The Pacific Northwest is like nothing else. Peaceful and magical. Yes, it does rain quite a lot but there's something mystical about the rain up there. Even when we went out hiking and was pouring, we didn't really mind it and thought everything looked so beautiful in the rain! This was my second time visiting Portland and I thought, now that I have a better knowledge of the city and its vicinity, I will share with you the best ways to spend 72 hours in Portland...
Day 1:
We arrived a little after noon on a Friday and picked up an awesome car Volvo had kindly let us drive around for the weekend (I highly recommend renting a car if you are in Portland especially if you plan on heading out to the Columbia River Gorge). After checking into Heathman Hotel (blog post here) which was conveniently located next to the infamous Portland theater sign, we moseyed around downtown for a bit before heading over OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). They had a special Pixar exhibition going on and Mark, who is an awesome animator, wanted to check it out. After that, we went to Coopers Hall (blog post here) for some wine and dinner. We decided to go back to the hotel to rest after dinner knowing that we would have an early start the next day adventuring out to the Columbia River Gorge.
Day 2:
We woke up early on Saturday, walked a few blocks over to Rosa Rosa (blog post here) and had an awesome brunch to get the day started. Then, we drove just 30 minutes from downtown to the gorge area where there were waterfalls after waterfalls. They were all along the same road which made hopping in and out of the car super easy. We began our adventure at Wahkeena Falls. The base of the fall is reachable within minutes, right by the parking lot. However, we hiked upstream quite a bit and was surprised with a beautiful view. It was raining so it was very wet and muddy so waterproof hiking shoes/boots are crucial! Next, we popped over to the infamous Multnomah Falls and yes it was as picturesque as I had imagined. Like Wahkeena, Multnomah requires no hiking. The viewing area is right there across from the parking lot and the walk up to the bridge is easy breezy. Although with the recent fire and weather condition, the trail past the bridge has closed down. Another spot we wanted to check out but didn't get to it was Angel's Rest. The view up there is supposedly amazing but since it was raining and everything was just white there was no point. On the way back we stopped by Never Coffee Lab to grab a cup of coffee (obviously). To be honest, I wanted to go there because the shop looked so cute on Instagram. Little did I know that their signature lattes were the best lattes I have ever had! I had the "Oregon" and oh my! Cascade hops, dulce de leche and sea salt! So good that we bought a bag of beans to bring home (and it's all gone now). After a long day of being wet and cold, we decided to stuff our faces with pho at Lac Luc Vietnamese Kitchen. I actually have been here before and the food was just as good as the first time! After dinner, we headed over to the east side and grabbed a couple of drinks with my friend Tonya at the Doug Fir where we caught up on life and, of course, Game of Thrones.
Day 3:
Sunday brunch was our first order of business and we couldn't have gone to a better place than La Moule (blog post here)! Oh man, the food! So so so good! Next... went up north about 20 minutes to see the beautiful St. John's Bridge and Cathedral Park. We walked around the waterfront and the park for a bit until we got cold and wanted to grab some coffee at Peaks. Ok, why are coffees so darn good in Portland??? We walked around that neighborhood, wandered into House of Vintage and found the best leather coat of my life (see it here). After 3 days of exploring, it was time to treat ourselves to some pinsas, not pizzas, at Montesacro Pinseria (blog post here). We ended the night and our Portland getaway with watching Game of Thrones season 8 premier in our hotel room and it was just what we wanted!
Well, there you have it! Portland is fun even if you only have a few days. The food is amazing and everyone is so nice and friendly! I hope this guide gave you some ideas and tips when you travel to Portland!
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