediterranean</a> Buffet, Dallas Mediterranean food, Houston Mediterranean Grill](<a href=“http://www.fadiscuisine.com/to-go-menu.htm]Mediterranean”>http://www.fadiscuisine.com/to-go-menu.htm)</p>
<p>dt123- Goode Company is definitely NOT just a guy thing. 
Good recommendation! We love the place and I was sent one of their pecan pies as a business gift this Christmas.</p>
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<p>At least we have a couple of decent BBQ places up here. Buck’s Naked Barbeque in Freeport is not bad. The village of Freeport at first wouldn’t let the restaurant operate under that name - too shocking! - until the owner explained that “naked” refers to the absence of sauce served on the BBQ - each patron puts sauce on after the meal is served. I do miss “real” Texas BBQ, though.</p>
<p>In Portland gotta try Voodoo Doughnut.</p>
<p>BlueBayou: I agree…an unusual combo, to say the least. I’d like to hear the unifying thread.</p>
<p>Both schools share the same first letter.</p>
<p>We’re back from the “R” College mini-tour. Thanks for all the suggestions! My daughters would say the highlight of the Portland trip was the sock store in the Sellwood neighborhood (Sock Dreams). We did make it to the Goode Company BBQ in Houston.
Parents liked it, but the teenagers whose tastes lean toward pasta… not so much!</p>
<p>Can you share your impressions of both schools? At one point they were both on my daughter’s list and she had the opportunity to visit Reed but not Rice. We never did get around to visiting Rice so I would love to hear a comparison of the two.</p>
<p>Reed lives up to its billing-- academically intense, outspoken students. Rice is mellower. We (the parents) were very impressed by the resources and opportunities for students at Rice. The campus was lovely in a very traditionally “collegiate” sort of way. There is a new physics building and two new “green” dorms. Houston is a jumble of freeways, but we’re used to that.</p>