Girlfriend Getaways

Portland
At the downtown Portland Saturday Market, artisans congregate under the west end of Burnside Bridge, selling artwork, homemade jam, and clothing made with recycled materials (March--December, 503/222-6072, also open Sundays). A five-minute walk away, Powell's City of Books has an extensive selection of used and new titles on anything and everything alternative (1005 W. Burnside St., 503/228-4651). Despite its hemp-happy reputation, Portland is also home to independent upscale boutiques. Take the streetcar to Northwest Portland: Local jewelry designers sell their work at Twist (30 NW 23rd Pl., 503/224-0334), and women's designers from the Pacific Northwest are at Seaplane (827 NW 23rd Ave., 503/234-2409) and The Bee and Thistle (2328 NW Westover Rd., 503/222-3397).

A grittier aesthetic reigns in the Northeast Alberta district. Art galleries and bodegas alternate with chef-owned restaurants like the Tin Shed Cafe, where breakfast is served all day and happy hour specials include Cherry Garcia quesadillas, with roasted red peppers, jalapeños, black beans, Tillamook cheddar, cilantro-jalapeño crème fraîche, and cherry jam (1438 NE Alberta St., 503/288-6966, $3).

Don't despair if you can't squeeze into the exclusive, reservation-only restaurant Family Supper (2240 N. Interstate Ave., 503/235-2294); the same owners have a gastro-pub in the same building (Gotham Bldg. Tavern, 503/493-2646, cheddar-and-chutney sandwiches $7). The slickest nightclub in town resembles a hipster log cabin, aptly named Doug Fir (830 E. Burnside St., 503/231-9663). Blackberry cosmos ($7) and salads with tiger prawns, pears, and Asiago cheese ($10) are served in the upstairs restaurant/bar. Downstairs, bands and DJs play to a packed dance floor.

Next door, the Jupiter Hotel, a refurbished '50s motel, refers to rooms with two queen-size beds as The Deuce; some rooms are outfitted with city- and forest-scene murals and Blu Dot furniture (800 E. Burnside St., 503/230-9200, jupiterhotel.com, from $79).

Santa Fe
Most of Santa Fe's contemporary, 19th-century, and Native American art galleries are in adobe buildings lining Canyon Road. A four-day, $18 pass gets you into the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art (all on Museum Hill), as well as the Palace of the Governors and the Museum of Fine Art. The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian is free (museumhill.org).

The world's largest collection of works by Georgia O'Keeffe is housed two blocks from the Plaza at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (217 Johnson St., 505/946-1000, $8). To see the landscapes that inspired her, take the 1.5-mile hike through the Nature Conservancy's Santa Fe Canyon Preserve (Upper Canyon Rd. at Cerro Gordo Rd., 505/988-3867). Exporting Southwestern style helps Santa Fe thrive: Local Native Americans sell their handcrafted sterling silver jewelry and beadwork under the portal of the Palace of the Governors in the Plaza--at prices far lower than those in the stores lining the square (105 W. Palace Ave.).

Locals and tourists alike line up at Cafe Pasqual's for the chili en nogada, a stuffed poblano chili in walnut sauce (121 Don Gaspar Ave., 505/983-9340, $21). In warm weather, the whole city seems to hang out on the patio of the Cowgirl BBQ & Western Grill (319 S. Guadalupe St., 505/982-2565). There's live music Tuesdays--Sundays, margaritas aplenty, and New Mexican favorites like chile rellenos ($10). The El Rey Inn, a self-described old-style motor court, has several adobe-style suites on five acres of garden property. It's about two miles from downtown (1862 Cerrillos Rd., 800/521-1349, elreyinnsantafe.com, from $95). And no trip to Santa Fe is complete without a relaxing dip in a private outdoor hot tub at Ten Thousand Waves Spa & Resort (505/992-5025, tenthousandwaves.com; private outdoor tub from $20).

Scottsdale
The best spa deals are at Marriott's Camelback Inn; 60-minute massages start at $100 (5402 E. Lincoln Dr., 480/596-7040, camelbackinn.com). Celebs like Jennifer Aniston stock up on bath-and-body goodies at the Lather boutique in Kierland Commons (15211 N. Kierland Blvd., 480/483-6633). Frank Lloyd Wright also loved Scottsdale: He built his office/drafting studio, Taliesin West, in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. The 490-acre complex reflects his appreciation of desert light and sharp angles (480/860-8810, franklloydwright.org, one-hour tour $18).

The sleek, colorful Mondrian hotel--formerly known as The James--is the center of Scottsdale nightlife (7353 E. Indian School Rd., 480/308-1100, mondrianscottsdale.com, rooms from $169). Recover the next morning at Orange Table with a Monaco omelet ($7)--made with roasted red peppers, provolone, and basil (7373 E. Scottsdale Mall, 480/424-6819).

Scottsdale's Fashion Square mall has labels like Louis Vuitton and Coach, but there are better bargains at nearby consignment chain My Sister's Closet (6204 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480/443-4575). The best pizza in the U.S. is at Pizzeria Bianco, in Phoenix. It only takes reservations for groups of six or more, but the Wiseguy pie ($13) is worth a wait (623 E. Adams St., 602/258-8300).

West Palm Beach
The city is flashy and proud of it: Even the Norton Museum of Art gets in the game, with a glass ceiling by Dale Chihuly--the artist who did the Bellagio lobby ceiling (1451 S. Olive Ave., 561/832-5196, $8). Henry Morrison Flagler, the original West Palm pioneer, built his nearby 55-room "winter retreat" in 1902 (Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, 1 Whitehall Way, 561/655-2833, tours $15), around the same time as another of his endeavors, The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach.

On Clematis Street, dozens of clubs, bars, and people compete for attention. Cucina Dell'Arte is the place for late-night dinner and drinks (257 Royal Poinciana Way, 561/655-0770, pizza $16). Antiques stores on South Dixie Highway sell a mixture of the high-class and the hilarious: shell-covered chandeliers at Christa's South Antiques & Seashells (3737 S. Dixie Hwy., 561/655-4650) and '50s furniture and accessories at Deco Don's (5107 S. Dixie Hwy., 561/588-2552). Rhythm Café shares the same aesthetic, with ambitious dishes served under a disco ball (3800 S. Dixie Hwy., 561/833-3406, stuffed cod $25).

Cuban espressos are a must at Havana restaurant (6801 S. Dixie Hwy., 561/547-9799). The cocktail scene at Hotel Biba, a renovated motel in the El Cid neighborhood, routinely spills out to the pool and garden. Splurge for the lavender-and-white suite, which has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a shared living room (320 Belvedere Rd., 800/789-9843, hotelbiba.com, rooms from $109, suites from $215).