WHERE WE STAYED
The Duniway Hotel / This boutique hotel is located in the heart of downtown and was everything I expected and more. To be frank, I am a bit of a hotel snob and will pay a little extra for a nice place to sleep. The minute after I showered and laid onto the bed, I knew I wasn't getting up anytime soon. My body sunk into the mattress and I felt like I was floating on air. Literally, one the best hotels. Not to mention the stellar customer service and hotel restaurant {more on that later}. If you're visiting PDX, give this place a shot. You won't regret it.
WHAT WE DID
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm / I am a fool if I don't tell you this place was all the Instagram goals! I went to Keukenhof a couple springs ago {which was supposed to be the best of all tulip festivals} but sadly, we were too early and didn't get to see it in full bloom. So visiting this farm was a total delight! It had rows and rows of tulips in many different colors and so many other attractions/things to do. Admission per person was $5 and worth every penny. There were amazing food carts and even places you can buy tulip bulbs. Not to mention, there were all the cutest dogs everywhere!
These dark purple bulbs were my absolute favorite. So unique and gorgeous!
Cannon Beach {and Haystack Rock} / I think this one was sort of a given. We have a version of this {Morro Bay} but this one knocked it out of the park. The beach range is long and filled with people and dogs having a good time. If you hit sunset, you'll get some of the nicest pictures. Aside from the rock, the town itself was so quaint and cute. I love the occasional beer, so we ended up stopping at Public Coast Brewing Co. for some beer and fries. Since it was only an hour and a half drive from downtown, we only did a day trip. It's a great option if you're looking to get out of the city.
Also ran into this tree on our way down to the beach. Naturally, had to stop aside and take some photos!
WHAT WE ATE
I'm not joking when I tell you that we spent the second half of our trip eating our way through Portland. There was just so much to eat in so little time. Here are some of my favorite Portland eats:
Pip's Original Doughnuts & Chai / I know the typical place to eat donuts in Portland is usually Voodoo or Blue Star, but I skipped out on that and went straight to Pip's. I prefer my donuts mini-sized anyway. They offered many donut flavors, but my favorite was the cinammon sugar {which is their original}. They also offered a banana creme seasonal flavor which was my sister's favorite. We also each got a different chai latte flavor: Campfire and King & I {which is their rendition of a thai tea}. Both were equally delicious. We ended up paying ~ $15 for all of the things seen here {except the glasses, ha!}. The line can be a bit long, but I highly recommend visiting this place.
Ramen Ryoma / On route from the tulip farm towards Cannon Beach, we passed the city of Beaverton and decided to find a place to eat. Since it was gloomy and cold, we decided to eat something soupy and warm. Coming from SoCal where we have great ramen, I was surprised to have liked this place so much! The ramen noodles are "hand-massaged" and just the right amount of chewy. It is attached to the local Japanese market and luckily, we beat the crowd. Worth the wait!
OYATSUPAN Bakers / Also in Beaverton, we couldn't pass up on these cute little pastries. I won't lie, this looks a lot better than it tastes. We got the vanilla custard guy and it was only average, but the other things we got were good! Definitely a good stop-by place if you're driving through Beaverton. Did I mention the Nike campus was in Beaverton? Now maybe you'll make a stop.
Pine State Biscuits / Anyone who has been to Portland will tell you to get biscuits & brunch here. For some reason, I never remembered whether it was Pine State or Pine Street. Weird. The line here can seem a little intimidating--it did for us. But we decided to wait it out and it surprisingly moved pretty quickly. I recommend getting the Reggie which is their biscuit with friend chicken, bacon, cheese, and that signature gravy {pictured below}. We also ended up getting the hash-ups. Everything was as delicious as the hype said. Next time I'm coming back to try the hot chocolate and fried green tomatoes!
Nong's Khao Man Gai / This was the highlight of the trip for me. I am usually not one to eat this type of food on a vacation since it hits close to home and nothing is better than my parent's food, but OH. MY. GOODNESS. This knocked me out of the park. The simplicity of the plate plus the unexpected taste makes the whole dish. I highly, highly recommend getting the chicken and rice. She started out as a food cart and became so popular that she opened a restaurant. Everything is super affordable and quick. I am coming back next time for the sauce {to bring home} and hopefully make it early enough to try the fried chicken skin!
Jackrabbit / This was the restaurant in our hotel downstairs by Chef Chris Cosentino and I was surprised to discover how amazing it was. Not to mention, it is a sister restaurant of Cockscomb in San Francisco {to which I had no freaking idea}. We were lazy that night and didn't want to go out, so we opted to try this place and it was perfect. The pasta with pine nuts was made with just the right amount of cheese, the fried pig ears were friend to perfection, and the oyster plate... no words. A little on the pricey end, but every vacation needs a good meal!
Have you been to Portland? What were some of your favorite things?
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