We flew into Portland on Thursday afternoon. You could see the mountains including Mount St. Helen and Mount Hood on our approach into PDX which followed the Columbia River and provided a great view of the gorge. It's almost like flying into DFW…minus the river and scenery.
The rental car center is on site (at least for most of the major companies) which makes it easy. The drive from the airport to downtown was around 20 minutes at 5pm. However, the traffic coming out of Portland did not look so good!
Where We Stayed - Portland
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| View from our hotel |
While it looks like an older property when you pull in, they are undergoing a massive renovation to Marriott's "new room experience" and our room was actually pretty nice. We were within walking distance to the courthouse and several shopping and dining areas but there really wasn't much in the immediate vicinity. Next trip we will probably stay someplace like the Nines or one of the Kimpton properties.
Portland is a very cool city and easily walkable. It's clearly a city that cares deeply about the environment (Dallas….you could learn a thing or two). There are bike lanes on almost every street, recycle bins everywhere and mass transit was heavily utilized.
Where We Ate - Portland
Only having one night in the city, we had to be pretty sure about our restaurant choice. My husband wanted something with a view and I wanted great cocktails and amazing food. Luckily for us, Departure fit the bill on all three fronts.
Located at the top of the Nines hotel, you feel like you are walking through a tunnel at an airport when you exit the elevator which honestly was a bit off-putting and sterile feeling. However, as soon as we reached the host stand and could see the various areas of the restaurant we were feeling pretty good.
There is a very large bar with dining areas surrounding it in every direction as well as a large corner patio. We of course chose the patio and were able to see a great sunset over the mountains.
The restaurant focuses on flavors from the Far East but did not feel like a typical Asian restaurant. They had a great selection of cocktails and the food is done small plate style so we were able to try a variety of things. We did not have a bad thing on the menu and the service was great (which isn't always the case at high profile restaurants in bigger cities).
The pork belly at Departure is to die for. It's crispy with pickled cherries and pumpkin seeds and I'm still dreaming about it. In case you don't understand how good it was….I grew up in North Carolina where some part of the pig is part of every meal, every day so I know what I'm talking about!
After dinner, we decided to walk to Blue Star donuts based on our waiters recommendation. He said they had one with a Grand Marnier shot in it so how could we not check it out!?! It was about a 15 minute walk and a nice night so off we went. We saw the sign from the bottom of the hill and our pace quickened. Unfortunately, we weren't quick enough as we got there at 8:10pm and they closed at 8 pm. We were disappointed but we were in a donut state of mind at this point.
Voodoo Doughnuts is somewhat of an institution in Portland so we decided to head that way. It was fun seeing the city at night and we never felt unsafe but again we never veered off of main streets. It was another 15-20 minute walk and there was lots to see in the area around Voodoo Doughnuts, especially if you are into crack addicts, strip clubs or prostitutes. There was a line out the door which is not uncommon. They have all kinds of regular donuts as well as all sorts of creative ones including ones with Fruit Loops, bacon and Tang (not all together though!). It wasn't the best doughnut I've ever had but I would recommend checking it out if you are in Portland.
At that point, we were pretty tired and decided to turn in so we could hit the Willamette Valley the next day!
Where We Ate - Portland
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| Departure Restaurant |
Located at the top of the Nines hotel, you feel like you are walking through a tunnel at an airport when you exit the elevator which honestly was a bit off-putting and sterile feeling. However, as soon as we reached the host stand and could see the various areas of the restaurant we were feeling pretty good.
There is a very large bar with dining areas surrounding it in every direction as well as a large corner patio. We of course chose the patio and were able to see a great sunset over the mountains.
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| Portland at night |
The pork belly at Departure is to die for. It's crispy with pickled cherries and pumpkin seeds and I'm still dreaming about it. In case you don't understand how good it was….I grew up in North Carolina where some part of the pig is part of every meal, every day so I know what I'm talking about!
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| Best Pork Belly EVER! |
Voodoo Doughnuts is somewhat of an institution in Portland so we decided to head that way. It was fun seeing the city at night and we never felt unsafe but again we never veered off of main streets. It was another 15-20 minute walk and there was lots to see in the area around Voodoo Doughnuts, especially if you are into crack addicts, strip clubs or prostitutes. There was a line out the door which is not uncommon. They have all kinds of regular donuts as well as all sorts of creative ones including ones with Fruit Loops, bacon and Tang (not all together though!). It wasn't the best doughnut I've ever had but I would recommend checking it out if you are in Portland. At that point, we were pretty tired and decided to turn in so we could hit the Willamette Valley the next day!
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