For our last trip of summer 2015, JC and I finally got to check Portland, Oregon off our travel list! For most people, Portland means coffee and beer. For us, it meant food and nature.
We spent our first afternoon in downtown and Pearl District. Our priority was donuts, specifically to try the famous Voodoo Doughnuts. Due to how hungry and excited we were, we may have gone slightly overboard on the number of donuts we got. But we just wanted to try as much as we could!
We walked around downtown, checking out the various shops and Powell Books. For dinner, we went to Deschutes Brewery.
The next day was rainy, but that didn’t stop us from spending time outdoors. We took a morning walk at Mt. Tabor Park. We grabbed delicious sandwiches at Lardo’s and then went to the scenic point at Vista House at Crowne Point. Unfortunately, the view of the Columbia River Gorge was covered by the rain clouds. We made our way to Multnomah Falls and hiked to the top, counting the switchbacks along the way. On the drive back, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls. There are so many waterfalls and trails to check out, we wished we had more time.
We were unable to try Le Pigeon, so instead, we went to their sister restaurant, Little Bird Bistro. I ordered the Fried Chicken Coq Au Vin and it was one of my favorite coq au vin dishes I’ve ever had. Our itinerary was full of eating, so after dinner we went to Salt & Straw for a sweet treat.
Continuing with the nature and waterfalls, we drove to Silver Falls State Park. But first, we had breakfast at Pine State Biscuits. The hike covered 9 miles and 10 waterfalls. For a few of the waterfalls, the trail led you behind the waterfall, which was pretty cool. As if we did not get enough walking in, we had to check out the outlets at Woodburn Premium Outlets. There’s no sales tax in Oregon!
Dinner was at Andina, which we both thought was our best meal in Portland. We started our meal with some fruity cocktails. I got a passion fruit pisco sour and quinoa crusted scallops, which really reminded me of my trip to Peru.
On our last day, we explored more of the city of Portland – having brunch at Mother’s, walking along the river, lunching at the food carts (Nong’s Khao Man Gai), and going to the International Rose Test Garden. There were rows and rows of beautiful roses. And of course, our last stop was at Blue Star Donuts. I really liked the lemon poppyseed donut.
Casual Details. 