Portland is known for being a weird place…. And it is! We got to explore the art, food, and unique places in the city. Here are our recommendations:
Lodging
HI Portland Northwest Hostel – This weekend marked our first hostel experience during our travels. HI Portland Northwest Hostel is part of a large group of hostels around the world. We were excited to give this place a shot because they offered private and shared rooms. Our room was huge! And comfortable! The hostel is located in a cluster of buildings with private rooms located in an older house. Our shared bathroom was clean and easily accessible. The hostel also offered a parking pass, breakfast vouchers, and was attached to a cafe. With events like tap tasting and spaghetti dinners each night, the hostel aims to bring people together. Even if you are not coming to Portland check out: https://www.hihostels.com/
Attractions and Shopping
Powell’s City of Books – This book store is the largest new and used bookstore in the world. They have smaller locations, but their headquarters and huge store is in downtown Portland. We both agree that this is our favorite place of the trip! With 3 floors and its own parking garage you may get lost when you visit. Patrick was easily able to find the books he was looking for. I decided to wander and see what I found. Their staff recommendation shelf labels helped to highlight some unique books and guide me to my choice.
VooDoo Doughnuts – How can you go wrong with doughnuts! This shop is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Portland. The shop is colorful and they have awesomely decorated doughnuts…. Including one shaped like a voodoo doll. It’s worth stopping at if you want a sweet treat!
Buffalo Exchange/Thrifting – We didn’t end up making any thrift purchases, but we did visit a local Buffalo Exchange. The fashion on the streets of Portland is awesomely funky, and filled with color. This was reflected in the clothes available at the thrift store. There are many thrifting options at varying price points across the city and I hope to explore them more when we go back.
Saturday Market – This stop was okay….and would probably be better at a different time of year. Located in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Open from the Spring until Christmas, the market has primarily artisanal craft goods. It was a bit cold and we are trying to avoid additional clutter for traveling so we didn’t spend long exploring.
Next Adventure – If you are looking for new or used sporting goods this is the place for you! This store has 3 levels with gear from snow shoes, to climbing gear, and clothing for all year round. The basement is best! It houses all of their used goods including skis, snowboards and more that you can buy at great prices.
Food
Alder Street Food Pod – Portland has “Food Pods” located around the city. These pods are areas where food carts are located in a cluster. We visited the largest which spanned the perimeter of a block. We tried many foods and were not disappointed by any. Here are some highlights:
Jianbing – Jianbing is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crepes which is typically eaten for breakfast. Ours had bing sauce, scrambled egg, green onion, cilantro, preserved vegetables, black bean paste, and fried wonton crackers.
Bao – Otherwise known as baozi, this is a chinese steam bun filled traditional with a pork mixture. They look fairly plain from the outside, but are anything but.
Gyro – Most of you have probably had a gyro at a food stand or local greek restaurant. This one had a little spice and was packed full for an impressive $7.
Yoko’s – Recommended by a coworker, we had to try Yokos. We were too excited and hungry to take pictures. This place was a little out of our way, but worth the visit. We got 6 rolls between us and a traveler friend and didn’t break the bank. I think I can officially say sushi is my favorite food!
A few other honorable mentions include: Cheryl’s on 12th (This was our brunch spot Sunday) and The Hostel Cafe (This is the cafe in our hostel which serves drinks, food and tap beer.
Bars and Night Life
Pips & Bounce – Easily the most fun place to go get some drinks with friends. This bar has 10 ping pong tables which you can rent out for 30 min or more. They give you a giant bucket of balls and just have fun. It’s safe to say I’m not very good, but you can let the balls go and they come around with a tool to pick them up.
C Bar – This place is where went while we waited for a table at Yoko’s. They had a good selection of local beers and a full room of pinball machines. They also offer food… which is something all bars in Oregon do. Fun fact: All establishments that serve alcohol in the state must also serve food.
Bonus Spots
We stopped a few places along our drive to break up the trip. It takes us about 3.5 hours of driving time from Tri Cities to get to Portland or Seattle – darn wide states.
Hood River – Located about an hour east of Portland, this town is nestled on the Columbia River. It is known as one of the top windsurfing destinations in the world and is about an hour from Mt. Hood. We stopped for a dinner and went to pFriem based on another recommendation. They had awesome beers and great food to go with it.
Multnomah Falls – This waterfall is the largest of several about 40 minutes outside of Portland. It was amazing to see the moss and large pines that are commonly associated with Oregon and Washington. (Tri Cities is much more arid). It was drizzling when we got there, but it felt like the right atmosphere to see the falls. I got to test out my new camera. With some practice I’ll get the hang of it.
We had a great trip and want to leave you with a motto of the city: Keep Portland Weird!