If you have a weekend to spare, I suggest making a trip up to the PNW and give Portland a try. This beautiful city has built a character of it’s own and is capturing travelers’ hearts. After hearing lots of great things, I knew I had to pay a visit. So my friend Kara and I flew up on a Thursday night for a three day getaway in Portland.
After a good night rest, Kara and I grabbed a bike and made our way to Blue Star Donuts first thing in the morning. Many of my peers have raved about this donut joint, so both Kara and I knew it had to be a hit. Kara had the Blueberry Bourban Basil and Passion Fruit Cocoa Nib, while I had the PB&J and Pina Colada. To be expected, the donuts were AMAZING. The donuts were true to their flavor. The dough was just how I like it–fluffy. My favorite out of the four flavors we tried was the PB&J. The donut was filled with strawberry jelly and the outside was coated with peanut butter powder. DEELISH.
TRAVEL TIP: If heading to Blue Star, make sure to arrive before 10AM when the rush of customers come in. Kara and I made sure to arrive around 9AM and the shop was almost empty.
After we had our fill of donuts, we started to explore the city on our bikes. What I learned quickly about the city was that it was very bikable. There was no crazy traffic, raging drivers, and plenty of bike lanes. Also, because the city is rather small, most destinations are within a 15 minute bike ride! 
After biking for a while we had built an appetite and were on the prowl for a good brunch spot. Another spot that came highly recommended was Tasty & Alder. We ordered the Tasty Steak & Cheddar Eggs and Tasty Hangtown Fry. My favorite dish was the Tasty Steak & Cheddar Eggs — tender cubed steak and cheddar scrambled eggs on top of cornbread cooked in a skillet.
TRAVEL TIP: If you’re dining at Tasty & Alder and there happens to be wait (which there’ll most likely will be), take the opportunity to browse the shops on Alder and SW 12th Ave. WM Goods and Alder & Co. are worth checking out. Or grab a cup a joe right across the street at Heart Coffee Roasters. Their Spicey Chai is a must-try!
After our amazing brunch, we walked down two blocks to SW 14TH Ave to check out the food cart scene. Arranged on the borders of a parking plaza is an assortment of food carts ranging from international cuisine to American comfort food. The food cart culture in Portland is REAL. Although you’ll find an abundance on SW Alder, from SW 9th to SW 10th Ave, food carts are sprinkled all across the city. You can visit one for early breakfast (i.e. Fried Egg I’m In Love), or visit one for late-late night eats (i.e. Cartopia–open until 3AM on weekends).
Around 5 o’clock, we headed down the street to check out the bar scene. Much to our surprise, the drinks were super cheap. We found most drinks at a $5-10 price point. Coming from SF where drinks are well over $10, this was a true treat for us!
TRAVEL TIP: Out of the bars that we’ve checked out, the following are not to be missed
Portland City Grill – Fancy ambiance with dim lit setting and a live pianist in the background. You feel real classy here. Cocktails during happy hour are around $7-10. But the true winner is the amazing view of Portland from the 30th floor. Amazing.
Multnomah Whiskey Library – Stepping into this bar is like stepping into the meeting grounds of an upscale secret society. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the dark stain wood, large fireplace, aged leather couches, and wall racks holding 1,200 bottles of whiskey. This bar takes customers by formal seating, so be sure to be there at 4PM when the doors open or you’ll be expecting a 1-2 hour wait.
Sunday, Kara and I were on the prowl for a mind blowing brunch. After reviewing all the tips from our peers, we narrowed our choice to Screen Door, a southern brunch spot located in the Burnside District. When we arrived our wait was 1.5 hours. We grabbed some Spicey Chais at Heart Cafe to pass the time.
Once seated, Kara and I decided on ordering the Fried Oyster Po-boy and the Farm Green Grits. Between the two dishes the Farm Green Grits was definitely the winner.
Afterwards we headed to Salt & Straw for a flight of delicious ice cream. Just like Blue Star, S&S brings to you a variety of flavors that will leave your palette astonished. Just ponder over the following flavors for a second: Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper, Arbequina Olive Oil, and Pear Blue Cheese. I know they sound crazy, but they are oh so good. What’s fun about this creamery is that they’ll have unique flavors according to season. For example, Salted Caramel Thanksgiving Turkey and Sweet Potato Casserole during the month of November.
Before our flight we decided to take a stop at the Japanese Tea Garden. Unfortunately, the flowers weren’t in bloom due to the season but we still enjoyed the cultural landscape art. The garden is rather small, so it shouldn’t take you anymore than 1.5 hour to explore.
Overall, I would say our trip to Portland was successful. We achieved a lot within the three days that we were there. If you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway, I strongly recommend Portland. You can see/do a lot within a few days and won’t leave feeling like you missed out on something.
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