Portland, OR IG- #QuickPix

One day I will visit Portland, Oregon, for more than 24 hours. Sadly, both my visits so far have been en route to other places; however, I absolutely loved visiting both times, and after Covid, hopefully, I’ll swing by for at least a couple of days.

There’s a TON of really amazing food options that are all really close together so you’d better believe, I tried a bunch. Nong’s Khao Man Gai was my favorite spot- the chicken is amazing and the meal was a great deal- we spent about $11 on this entree and it was a lot of food for two. After this, we wandered for dessert and ended up grabbing goodies to-go from a few places (not pictured is Blue Star Doughnut)- Saint Cupcake and Ruby Jewel Ice Cream. I also really love Burgerville which is a great local fast-food chain that you can find all around Portland. Voodoo Doughnut is always a must-visit.

My first trip, we stayed at a quiet Air BnB outside the city. It was a perfect spot for a quick visit- a private room with a private entry and a great patio to watch the sunset. On my second trip, we stayed at Surestay Plus Hotel By Best Western Portland East (it was a Days Inn at the time but VERY nice). it was also across the street from a candy factory, Candy Basket (perfect spot to grab some fun souvenirs). The rooms were clearly updated very recently and super comfortable and clean. This was probably the best room we had on that particular trip.

On my first trip, my visit to Multnomah Falls was pretty crappy. It was crowded, parking sucked, and it was super hot and sunny so we couldn’t get any good shots of the falls. My second visit was so much better- it was raining so the falls were EMPTY. Parking problems were nonexistent. It was chilly but we had rain jackets so we were super comfortable- we just had to be careful because the ground was a bit slippery. If you’re coming to see the falls, make sure to wander the rest of the Columbia River Gorge. There are a couple other really pretty falls along the route that are definitely worth seeing.

We also visited the Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden. Our visit to the Japanese Garden was perfect because the cherry blossoms were blooming all around. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite warm enough for the roses at the rose garden to be blooming but we did manage to catch a few in their prime. Possibly one of the best things we did in the Portland area was visit Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch. It’s outside of Portland and a bit of a drive but so worth it. These alpacas are adorable and quite friendly and the owner of the ranch was an absolute doll.