Portland

I visited Portland for a wedding with my family. We planned to spend four days in Portland for the festivities, and had the pleasure of experiencing a lot of the city. I definitely am excited about my next visit!

Highlights...

• Food - what a great foodie town, from gourmand to the corner dive. Amazing food cart and farmers market scene too


• Beer - as numerous Portlanders told us, the city is nicknamed 'Beervana' due to the quantity and quality of breweries in the area


• Walking Tour - the Epicurean Walking Tour encompassed eat and drink, and was a fabulous way to see the downtown area and experience a Portland smorgasbord
  Anything outside - great green spaces in the city and fantastic nature just outside the city,though I didn't quite make it too far


• Powell's Bookstore - I could spend hours looking at old books...

The food and beer were by far my favorite thing about Portland. Such delicious options with so much variety.

Pok Pok is the famous Thai restaurant that has been covered in all sorts of foodie media, and totally worth the hype and the loong taxi ride out there. Their bloody mary with Thai chiles had a great kick and delicious. and flavorful for every dish. Papaya salad, the wings, curry noodle bowl, and rice noodles. And check out the parking lot of food trucks across the street, we got a great fillet of smoked salmon.

We had the opportunity to eat at Simpatica Dining Hall for a small rehearsal dinner. Wonderful experience, great staff and delicious food.

The Epicurean Walking Tour was such a great way to start the trip as an introduction to Portland and to sample a wide variety of the food and beverages the city has to offer. And a nice walk too. We met at the Heathman Hotel, and first stop was the drinkable cocoa on their first floor shop Cacao. At the Flying Elephant Deli, we sampled the Tomato Orange soup. At the Pearl Bakery, we donned hair nets for a kitchen tour and tasting of bread, olive oil, and baked goods. Then to the gourmet food shop In Good Taste, where we tasted salts, dips, and wine. Camellia Lounge was a hip tea house where I saw my first block of tea (like the stuff that was thrown over during the Boston Tea Party... wasn't loose leaves, who knew). Hot Lips Pizza had amazing roasted garlic pizza and ginger soda. One of my favorites was Ringlers Brewpub where we got to sample some craft beers. Final stop, Mio Gelato for raspberry, pistacio and roasted almond sampler!

I don't really understand how food carts proliferated in Portland, but there are literally hundreds and many semi-permanent (ie trucks with cinderblocks instead of wheels). Every kind of food, reasonably priced, and so delicious. Something to be said for specialists.

Bailey's Taproom might be my favorite local bar if it was not in Portland. They have a LCD menu with 20 beers on tap and a POS connected system that says how full the keg is. And they're all $2.50 or $5 for 10 or 20 oz drinks. Sweet.

As for the outdoor activities... Rose Garden is beautiful, don't forget your camera. The Japanese Garden is a nice walk, though not doesn't feel quite "Japanese". And there's a great waterfront for running, big parks, and leave the city a little bit and you have the great mountains.

Can't wait to go back!