Earlier this month we made our way to Portland and met up with my best friend Lindsey and her husband Jay. It was my first time (Ernie's second), and I had a lot of anticipation about this city as I often hear it compared to Austin. I saw the comparison right away, if you squinted your eyes at some of the neighborhoods filled with adorable bungalows, it could almost seem as if you were in Hyde Park.
The food we ate was AMAZING! Some of the highlights were when we went to Broder for their bloody mary and lefse (a norwegian potato crepe), Pok Pok for some spicy Vietnamese chicken wings, Blue Star for a Creme Brûlée Donut with a Cointreau shot (you infuse yourself!!), and last by certainly not least, the heavenly "A Day After Thanksgiving" sandwich at Kenny and Zuke's.
Of course there was some beer drinking. We visited Apex which has over 50 beers on tap. There I sampled the Ghost Pepper Golden ale, brewed with....you guessed it, Ghost Peppers!! HOT! We also made our way to two different McMenamins Breweries. And at one of the local grocery stores I picked up a Kiwanda Cream Ale from Pelican Pub & Brewery, and I've decided I'm going to explore more cream ales. Delicious!
My favorite night by far was the night we went to the Crystal Ballroom for an 80's music video dance party! This was the night I fell in love with Portland. The people were so much fun, and so nice! I miss that about Austin (sorry San Francisco, but it's true...you're not that nice). We had a blast and we even went around and "dance bombed" the crowd. Dance bombing (if you're unfamiliar) is where you go around randomly dancing with strangers, until you move on to your next victim. Everyone was so great, and we found ourselves in some pretty serious dance offs!
Portland, you rock! We'll be back sometime soon, and this time we'll hit some of those wineries you have and the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a tour! YUM!
^^ did some vintage shopping ^^
^^Ernie's sunglasses failed him on the first day of our trip. But we "MacGyver-ed" it and saved the day with a toothpick!!^^
^^Broder's killer Bloody Mary!^^
^^ The motherland of one of our favorite coffee roasters! ^^
^^Lindsey being her awesomely entertaining self and providing us non-stop laughter at the bar.
Me, trying to pull off Jay's signature look, blue aviators.^^
^^ Did some "glamping" in Stevenson, Washington. Just a quick hour or so drive from Portland, through the Colombia Gorge. ^^
^^Stopped for some delicious soft serve on our way back to Portland.
Oregon trying to pull off Austin's signature saying. (Pssshh...as if!) ^^
***BRIDGE OF THE GODS***
It's a dollar to cross and oh-so worth it!!!
THE END.
I loved Portland! We didn't get to spend a lot of time there but we are definitely going back! I too felt the people there were a lot friendlier than San Fran. (no offense!) We should plan a trip together there soon!
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