Over the Labor Day weekend, Ye & I took an early morning flight to Portland, Oregon and made our way to the Canopy by Hilton Portland Pearl District. Staying in the downtown area was convenient since we did not have a car everyday and most of the restaurant recommendations we received were all walking distance from the hotel.
Day 1: Our first stop was the most recommended breakfast spot: Screen Door. Whatever they put in their gravy is life altering! It lived up to all the hype. Afterwards, we ordered a "True Mexican" mocha to-go at La Perlita then started our walk to the Portland International Rose Test Garden. Shortly after, we walked up to the Japanese Garden. I felt so relaxed and zen. All the walking prepped us for dinner at Toki PDX followed by desserts at Wailua Shave Ice. Our night cap was spent at Powell's Book Store to purchase two books.
DAY 2: First item of business was picking up our Turo car rental (which was also walking distance from our hotel) then drove to the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University. We did a lap to see all the vendors and narrowed it down to two: Great Tang and Money Bowl. We had an AirBnB experience planned at The Croft Farm and as soon as we parked we were welcomed by the host. Interacting with the chickens, ducks, rabbits, alpacas, sheep, goats, and cow on the property was the most memorable part of the trip. At noon fell in line at Pip's Original Doughnuts & Chai. This was the best donut that I've ever had in my life. For lunch, we made our way to Nong's Khao Man Gai before we went thrifting at the House of Vintage and shopped around the Portland Saturday Market. The last stop of the day was the famous food carts: Cartlandia.
DAY 3: First things first: coffee! We stopped by Ovation Coffee & Tea then we hit the road to see Multnomah Falls. Parking was a breeze at 7 AM and the hiking trail was relatively clear. We had some time to kill before our windsurfing lesson so ate breakfast at Broder Øst then we popped by some of the orchards along the Hood River Fruit Loop. The windsurfing lesson started on the grass with a surfboard attached to a lazy suzan. Once the group felt confident, we were fitted for water shoes and sails and headed into the water. Dinner was at another food cart area called Hawthorne Asylum followed by dessert at Fifty Licks and 1927 S'Mores. The last item on our agenda was to return our Turo rental.
DAY 4: Ye & I woke up early to stand in line at a breakfast food cart called Fried Egg I'm In Love followed by an iced latte at a local coffee shop: Case Study Coffee. We explored the downtown area by foot, going to small boutique shops. I went home with some dope coveralls from Wildfang. Our lunch meal was epic! We enjoyed delicious Thai cuisine at Farmhouse Kitchen. Finding pizza for dinner in Portland was hard to find! We went to at least 3 pizza or Italian restaurants and they were sold out or the wait would be about an hour. Serratto came in clutch for the night and happily consumed all the pizza, risotto, garlic bread, and salad on our table.
WHEN WE RETURN
On our next visit to Portland, we would love to visit the other recommendations that our friends and family sent us: Hoyt Arboredum, Luc Lac, Pine State, Barista Coffee, Trillium Lake Loop, Pittock Mansion, the Gorge - Horsetail Falls, Mother's Bistro & Bar, Gravy, Papa Haydn, The Pie Spot, Yoshi Sushi, Deadstock Coffee, Roste Chocolate House, Gumba, Smith Teamaker, Matta, Soltice Wood Fire Cafe & Bar, East Wind Drive In, Sugar Pine Drive In, Malka, Buranko, Coava, Jam on Hawthorne, East Burn, Nolas donuts. Lovejoy Bakers, Bae's Chicken, Mumbo Gumbo, Toadstool Cupcakes, Straight from New York, Por Que No, De Fuego, Bamboo Sushi, Yonder, and Cool Moon Ice Cream.
