Spring On My Mind

Fun fact via B--Tuesday was the first day of meteorological spring.  We're 4 days in and boy is it heating up in Albany.  Just kidding, it's really not.  But maybe that explains why I've got spring fever.

Maybe it's because of the other season...tax season.  The one where I spend Saturdays with everyone but J, and when his evening companion of a cup of tea is joined by a laptop and a buzzing phone.  It's got me daydreaming about our post-April 15 plans, which include some spring/summer trips that require your advice.

First up is a quick Montreal weekend with my sister.  J went there in HS, but unfortunately his travel notes and memories do not include a faboosh brunch locale.   

Next is St. Louis/Kansas City.  We'll be checking out some beisbol, some cousin, and hopefully some barbecue.  What are your suggestions?  Favorite place to eat, sites to see?  We're up for almost anything, and we've done some minimal research so far.  It'll be supplemented with some travel books from the library at some point, but we're not there yet.   

Then we're off to Portland, OR.  We'll be visiting our cousins with a brand new lil' bebeh, and definitely doing some hiking.  I see at least one visit to the Waffle Window in our future, and maybe a couple to Pine State Biscuits.  I saw a lot of Portland spots on the James Beard semifinalist list.  What should we be eating in Portland? If we head to Seattle for a day or two, what's not to miss there?  (I know Olga from Mango & Tomato has some Seattle info, I should dig into the archives!)

Bonus if you can recommend eats in Puerto Rico for my friend who is spending 6 weeks (!) there for work.  Thanks to Stacey and Olga for their tips so far.  

Thanks in advance for your advice.  It's always appreciated.  I'll be sure to consult Eater, Chowhound, 36 Hours/NYTimes, etc, but I like to know what you think.