My favorite city in the U.S.? That would easily be Portland, Oregon! I went to Portland with a few friends for the first time a little over a year ago and fell in love instantly. Portland was the perfect in between for my love of the outdoors and cities. Portland is rustic, artsy, outdoorsy, and the best part? It is SUCH a food city. We had mapped out the things we wanted to see and do in Portland but we were instantly overwhelmed on where to eat. The options were endless. Here are a few of my favorite things about Portland.
1. Donuts. Donuts. Donuts.
Voodoo. Pips. Blue Star. We went to all three of these donut bakeries and we loved them all. Voodoo is definitely fun and it's quite the experience going - think flashy lights and electronic turntables of eclectic donuts. Blue Star was minimalistic but focused on the flavor of the donut itself. And Pips - my absolute favorite - they make them fresh to order and are topped with flavors, instead of the flavor being baked into them. We had raw honey and sea salt, nutella, cinnamon sugar, the dirty wu (which is a combo of honey, cinnamon sugar and nutella - yum!). Plus, the chai lattes are AMAZING.
2. Salt & Straw
We went to Salt and Straw every single night that we were in Portland. The flavor options are endless - and so are the samples. We even had a flavor labeled Thanksgiving Turkey and despite it sounding terrible it was actually pretty incredible. They make salted caramel using turkey broth, spices and onions. Plus, they had spiced goat cheese ice cream, which is one of my weaknesses, paired with pumpkin pie. Yum!
3. All The Other (Real) Food
Thai food. Italian food. Burgers. Brunch. We had it all. A few of my favorites included
Chaba Thai, where we ordered in one night while watching Parks and Rec. And for brunch -
Fuel Cafe and
Tin Shed Garden Cafe, where they serve you never ending refills of coffee while you wait - what could be better? We also went to the
Waffle Window for a quick breakfast one morning - they had both sweet and savory options but I (naturally) went for sweet. Another delicious and quick meal?
Little Big Burger - the truffle fries are too good!
4. Endless Outdoor Opportunities
I LOVE hiking and trails were so easy to access in Portland. I loved how green the city was, there was a big focus on nature and with Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens being able to be seen in the distance you didn't feel too far from it. We hiked for hours (mostly by accident because we actually got really lost HA) but it was probably the prettiest hike I have ever been on. We started our hike by Pittock Mansion so that we could also get a good view of the mountains in the distance. We also spent an afternoon at the Japanese Garden, which was stunning with all of the fall foliage!
5. The Various Neighborhoods
Each neighborhood had it's own feel to it. We stayed in the Alberta Arts District and it was very colorful, food-centric and neighborhood-like. Downtown had the usual city feels, Nob Hill was quaint and adorable with so many Victorian homes and boutiques. Overall, I ended up really loving the area we stayed in. It was tucked away from the city but still easily accessible to downtown and there was still so much to do within walking distance.
Have you ever been to Portland? What were your favorite things about it? What's next on your travel list?
