Support Our City

One of the things that made me fall so in love with Portland was all of the amazing local businesses, specifically in the food and beverage industry. I was amazed at how many options there were and how they all seemed to be thriving. When Our Governor announced the mandatory closure this past Monday, I was so afraid for these amazing mom-and-pop eateries that I've come to love and how there are so many I have yet to explore. These 4 are places I frequent often who are doing what they can to operate under these unfortunate circumstances.


For a current list of more restaurants that will be open for to-go orders, click HERE

Brunch at Cafe Broder

Living in the brunch capital of the nation can be intimidating at times. On one hand, having an infinite number of restaurants to try is what dreams are made of, on the other, it takes the question of "so where do you feel like eating today?" to a whole new level. I'm talking hour-long discussions here people - pro and con lists, debates, pie charts - the decision process is daunting.

9/10 we end up revisiting our favorite places because they're so darn good; among those favorites are the Broder Cafes...

PDX Food Journey: Olympia Provisions

I've officially been an Oregonian for two years now and I feel like I haven't even made a dent in trying all of the restaurants in this city. I have dedicated entire days to eating...brunch, walk around, get a coffee, eat dinner, walk around, go to a tap-house... I feel like I have achieved my true hobbit form. This particular day, for example, I had met up with a group of friends for brunch at Pine Street Market and then we wandered around until we somehow found ourselves under the soft orange glow of those four glorious letters
M - E - A - T.

When your Florida Friend Comes to Oregon

- TRIPLE FALLS -

Whenever someone visits we always make a point to show-off all of the amazing natural wonders of Oregon. I have always dreamed of living in a place where I could be just a short drive away from an outdoor adventure and the PNW certainly offers an endless amount of possibilities. Triple Falls is always one of my favorite hikes to do around The Gorge, it has a good amount of scenic forest views, wooden bridges, and waterfalls while not being too challenging in regards to elevation levels. I always make it a point to bring my camera with me on a hike and this time I am particularly glad I did because this area was hit pretty hard by fires just a couple months later.

Laika Animating Life - Portland Art Museum

When I was in middle school I fell in love with Neil Gaiman’s story about a cool girl with blue hair who lived in a pink house and refused to sew buttons into her eyes. Years later, right before graduating high school I was able to see one of my favorite stories come to life thanks to the highly imaginative minds at Laika Studios.

Saturday Afternoon at Pine Street Market

Photo from Dina Avila

Four score and several Saturdays ago, a group of friends ventured into the city and set forth to a magical land filled food options as far as the eye can see. Some refer to this as a food court,  Portlanders know is as Pine Street Market.

Snow Day(s)

This post was originally set to be published in December, when we experienced our first little 1-2 inch snowfall. Little did I know that snowmageddon was on it's way a couple weeks later and graced us with a foot of snow! Now, I know I must be getting a couple of eye rolls from the people up north, but understand that I am but a humble Florida-born gal who went from winters with a low of 60 degrees to a white, single digit Narnia wonderland. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I saw those first few flakes touch (and stick to) the ground. When we took our nightly walk around our neighborhood, it was so quiet and serene, like the world had transformed within a couple of hours - so THIS is what having seasons is like. It's easy to see how this crystallized rain has been the inspiration for countless songs, carols, and poems - I have shamelessly become Lorelai Gilmore-level obsessed with snow and I cannot wait until next December!

A Day at the Oregon Zoo

One of the things that Lewis and I always do when we move to a new city is cover all the bases: Museums, gardens, zoo, etc. Now, you might remember my post on the Houston Zoo which was pretty impressive, so my expectations were set pretty high!

Holiday Event Wish List

Summer is finally winding down and with it comes the anticipation of fall! I am beyond excited because, for the first time ever I will actually enjoy a REAL fall season! Growing up in the southern US we pretty much had two seasons, hot and less hot. Now that we're in the PNW I am looking forward to watching the leaves change and not having to turn on the a/c Christmas morning. When I started doing some research on local events, I was shocked at how packed the calendar was! This is just a fraction of what's available. I chose the ones that were more affordable and closer to Hillsboro, some did not have dates posted yet so keep checking back to find out an exact day & time.

SEPTEMBER
Sep 3-5Art In The Pearl, Portland Oregon’s annual Fine Arts & Crafts Festival
Feast Portland
Sep 24 Oaks Park Oktoberfest (for the weenie dog races)

OCTOBER
Oct 1 Get a pumpkin from Roloff Farm
Oct 8 Hillsboro OrenKoFest
Oct 1-31 Go to Halloween Town in St. Helens, OR
Oct 14-16 Hood River Valley Harvest Fest
Oct 14-15 Portland Cider Festival
Oktoberfest in Leavenworth
Oct 22-23 Vegfest

Oktoberfest Parade. Photo credit: Leavenworth Chamber

NOVEMBER
Wine Country Thanksgiving
Clam Chowder Cook-off
Ride the Holiday Express train

Raptor Ridge Winery. Photo Credit: Vindulge

DECEMBER
Dec 1-31 Zoo Lights
Hansel and Gretel Opera
Dec 1-31 Christmas Festival of Lights
A Christmas Carol
Dec 10-26 The Nutcracker
Dec 2-Jan 1 Hood River Holidays
Winter Beer Festival
Dec 1-31 Christmas in the Garden

If you are a native to this area I would love to hear your suggestions on fun things to do!

Coffees of the Pacific Northwest

It's no secret that I fell head over heels in love with the Pacific Northwest - the evergreen trees, the smell of the damp forest air, the awesome local restaurants, and the COFFEE. It's pretty crazy to think that this is the birthplace of the coffee culture we know today, almost everyone knows that Starbucks got it's start in the humble store front near Pike Place Market but there are so many other worthy places to check out!

Here are just some of the shops we checked out on our trip, some we scouted on on Yelp and others we just happened upon, we probably consumed at least three cups of coffee a day and we still didn't even begin to explore all of the shops in town - this is but a sampling of all there is to offer. My all time favorite was Espresso Vivace in Seattle the employees were awesome and could "speak coffee" with you for hours and their espresso drinks offer some truly unique experiences for your tastebuds. The Cafe Nico was my personal fav with hints of orange peel and cinnamon.

Our Java Journey:

PORTLAND

-Stumptown Coffee
This little Portland coffee shop has really blown up over the past year, you can now find their cold brew in major grocery stores across the country.

-Compass Coffee Roasting
This new location in Vancouver (near Ester Short Park) has an on site roaster that provides the freshest kind of brew. They also have homemade syrups and their vanilla latte (pictured bottom top left) was super delicious.

-Thatchers Coffee
Also in Vancouver, the cafe offers locally sourced coffee along with artisan pastries. They also have a huge feature chalkboard wall that displays local art which is a little bonus.

SEATTLE

-Espresso Vivace
My absolute favorite place, this is my heaven on earth. I went to the location downtown across from the REI, you can grab a window seat and look at the glorious evergreens across the street.

-Caffe Umbria
Located in Pioneer Square, this semi-swanky shop is known for the square of chocolate they serve with each beverage.

-Seattle Coffee Works
We just stumbled upon this place walking around downtown, the baristas were super friendly and the atmosphere is perfect for people watching.

Like I said this doesn't even begin to cover the coffee culture in PNW but if you're ever visiting in the area I highly suggest you check these places out - you won't be disappointed.

What are some of your favorite coffee spots?!

Exploring Wild Oregon

We spent an entire day surrounded by the wonderful forests of Oregon. Coming from the south where beaches and palm trees are the standard, I am always amazed and delighted at the sight of mountains. There's something about being surrounded by something that completely engulfs you and seems endless, you'd think it would make you feel uneasy but it makes life seem more simple somehow.

There's an endless amount of hiking trails about 30 min. outside Portland. We stopped by Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge be warned though, these trails can be challenging so make sure you're geared up appropriately (this is no place for semi-stylish footwear). Also, make sure you get a map of the trails at the Falls before adventuring to the Gorge, we found this out the hard way.