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Published: September 12th 2016
Haystack Rock
Wonderful day at Cannon BeachWith the heat wave this year, and a newborn in tow, we spent most of the summer cooped up indoors... can you say "cabin fever?" We desperately needed to get away for a change of pace, a change of climate, and a change of scenery. Although we had talked about visiting Portland for what seemed like forever, it took me by surprise when Victor booked our flights to go, because it was so spontaneous and last minute! Even though this was our first time in the Pacific northwest region of our country, we instinctively knew we would love Portland. And with it's location being only a short 3 hour flight away, it was a perfect first time trip to make with our little baby girl.
Portland, in my opinion, is a very impressive place. Where many cities failed or became ghost towns, Portland has found a unique way to become better. Years ago, people in the suburbs decided they were tired of the traffic and the long commute to work, so they started moving closer to the city center. The city invested in public transportation, so bikes, electric light rails, and trams took the place of many cars, and
Multnomah Falls
One of the most breath taking waterfalls I've ever witnessed more people were present in the city than ever before. Private businesses flourished, making way for a better life for everyone. Farms picked up where they left off, which inspired a culinary evolution in the food industry based on farm to table meals. As you can probably tell, Portland's choices have led to a snowball effect of positive changes. Portland also became a leader in the sustainable city movement with recycling and conservation a high priority, making it one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world. Now who wouldn't want to live in a city like that? I've read that so many people have moved to Portland in the last few years that one of their unofficial slogans has become
"Don't move here!" because it's getting so crowded. Well... too late Portland, we already want to move here!
"Keep Portland Weird" Another slogan Portland has is "Keep Portland Weird", due to its quirky nature. What I noticed on my visit is that this city has a liberal, hippie vibe, much like that of Austin and Amsterdam. Also like Amsterdam, marijuana has been mainstreamed and normalized. It is now legal to sell and use marijuana
for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. Residents here of all ages and statuses joined together to push this to happen, and more were in favor than not. Apparently even the American rapper Snoop Dogg was present the day it was officially legalized. He was there to celebrate the momentous occasion, which just so happened to be the week we were there! We passed him on the street hanging out at a marijuana glass store Mary Jane but didn't get to really see him since he was surrounded by a crowd of fans.
There are many other aspects that make Portland "weird" or I should say, "unique." From fun local businesses, to expressive art, and the individualism of it's residents. They have things such as the Naked Bike Ride (self explanatory, haha!), nature paths and acupuncturists, strange themed museums, and something called "yarn bombing." We also enjoyed visiting Powell's Bookstore, the largest privately owned book store in the world.
"City of Roses" Another unofficial slogan in Portland is that it's known as the "City of Roses". Due to the rainy humid climate of its location, it's perfect for growing roses. I also couldn't help but notice
Cannon Beach
Views from Ecola State Park all the beautiful lush green vegetation everywhere. Moss grows on the trees, homes, and rocks, and I love it! I think I'm odd sometimes because vegetation is usually the first thing I notice on my travels. I could also tell, as we drove around, that a lot of people grow their own fruits and vegetables in their front and back yard gardens, which I think is so great. We visited the most lovely rose garden one day called the Rose Test Garden. We also visited the peaceful Portland Japanese Garden. This Japanese garden is said to be the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan (declared so by the Japan ambassador of the U.S. )
Culinary Awesomeness It's the sense of community, alternative hippy vibe, luscious greenery, and outdoor recreation that has always made us interested in visiting Portland. But the cherry on top were the endless options for food and restaurants, specifically vegan and vegetarian. Portland is like a foodie's paradise. I probably gained 10 pounds on our 1 week visit, and we didn't even make it to all the places we wanted to dine at! Every thing we ate here was so good. I was
almost in tears at how delicious the non-dairy ice cream was at the artisan ice cream shop Salt and Straw. So far, it's one of the best non-dairy ice creams I've ever had... and I've tried many as I've been lactose-intolerant my whole life.
It's not just the options but also the quality of the food here that struck me. So much of it was organic, healthy, tasty, and grown from a local farmer. We don't see a lot of places like that these days, and Portland is full of them. Even the food carts, which are sprawled all over the city, are diverse and amazing. We had the best chocolate and strawberry crepes ever, at a food cart named Pereirra Creperie. Visitors should come with a bucket list of restaurants to try or go on a food tour to get their palates wishes met. If you are a big fan of beer, there are currently more breweries here than any other place in the world! Aside from the places we already mentioned, some other notable places to eat here are: Little Big Burger (they have the best veggie burgers), Jade (Vietnamese and Thai fusion), Voodoo Donut (kind of
a tourist trap, but fun colorful donuts to satisfy your sweet tooth), Portobello (a highly recommended all-vegan Italian Restaurant), and Que Bacano (Colombian food cart).
Strolling The Waterfront Every day that we ventured out, whether it was in the city, the outskirts, or in the neighborhoods, we always saw cute young families out and about. It seemed we picked a family friendly destination without even realizing it. We happened to come across a special symphony performance one day on the Portland Waterfront park, located downtown, where hundreds of people gathered on the lawn to watch the city's orchestra. People laid out on their picnic blankets, while others strolled around to see what else was happening. Out in the Williamete river, groups of rowers were gearing up for a practice. Another brave group was swimming across the river, and back again, which we are sure was very cold! The Williamete River is also home to many unique style bridges. The Hothorne bridge which is right on the waterfront started alarming while we were strolling around, so we stopped and watched to see what was going to happen. Apparently it was going to make a practice lift, as
Latourell Falls
Mini hike with baby L. it's one of the oldest vertical lifting bridges in the country. As the name "Portland" imply's, this is a port city, and there are loads coming in and out through ships and trains, so it's necessary to have these kinds of bridges to let all the cargo through.
The Magnificent Columbia River Gorge I must confess, I didn't really come to Portland to stick around the city and eat. My real intentions were to spend most of my time hiking and viewing the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. Our visits here were achieved using a rental car and its just 35 minutes away from the city center. Thousands of years ago, as the ice melted from the last ice age, this region of the world flooded over and formed this magnificent gorge and hundreds of waterfalls that still exist. This gorge is very wide and separates Washington from Oregon. I love nature so much, it speaks to my soul, and this is the perfect place to immerse yourself in it. We visited beautiful Multnomah Falls, Latourell Falls, and stopped at the Vista House to get the perfect panorama of the gorge. We would have done way
more hiking and seen more waterfalls if we had had more time... the people who live here are so lucky! Expect it to rain on and off, and then run for cover sometimes, but it's part of the experience. We wore our baby daughter in a baby carrier and she handled the mini hikes around the falls, as well as the random rain, like a champ. I think she is starting to catch on to my love of nature. Her eyes were constantly scanning her surroundings, and I could tell by her expressions that she was especially loving all the tall trees. I can't wait to visit more national parks with her as she gets older.
The coast and Cannon Beach As if I couldn't find another reason to love Portland, our best day was spent on its breath taking coast. The drive took us past beautiful fields, farms, and miles of green forest. Our first glimpse of the coast was at a lookout point at Ecola State Park. Again, my soul felt so invigorated by the beauty surrounding me. This is the first time I've ever seen the forest meet the ocean. It was such
Portland Japanese Garden
"The most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan" a bright clear day and I sat at the lookout feeling so grateful to be here and making these memories with my two biggest loves, soaking in all of this happy vitamin D. When we drove down to the beach, we were met by the stunning Haystack Rock. It's even more giant in person than it looks in pictures! Even though the day was a cool 60 degrees, the beach was still full of people due to the Labor Day holiday weekend. We did not go swimming, but there were many people who braved the chilly water.
Our First Air Bnb Experience The last thing to mention about our trip here was the fact that we used Airbnb for the first time, and I think I'm officially in love with it! When Victor booked our flights I literally had 2.5 weeks to search for accommodations. Everything I found was so expensive and not baby friendly. Then for some reason I decided to give Airbnb a look, and I was astonished at all the great options I found at such cheap prices. The one we chose was a private floor plan equipped with a
Downtown Portland
Views from Pittock Mansion kitchenette (perfect for eating breakfast or storing/making baby food), it's own little living room, bathroom, and bedroom. Essentially it felt like we were home while we traveled. Also, it was spotless, clean, practical, cozy, and family friendly. We put Lia to sleep in a bassinet that we got in Portland, and as a whole we still spent a fraction of what we would have spent had we chosen a hotel. I look forward to using Airbnb again. The equivalent would be renting an apartment when this service is not available.
Every teacher and parent that opens the door to the world of nature, opens the door to so much more."
Im so glad we spent a beautiful week together in this gorgeous part of the country. There's so much you can do outdoors here, and as I always say on my blogs; we haven't even scratched he surface! I'm hoping my daughter Lia will one day look back on these photo memories and appreciates how special it was that we took her on one of our adventures and worked hard to make it happen. And on the plus side, the activities we did and nature we saw stimulated her mind and growth in a very positive way. I can't wait to see what is next in
this new stage of our lives, so far it has been really fun!
Safe travels! -Jennifer, Victor, Baby L <3
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nancic123
Nanci and David Curry
First Trip!
I remember taking our first trips with our small children. We found that, while we definitely gave a few things up, our experiences seeing things through their eyes more than made up for anything we missed. And what a cutie you guys have! We spent a day in Portland not long ago and agree with all the things you say about it. We loved the Oregon Coast and Multnomah Falls were amazing. Congratulations on your "first" successful trip as a family. I'm sure it is just the first of many!