We recently visited The City of Roses (the weather is ideal for growing them) and/or Bridge City (there are 12), a.k.a. Portland, Oregon. I had not visited the city before (of course, I had watched most of the episodes of Portlandia though). Patrick and I had blue skies and hot days while we explored Portland, but I’m sure true fall weather will be arriving shortly. We definitely ate and drank our way through the city, and yet we still felt like we only experienced the tip of the iceberg in terms of Portland’s restaurant scene.
We had so much fun visiting our friends who live in Portland, walking around different neighborhoods, and hitting up as many recommended places as we could. Our meals and cocktails and rooftop city views were all amazing. I will comment that Portland is still very serious about mask wearing (even if you are somewhere outdoors) and that the city is still dealing with an influx of homeless people. We were not deterred by this, but if you have visited Portland in the past, the consensus from locals was that the city has changed a lot in the past couple of years. I feel like this is the case with the majority of cities (if not all) for the most part though. We were still impressed with the gorgeous greenery and relaxed and casual feel of Portland.
We stayed primarily within the city for this five-night trip. We’ll definitely be back, and when we visit next time, I’d love to head to wine country or maybe travel to other areas of the state. Again, we had jam-packed days, but I still felt like there was so much more that we could have seen and done. It certainly gives us a good excuse to plan a future trip! I’ll share the places that we adventured to below. Shout out to our friends who showed us around Portland and introduced us to some of these special spots, and to other friends that sent along many recommendations as well!
Activities:
Washington Park: You walk though this beautiful tree-filled park to get to both the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden. The Oregon Zoo is also within the park too (we did not go).
Portland Japanese Garden: Proclaimed to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan” by the former Ambassador of Japan to the United States. This garden is so peaceful and it’s in a gorgeous setting that overlooks the city. We purchased tickets ahead of time online.
Portland International Rose Test Garden: May through September is the best time to view the garden, although you can visit whenever. It’s free to walk around and witness the stunning roses. There are more than 10,000 rose bushes here!
Multnomah Falls: This 620-foot-tall waterfall is located just 30 minutes from the city. It’s a very short walk up to see the falls, and the view is spectacular. For a closer look, you can walk a little farther to Benson Bridge, where you have an even better up-close and below vantage point.
Portland Saturday Market: This is the biggest, continuously operating outdoor arts and crafts market in the country! You can find all sorts of handmade items offered for sale, as well as, food and drinks.
21st and 23rd Ave. (Nob Hill): This is a really lovely area with cute boutiques and restaurants. It’s easy to stroll and stop in somewhere for a bite to eat or a drink.
Shop:
Powell’s Books: The world’s largest independent bookstore. The store covers an entire city block and has multiple floors.
Porch Light: Plant-filled shop featuring lots of locally made goods.
Anthropologie: I know that there’s an Anthro. in SB, but it seems miniature compared to this store. This store is huge and seems to carry all of the different categories (home, bridal, clothing etc.).
Food & Drink:
Portland Public House/ Deschutes Brewery
I hope that you enjoy your time visiting Portland, or time spent dreaming up a future trip here! Let me know (or tag me on social media) if you visit some of these spots. Happy and safe travels!
If you enjoyed this post, please share! Want to receive my writing weekly? Subscribe here. You can find and follow me on Instagram too!