Keeping it Weird – Portland
Portland is known for it’s counterculture proudly embracing the mantra ‘Keep It Weird’. The capital of Oregon at the end of the Oregon Trail, the city sits at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Portland has a strong foodie culture, micro-brew nirvana, a mecca for vegans, nature and beauty, and donuts. With all of this to offer, we knew we had to check this out for ourselves.
We flew in from California arriving noon-ish on a Friday. Portland International (PDX) is a large and sprawling airport. Right off the bat we knew we were in the right place. Before even leaving the airport, we discovered vegan donuts at Blue Star. This checks one of our objectives off our list immediately.
A quick 20 minute taxi ride to our hotel in the heart of downtown gave us a sightseer’s tour of the lay of the land. We choose to stay at the Downtown Hilton to be centrally located and within walking distance of the sights. After a quick check-in process, we dropped our bags in our room on the 16th floor. Being high in the tower gave us excellent views as far as the eye could see. The room was very comfortable.
Hitting the Ground Running
Not wanting to waste any time, we headed out immediately in search of food. We discovered the Veggie Grill in the next block. They serve excellent vegan and vegetarian food that would satisfy most carnivores.
After a quick lunch we hopped on the MAX light rail to head to Washington Park. We used a combination of walking, lite rail, Lyft, and taxi. Portland is a very walk-able city. The light rail is clean, comfortable, fast, and safe. After a short ride through various neighborhoods, we entered a long tunnel. Exiting the train we were in an underground subway platform.
The elevator took us to the surface. What was interesting was instead of the elevator displaying floors, it displayed the number of feet you are underground. We were surprised to learn we were 260 feet below the surface. The elevators only stop at two levels, surface and platform. As a part of the station’s geological theme, the signs inside the elevators refer to these two levels not by conventional floor numbers but by “the present” and “16 million years ago”—for the surface and platform levels, respectively.
Washington Park
Washington Park is a large regional park covering more than 410 acres of steep, wooded hillsides. Within the park is a zoo, Japanese garden, children’s museum, rose garden, forestry museum, Hoyt Arboretum, amphitheater, archery, tennis courts, memorials and public art. There is lots to explore here. The shuttle bus makes a loop of the park every 15 minutes so getting around is easy. We were intrigued by the interesting looking homes dotting the wooded hillsides throughout the park. Living in such a beautiful and serene setting must be amazing.
Japanese Gardens
The same shuttle stop serves both the Japanese Gardens and also the Rose Garden entrances. A friend had just been to Portland and visited both the Japanese and Rose gardens. He recommended seeing the Japanese garden if you were only going to visit one. The entrance kiosk has a large peaceful water fall as you enter. This quickly sets the tone and expectation that you are entering a peaceful zen atmosphere.
There is an enjoyable and healthy hike up the path to the main level of the gardens. There is also a shuttle for those who prefer not to tackle to climb.
The setting is very peaceful and a feeling of relaxation overcame us as we entered and the air was fresh, crisp and cool. Here we are in front of a large zen garden.
Walking through the various gardens was interesting in how many different yet similar settings there were. The pond and waterfall was one of our favorites. There were also Koi ponds, tended zen rock gardens, bonsai trees, and the Umami Cafe, a Japanese Tea House serving tea and small plates. We could go on and on about the gardens, but we’ve saved that for another story. There is a link to the Japanese Gardens in depth and the bottom of this page.
16 Millions Years Back To Civilization
We descended 16 million years down to the light rail terminal and caught a train back to downtown. First order of business was to find some good hot strong coffee. We hopped off the train at the corner of Yamhill and 10th Avenue where we saw a sign for Case Study Coffee. The coffee was outstanding and hit the spot warming our bones.
After strolling around downtown for a bit we headed back to the hotel to relax, freshen up and figure out what to do for dinner.
We decided to try the Ichiza Kitchen and Tea House in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. Ichiza is a new vegan restaurant offering Pan-Asian food with excellent reviews. WOW ! The food experiences for the weekend were incredible. To do justice to all of the incredible foodie experiences we enjoyed, there is a link at the end of the story to a post all about our Foodie adventures.
Saturday in the Park
Saturday morning starts early. We head out for a stroll along the Willamette River in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. It is a large greenbelt along the waterfront. We are not the only people that had this idea. It is very active with people walking their dogs, couples holding hands, and runners doing their thing.
About a half mile into our walk we come across a large public water play area for kids. It would be a little cool for us to want to play in the water, but that never stops kids.
Just past the water play area is Portland’s famed Saturday Market. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of street food vendors, performers, and vendor booths of all kinds. This is clearly a popular event each Saturday morning as the crowds are large. We resist the urge to purchase many things that are cute or that we can’t live without. Barbara almost got a henna tattoo if not for the long line.
The famous Portland sign greeted us as we exited the market. We head toward the old town.
The Old Town
While the old town is still in downtown, we are skirting the very edge of the downtown district with Chinatown just across the street on the right. This little pedestrian alley looks promising like it leads to something interesting.
Coming out the other end, there is a buzz of activity and people. Another popular Saturday morning spot.
Finding Your Way Around
It is very easy to get around Portland. We have chosen to explore by stumbling around and seeing what we discover. However, all over the downtown area are City Guides wearing these bright green windbreakers that can help with information and directions.
Portland has public bikes for rent and an extensive network of bike friendly trails. They are easy to rent and use with 1,000 bikes at 100 stations around town. Full details about how to rent, where the trails are, popular rides, and cost is on BIKETOWN’s website.
Voodoo – I Cast A Spell On You
We finally arrive at the famed Voodoo Doughnuts. This is not your every day doughnut shop. The line looks more like something you’d find at Disneyland. There are all kinds of doughnuts from jelly filled Voodoo dolls, to bacon covered maple bars, a Portland cream, and even a ‘dirty old bastard’ which is a chocolate covered yeast doughnut smothered with Oreo cookies and peanut butter. And they have vegan doughnuts too.
During our time in Portland, the pink Voodoo boxes are everywhere. We’ve never had a donut long enough to carry it around. Here people buy a box of Voodoos and carry the box around all day like it is a badge of honor.
We grab some coffee at Fuse (pictured on right across from Voodoo). Strong coffee by day and cocktail dance club by night. Interesting.
It seems like there is a lot of excessive food talk in this story, but come on, this IS Portland! The food truck craze has been elevated to a whole new level here. Instead of food trucks here and there, or pop-ups, there are entire city blocks covered with trucks and street food of all imaginable types.
Sunday Brunch and the Pearl
Sunday brings very clear weather. Looks like a good day to be venturing around. But like the past two days, the scattered showers will come.
We start with Sunday brunch at Mothers Bistro. This is a happening spot. When our food arrives, we understand why. Delicious. Reservations are highly recommended.
Walking off our brunch we stumble across some wildlife catching their breakfast. There are a number of these public art installments around the downtown featuring all different kinds of local wildlife. The bears were our favorite.
We stop to see the landmark Portlandia statue. Raymond Kaskey is the sculpture creating it in 1985. It is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States, after the Statue of Liberty. It is located above the entrance of the Portland Building at 1120 SW 5th Avenue.
We head to the Pearl District which has a little bit of everything. It is a shopping destination with hip brands, indie boutiques, and our objective, the massive Powell’s City of Books.
Reclaimed warehouse spaces house The Pearl’s many bars and restaurants, from craft breweries and artisan coffee shops to fine dining mainstays.
The day remains clear with solid views of Mt. Hood in the distance.
48 Hours in Portland is barely enough to catch your breath as there is so much to see and do. We enjoyed exploring Portland and will definitely find our way back with much more time to leisurely uncover the secrets this town has to offer.
Read more about our Incredible Portland Foodie Adventure here.