Top Ten Things I liked About Portland

Raphael and I had never been to the state of Oregon and we kept hearing great things about Portland, so we decided to take advantage of being so near on the West Coast and did a quick weekend trip. I was able to use miles for both the hotel and flight, so it wasn't that extreme. We also lucked out and had two gorgeous sunny days there, because apparently it's been a long and rainy season this year, but it made everything look very green.

Top Ten Things I liked About Portland:
  1. No sales tax!! Coming from a state where 10% is added to your bill every meal and with each purchase, it was like having a coupon off of everything. I of course had to take advantage of this and made my way to their local outlets, where I cleaned up at LOFT.

  2. People were super friendly. Not sure if was because of the sun being out, but everyone we met was really helpful and proud of their city.

  3. Food Cart Pods. There are these food pods throughout downtown, which are like LA's food trucks, but not mobile since they are stationed in one area. They are also more like little huts than actual trucks too. However, each specialized in different things from Thai, soup, boba, etc. I enjoyed the Dump Truck, which served dumplings.

  4. Pie! Thanks to Gourmet Pigs' advice, we headed to Portland's fun and funky Alberta Arts area for some pie at Random Order, which Travel+Leisure voted their Vanilla Salted Caramel Apple Pie as one of the top ten pies in the US. Although, we preferred their banana cream pie.

  5. The air. Boy did it smell clean and fresh.

  6. The Falls. We got a pit outdoorsy and did a mile hike up Multnomah Falls - outside of Portland where we got to see the most beautiful double water fall.

  7. So clean. It's a very clean city.

  8. Wine Country. Only 40 minutes away from downtown is Portland's thriving wine country known for their Pinot.

  9. Green. I heard the city was very Granola, but it was cool seeing their Solar Compact Garbage containers on the street and how restaurants used grass-fed beef and locally sourced products.

  10. River walk. We enjoyed strolling on their river bank and passing the hundred's of others walking and lounging by the water.


9 comments

  1. Great post, Tara. I've had a city crush on Portland for many years, and I can't wait to visit!

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  2. Sounds like the perfect mixture of eating and activity. I MUST get myself to Portland soon. And thanks to you and GourtmetPigs, I know where to get a good slice of pie!

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  3. oh so pretty, glad you had such a good time!

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  4. I love this! I moved here in December with my boyfriend, and we've been discovering (and falling in love with!) all of those things you just listed. Actually, we went to Mulnomah for the first time just a couple of weeks ago - GORGEOUS. The food here is also amazing, and I love how obsessed this whole city (and all the chefs) can be about local and sustainable. So delish! Glad you had fun :)

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  5. Always wanted to visit, and my buddy who goes there all the time says it's a marvelous town. Great pics and looks like you had a wonderful time! :)

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  6. The air is definitely lovely, especially now that I live in AZ. They are definitely very granola and I love how clean the city is myself. Great post!

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  7. Sounds like a lovely weekend! We have family near Portland and I've always wanted to go check it out.

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  8. Oh my goodness! I was only in Portland briefly once, but I definitely want to go back and experience what you did...especially the pie place!

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  9. I love Oregon! I didn't spend as much time in Portland but the parts I got to see were awesome. It was raining most of the time I was there. As a matter of fact, in and just outside of Portland, I got to see all four seasons in three days (sunshine, rain, hail, and a blizzard to top it off).

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