Portland
Known as the city of roses, bridgetown, and stumptown, Portland has been home on and off for 10 years. I love this city and while it has been changing and growing a lot over the years, we think its best qualities are still emphasized in its various neighborhoods. Portland is fairly easy to navigate - the city is divided into four quadrants (actually 5), with the river dividing West Portland from East, and Burnside Street dividing North Portland from South.
28TH & BURNSIDE (SE & NE)
Bars/Restaurants/Cafés
ANGEL FACE
Mostly cocktails and wine. Small french inspired bites.
KEN'S ARTISAN PIZZA
Simple and amazing wood fired pizza.
MIGRATION BREWERY
Great beer, and a great patio.
Shopping
Palace
VINO
This is a spot you can drink wine on Fridays and a few other days a week, it is mostly a bottle shop. One of the best bottle shops in town I would say. That is because of the friendly and knowledgeable owner, as well as having the best priced wine in town. Looking for a cheap but delcious bottle to bring to a party check, want something specific at a higher price point, check.
Other
LAURELHURST THEATER
Used to be second run movies, now first run but still an awesome spot to catch a flick. They also have wine, beer, pizza and popcorn.
STARK ST & BELMONT ST (SE)
CANTEEN
Close by Silke and Tom’s old place. Juices, smoothies and vegan food. Pretty darn good.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
New York style pizza by the slice, open late. $4 gets you a slice of cheese and a pint of Rainier.
AALTO LOUNGE
Cool bar with an awesome happy hour and a decent little back patio.
STUMPTOWN COFFEE
A Portland staple. One of the first local coffee roasters. Still keeping it fresh with great coffee and vibes.
BELMONT STATION
Bottle store/Pub with a massive selection of local, national, and international craft beers. The pub side of the shop has an impressive tap list that changes weekly, if not daily. It is actually on Stark St, not Belmont.
NOUN
Cute shop with vintage and new items. Everything from jewelry to stationary to dinning accessories.
HAWTHORNE(SE)
442
Awesome soccer bar with Bosnian food. Cold beer, sausages, bread.
LARDO
Awesome sandwiches and a great beer list.
REALLY COOL STUFF
Clowns, pianos, cowboy boots, worn out radios.
POR QUE NO
Delicious margaritas and mexican food in a fun setting.
DIVISION (SE)
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
ROMAN CANDLE
Coffee and wine. Pizza and pastries.
AVA GENES
One of the best restaurants in town, with some of the best vegetable dishes in town and other Italian fare.
SE WINE COLLECTIVE
Tucked a way on a side street, this is a great place to grab a glass a wine, a flight and some snacks.
BOLLYWOOD THEATER
Indian street food. Great casual atmosphere, food and drinks.
SALT & STRAW ICE CREAM
The best ice cream in the world. There will probably be a line, but it's worth it.
BRODER
Favorite breakfast spot in town. Small space with swedish fare. On Clinton St which is a couple blocks over form Division. Also great for lunch.
SE INDUSTRIAL
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
KACHKA
Russian food. Sounds crazy but it’s all good in a small warm place. Infused vodkas and vodka flights. Great for dinner or happy hour.
LOYAL LEGION
Beer bar with large selection of Oregon only beers.
NORANEKO RAMEN
Delicious ramen noodles open until 2am underneath the Hawthorne Bridge.
NONG'S KAI MAN GAI
Best thai chicken and rice. Simple menu. Great for lunch or a casual dinner.
OLYMPIA PROVISIONS
Makers of awesome charcuterie as well as the best eggs benedit in town. Great spot for brunch, lunch or dinner.
WEST END (SW)
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
STUMPTOWN COFFEE
A Portland staple. One of the first local coffee roasters. Still keeping it fresh with great coffee and vibes.
HEART COFFEE
Also delicious coffee and pastries.
LARDO
Awesome sandwiches and beer list.
RUBY JEWEL ICE CREAM
Delicious ice cream. Second best only to Salt & Straw.
TASTY & ALDER
Small bites. Good for brunch or a nicer dinner.
Shopping
BRIDGE & BURN
Mens and women's clothes and accessories. Famous for their jackets.
UNION WAY
Small walkway in-between the Ace Hotel and Powell's Books. Has a handful of shops including Steven Alan, Danner and a nice apothecary shop.
PEARL DISTRICT (NW)
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
PIAZZA ITALIA
Best old school Italian restaurant in town. If you’re lucky, you might spot a Timbers player dining here.
10 BARREL BREWING
Started in Bend, got bought out, but they have a rooftop patio.
Shopping
POWELL'S BOOKS
Best bookstore in the world.
PORCHLIGHT
Cute home goods and accessories.
LIZARD LOUNGE
Large selection of mens and women's clothes, shoes and accessories.
MadeHere PDX
MISSISSIPPI ST & WILLIAMS ST (N)
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
INTERURBAN
Nice bar with a variety of drinks, a $9 delicious corndog and indoor, outdoor and upstairs seating.
LOVELY'S FIFTY FIFTY
Amazing wood fired pizza with an always changing menu of interesting and seasonal toppings. Great wine and beer list and they make crazy good ice cream in house. So pretty much my favorite place.
PROST!
German bar with a great selection of german beers on draft.
Shopping
BEAM & ANCHOR
Where Tom shops when he doesn’t know what to buy Silke for Christmas.
PISTILS NURSERY
Plants, occasional roaming chickens and cute knick knacks.
MISSISSIPPI RECORDS
Decent little record shop near Mississippi St.
FREMONT & PRESCOTT (NE)
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
FREEHOUSE
Tom & Silke’s favorite bar in the first neighborhood they lived in together when Tom moved to Portland.
POK POK NOI
Second location in Portland. Same menu as the original but half the crowds. The tamarind whiskey sour is delicious.
EXTRACTO COFFEE
Nice neighborhood coffee shop.
ALBERTA ST (NE)
Bars / Restaurants/Cafés
BAMBOO SUSHI
Best Sushi in Town.
BARISTA
Great coffee and they also serve beer.
SALT & STRAW
The best ice cream in the world. There will probably be a line, but it's worth it.
PINE STATE BISCUITS
Great spot for breakfast. Serving up delicious biscuits and other southern breakfast fare.
ALBERTA ST PUB
Nice atmosphere. Great beer list and good pub food. Occasional have live music going on.
FUN STUFF TO DO WITH KIDS
OMSI (OREGON MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY)
Awesome museum featuring a submarine and IMAX theater among other exhibitions.
OAKS AMUSEMENT PARK
Everything from roller skating to mini golf to amusement park rides.
EXPLORE WASHINGTON PARK
Up the hill from downtown, Washington Park includes the zoo, a children's museum, rose garden and hoyt arboretum.
SATURDAY PORTLAND FARMERS MARKET
A large farmers market on the campus of Portland State University
HIKE AROUND MT TABOR
Old volcano on the southeast side with a great view of downtown.
RENT BIKES & BIKE THE ESPLANADE
The esplanade goes along the river of downtown and there are a couple bridges you can easily cross to get to the east bank esplanade and make a loop.
DAY TRIPS
THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE
ONEONTA GORGE
This is one of our favorite “hikes” in the gorge, although we think it is best experienced on a weekday. Basically you hike about a mile through a large chasm in the mountain. There is a prize waiting for you at the end. Be prepared to get wet and to navigate what can be a tricky log jam.
PUNCHBOWL FALLS
This little gem is worth it. If you’re lucky the salmon berries will be ripe while you hike down to a nice waterfall and swimming hole when the weather is hot enough. This hike is about 4 miles as an out and back trip.
ANGELS REST
If you really want to see the gorge for what it is, this would be the hike to do. You gain a bit of elevation and are rewarded with a view of the river gorge normally reserved for only the birds.
THUNDER ISLAND BREWING
This little brewery right on the Columbia River is a nice option to wind down (or wind up) after a day checking out some of the waterfalls in the gorge. It is located in Cascade Locks.
HOOD RIVER
A quaint town that is a nice destination if you want to just take a drive along the gorge. It is an hour east of Portland. Know for windsurfing on the Columbia and a thriving brewery scene. We love Double Mountain brewery and Pfriem brewery. There are also a handful of fruit orchards to the south of Hood River, many offering u-pick and all offering beautiful scenery.
MT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST
TIMBERLINE LODGE
If you’re looking for a nice drive to the mountains, Mt. Hood is home to the Timberline Lodge, which was originally a WPA project and was completed in 1937. Even in late June you might encounter snow.
MCNEIL POINT
For those looking for a rewarding, scenic, and somewhat challenging hike, McNeil Point is a good option. To get to the trailhead requires some travel on gravel forest service roads and the hike itself is about 10 miles round trip. This hike takes you near the tree line and provides some nice views of the mountain and its glaciers.
TRILLIUM LAKE
This mountain lake is easily accessible by car, has great views of the mountain, and a nice loop trail around the lake that is kid friendly and pretty laid back for those looking for a less strenuous hiking option.
LOLO PASS ROAD
This is one of Tom’s favorite options for Mt Hood. The road takes you through the national forest and has numerous pull outs where you can get out and just walk around the woods. There are various trailheads off of Lolo Pass Rd. for different waterfall and other short hikes.
WILLAMETTE VALLEY WINE COUNTRY
DUNDEE
When we go wine tasting we usually head towards Dundee as a starting point. A cute little town right on highway 99. It has a nice options for food, has tasting rooms in town and is surrounded by a bunch of great wineries. Check out Red Hills Market for lunch, dinner or picnic supplies.
The website Willamette Wines has more detailed information on the area and wineries. But here are a few of our favorites:
PENNER-ASH WINERY - AWARD WINNING PINOT NOIR AND AN INCREDIBLE VIEW
ANNE AMIE VINEYARDS - AMAZING VIEW
ARGYLE WINERY - BUBBLE FLIGHTS
SOKOL BLOSSER WINERY - BEAUTIFUL NEW TASTING ROOM
THE COAST
ASTORIA
About an hour and a half’s drive west of Portland and you’ll find yourself on the Oregon Coast. Astoria has good dining options and even better beer options and is near Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, where the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean. You can rent yurts or camp at the park, which is home to a shipwreck and is the only site in the lower 48 states that was bombed during WWII. Astoria is not your typical beach town, but rather, at least historically, a predominantly blue collar fishing town a few miles upstream from the mouth of the Columbia. They have some nice accommodation options and a fairly large farmer’s market on Saturdays.
BAY OCEAN SPIT
Bay Ocean Spit is also about an hour and a half’s drive west of Portland on the Oregon coast, although it is south of Astoria. To get there you head to Tillamook; the highway there takes you through the coast range and along the Wilson River, which is home to some of the best cutthroat and salmon fishing that you’ll find in the state. It is also beautiful and there are plenty of pullouts along the river on your way to Tillamook.
After you get to Tillamook, Bayocean Spit is located on the west side of Tillamook bay. It is a large sand spit with a prominent beach on its west side. It has plenty of sand dunes to hike around in and on the east side is a great spot to get dirty and dig for clams if the tide is right. There used to be a town located on the very northern tip of the spit but it has long since washed away due to the prevailing ocean currents. It is about 3 miles to hike around the entire spit but there are shorter options if you just want to hike from the parking area to the beach.
CANNON BEACH
Cannon Beach is a nice little beach town with a view. The town runs right into the beach and is a very family friendly place to visit. There are plenty of bungalows available for rent if you’re looking to get out of town for a night. It is about an hour and a half from Portland.
OSWALD WEST STATE PARK
About 10 miles south of Cannon Beach is Oswald West State Park which is a free use state park situated in an old growth coastal forest of Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir and Western Hemlocks. This is one of my favorite coastal beaches. It is nestled between two rocky outcroppings and is a great spot to picnic for the afternoon and people watch because the beach is a popular destination for surfers. From the parking area it is about a half mile hike through the forest to get to the beach.