Portland is a food, beer, wine and cocktail lover’s Utopia; a shopper’s treasure; an artist’s haven.
With Mount Hood to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and scores of rivers, waterfalls, forests and hiking trails all around, the area is also a nature lover’s playground.
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| Multnomah Falls |
Portlanders are hip, artsy and ruggedly cool. Guys wear plaid shirts and 1970s down- filled vests. Women wrap their necks with natural fibre scarves and look enviably healthy and beautiful with no makeup. Portlanders love their Happy Hour and ramen. Community gardens sprout abundantly in empty residential lots and the dining establishments that don’t serve locally grown and natural, consciously raised food products are the odd ones out. There are as many old cars and trucks on the roads as new ones. Think 1972 Chevy half-ton. Jeep Wagonneers. Portland’s cool factor is off the charts.
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| Merchandise at Animal Traffic on Mississippi Avenue |
The city was named one of the most livable cities in the USA in 2010, and if you spend any time there, it won’t take you more than a day of exploring to understand why.
We had five days after Christmas to take in Portland. We would’ve gladly spent five weeks had we the time.
Food: You’ll want to do your research on places to eat and you’ll find a plethora of information on the web. (I’ll post some restaurant recaps in a day or so.) The Pacific Northwest is abundant with good–no, make that great–food. If you’re a food truck/food cart fan (and who isn’t?), Portland boasts over 500 portable food purveyors. Check Portland’s Food Cart website for info. Only a handful, however, were open over the Christmas/New Year break and because of that, we have decided to return to Portland for a food cart tour this year.
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| Downtown Portland Food Trucks |
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| Food Trucks on Division Street |
We had spectacular food in Portland but we managed to find a couple of duds too: Henry’s Tavern in the Pearl District (if you’re Canadian, think any over-decorated restaurant geared to big plates, big fixtures and over-processed, big bang-no whammy food), and Jake’s Grill (a McCormick and Shmick’s property) in a gorgeous historical building downtown. This is what happens when you don’t do your research.
Lodging: The Hotel Monaco-Portland holds the #1 rating on Trip Advisor, and deservedly so. We chose it because of its downtown location and because of the types of rooms it offered. Traveling with four teenagers means we need space and the Monaco definitely offered that with the rooms we chose. Staff is extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the area, and the nightly wine and mingle hour in the lobby gives patrons a chance to taste local wines and enjoy the hotel’s art collection.
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| Lobby at Hotel Monaco Portland |
This hotel is pet-friendly, so if you don’t like dogs, don’t stay here. Several guests brought their canine companions along but we never experienced any barking issues or unruly beasts. The Monaco’s mascot dog, Timmy, lounges anywhere he so desires and is the object of everyone’s attention that passes by.
Sightseeing: The OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), the zoo and the Portland Art Museum are listed as the city’s top attractions, but we found worthwhile sites just by driving or walking around and taking the time to shop, eat or stop for locally roasted java in one of the many coffee houses in the city.
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| Shopping at Flutter on Mississippi Avenue |
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| Around the corner from Voodoo Doughnuts SW 3rd Ave |
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| Exploring Alberta Avenue Arts District |
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| Great Coffee at Caffe Vita on Alberta Avenue |
The city’s historic buildings add to the charm and are home to countless cafes, boutiques and pubs.
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| The infamous Voodoo Doughnuts – original location SW 3rd Avenue |
Portland revels in its quirkiness. In fact, bumper stickers and even a building sport the slogan, “Keep Portland Weird”. How wonderful to see a city promote its individuality and resist homogenization.
Portland has everything a city needs to lure travellers back for another visit. It’s interesting, quirky, vibrant and will keep you fed and watered with good food and drink in more ways than you could imagine.
Portlanders, I envy you — even your airport is cool.
Check back soon for more blog posts on this incredible city.
oh my gosh — so many things I agree with you on Twyla! I have to/get to travel to Portland for work a bunch and my sister used to live in the Pearl District so I know it fairly well. Love the airport — so easy, love Hotel Monaco cause we can take our dog and still be in the city, dislike Henry’s and I’m glad you hit VooDoo’s. Hope you spent some time at Powells too. Sounds like a great trip! Happy New Year!
One of the things I didnt do was go to Powell’s and am kicking myself now. My SO & his son went and they loved it – brought home about 20 books or more. Portland overall is absolutely delightful in so many ways. I can’t wait to go back. I envy you that you get to go there so often 🙂
amazing pics thanks
really nice pics
thanks 4 this post