Less than 24 Hours in Portland, Oregon | Seize the Day
Celebrating the Everyday, Travel //
With less than 24 hours in Portland, Oregon, a city that has been on a our must see list for quite a few years, we were so determined to seize the day! We could not wait to take it all in!
Knowing we only had a limited amount of time in the city this trip, we wanted to make sure we hit up the best of the best. We are firm believers when traveling that the only way to make sure you hit up the best spots is to ask the experts (the locals and/or anyone else who has spent some time in the city before!) Both Ryan and I put a message out on Facebook seeking recommendations for the best of the best… and within just a few hours, we had enough suggestions that we could have spent 5 days in Portland and would never have been bored… or gone hungry! ;) I think that says something about the city! ;) It is definitely a MUST SEE!
We embraced the AMAZING suggestions of the “experts,” and decided to seize the very limited time we had in the city! Our 24 hours went a little like this: 
Arriving into Portland around 9:30 p.m., we picked up our rental car and made our way directly to a brewery! We found ourselves surrounded by other traveling friends and locals at Rogue enjoying a flight of beer around 10:00 p.m. on Monday! (As soon as we sat down at the “cell phone free” bar, we heard someone behind us say, “Go Orioles!” We met a few new friends who were also visiting from the Baltimore and Central PA areas!! Small world, for sure!) After some beer and a few tasty snacks, we decided to embrace the late night with non other than VooDoo Doughnuts… by far the most highly recommended location to visit! ;) At 12:00 a.m…. who doesn’t want a doughnut to go along with the beer? This place was CRAZY… seriously, I never could have imagined a doughnut with so many different toppings! They all looked AMAZING… but we decided to go with one that had oreos and peanut butter on top and another with chocolate and rice crispys! Yes… they absolutely met the hype! ;) So so so tasty and the perfect way to end our first evening in Portland!… and start off the next morning too!
As mentioned in our post on Monday, we have decided to make “happiness is a journey, not a destination,” our theme for the month! (or, well, every day of our lives!!) As we started our stroll through Portland, we took some time to just soak in the beauty! The luscious green grass and the beautiful old trees within the city! Seriously, who knew that green grass and old trees could leave such a lasting impression on our hearts?!! They definitely did in Portland!
Next stop… Stumptown Coffee and the Ace Hotel! Ohh my goodness! Yes, the coffee is AMAZING! However, hanging out in the lobby of the Ace Hotel was pretty darn awesome too! ;) As we got the work done that we needed for the day, we were surrounded by locals who were having business meetings or just decided to make the Ace Hotel lobby their place to work for the day! The hotel had so much character and charm that made us feel right at home!
Ok, Portland DOES Food Trucks! ;) (Or Food Carts as they call them!) Literally, 2 city blocks dedicated to these carts that represent any type of ethnic food you could possibly imagine! As the lines started to back up, we knew that this was definitely our stop for lunch! The many options were a little overwhelming…. ;)… but that just means we have another reason to go back and visit another time!! ;)
We wandered through the streets of Portland and made our way down to the waterfront area! So gorgeous! And again… that green grass!!
Just before checking out the new home of Stillmotion and meeting up with our friend Amina for a SUPER fun meeting that set our hearts on fire (I am sure we will share more on this fun in another post!!), we found ourselves with just enough time to try out another brewery! ;) Why not!?! ;) The first one we came across… Cascade, which just so happens to specialize in sour beer. I don’t know much about beer, let alone sour beer, so that was every reason to check it out and learn more!! Definitely not something I could drink a full glass of because of their crazy bold flavors, but the sour beers we tried in the sampler glasses were pretty tasty!
We had our super fun meeting with Amina and then made our way up to the Nob Hill area of Portland. This was a neighborhood that everyone was recommending we had to check out for the cute shops and the AMAZING food! (people know us pretty well, huh!?) As soon as we turned the corner onto NW 23rd Ave, we knew this was going to be our favorite! ;) The little shops are adorable and the food was seriously some of the best we have ever had!!!!
We went to Papa Haydns’s for some desserts to bring to our friends Karen and Isaac and then made our way to Salt and Straw for THE BEST ice cream and ice cream experience we have ever had! We definitely like our ice cream and have found ourselves at quite a few creameries along our travels, however there was nothing quite like this experience! I am not sure I can even describe it! But, if you are in the Portland area… this is our definitely do not go home without visiting place!!! After sampling about 6 different ice creams with our friend Ada, who had so much excitement for introducing the favorites to us, she recommended we try the Ice Cream flight so that we could have a more substantial tasting of a few others! YES, please!!! The flavors in these ice creams were inspired and sourced locally (LOVE THAT) and were seriously put together like a piece of art! So so so good! Definitely go check it out!
Salt and Straw was like the icing on the cake… Papa Haydn’s AMAZING cake! ;) It was the perfect way to finish up our less than 24 hours in Portland!
We definitely will find ourselves back here sooner rather than later! Honestly, even just for the Salt and Straw experience! ;) Everyone that we ran into throughout the day was so excited to welcome us to their city and learn why we came all the way from Baltimore to visit! ;)
This trip was such the perfect reminder to Seize the Day and embrace the happiness that comes along with it! I have a feeling we will be planning ore trips like this… last minute and leaving it up to the “experts” in our lives to guide us to the best of the best! They definitely did not lead us astray this time!! Thanks so much to everyone who offered their suggestions and gave us the perfect tour of Portland, OR! We can’t wait to come back soon!