Abby All Around: Portland

So far Portland has proven to be everything we had hoped and dreamed of (which is saying a lot because our expectations were crazy high). Our first stop of the day was at Stumptown Coffee Roasters of course, which wasn't really even a stop at all since it's in our hotel lobby (wow what could be better). I had one of the stronger mochas I ever have, but the quality of the coffee was totally worth the strength. My lemon something scone was crumbly and delicious and everything a good scone should be.

We decided to first get to know Portland by bike tour, which I would absolutely suggest. We got an awesome perspective of the city as a whole and some really great suggestions for how to spend the rest of our time.

fun fact: I dropped my phone taking pictures while biking on this bridge ^^...I wasn't feeling quite so ballsy with my phone-usage while biking after that, but I managed to snag a few more good pictures (with great caution).

About a third into the tour, it started to rain, but that is only to be expected when in Portland. We kept trekking...the rain just added a little interest and authenticity (s/o to Emily for biking with rainy glasses). Despite the frequent rain, Portland is such an amazing place to bike. It's no wonder so many Portlanders don't drive with such incredible bike lanes and paths (e v e r y w h e r e). Portland bikers are beyond spoiled, and I'm very jealous.

Um also we rode past where "Dream of the 90s" was filmed which was very exciting for obvious reasons (mainly Fred Armisen)

p.s. Bike tour place is called Cycle Portland, and our tour guide was named Guthrie (and he was a bro).

Thanks to Guthrie's suggestion, we followed up the bike tour with a couple hours at the Saturday Market (don't be fooled; it's open on Sundays too). If you ever have the chance to do this, you have no excuse not to, because it is the coolest thing ever. Here you will find everything from art to floating plants to unique jewelry to street performers to top notch food (and everything in between). This is also an excellent place for people watching if you're into that.

garlic chicken gyro from Angelina's at the Saturday Market^^ (it will change your life)

A few minutes away you will find a whole other world. Right in the center of Portland is the Chinese Garden (apparently the most authentic outside of continental China...I buy it). No picture can do this place justice buuuut it's super cool (take my word for it). It's also really crazy to look through a cut out in one of the walls and be reminded that you're in the middle of the city surrounded by streets. I was reluctant when I found out you had to pay to get in, but I can now say that it's totally worth it. (Also sometimes they have tai chi which I really want to do but it's not happening while we're in Portland ugh.)

Again thanks to Guthrie's suggestion (also our extensive research), we drove to Hawthorne street, where we walked up and down the street roaming in and out of stores. We found a few super cute stores (where I might have splurged a little) and then found a vintage store (below) that was a bit of a mess, but that's all part of the fun. The gems where definitely far and few, but Emily managed to find a really super beautiful jumpsuit (she always beats me to the good stuff!!).

Once we exhausted our supply of stores (or maybe we were just exhausted of shopping), we deviated off the main street into the most beautiful neighborhood I have seen in all of my life. You have never seen grass so green and trees so healthy. There was not one ugly yard. Every single house received an enthusiastic "aaaaw that's the one" from us. The amount of pictures I took in this neighborhood is ridiculous, but I couldn't help myself.

A short car ride later we arrived at Blind Onion Pizza and Pub, the cutest, coziest pizza place you ever did see (not to mention the pizza was phenomenal and the service was superb). Available games were also a nice touch (nothing like a little trivia with pizza).

pizza pic ft. tea can ring from Saturday Market^^

...aaaand again Guthrie steered us well. We finished dinner just in time to get to Mt. Tabor to watch the sunset (Guthrie's favorite place to watch the sunset). This place is the perfect example of why Portland is so incredible. You can drive 10 minutes out of town and be surrounded by enormous trees and stunning views.

See that little orange-ish blob at the bottom of the tree?^^ ...that's Emily (by a really big tree)

Okay so if the next description of this next place doesn't hook you immediately then I have no understanding of you. Here it goes: 3D glow-in-the-dark zombie pirate mini-golf. No joke; this is real life...and it's as awesome as it sounds. "Is that possible?" you ask. I asked the same thing...yes, it is. I hesitated to spend valuable time in Portland playing mini-golf, but Glowing Greens is a must.

If you look on any guide to or blog of Portland you will almost certainly find the famous Voodoo Doughnut shop, and this is no coincident. The taste of these doughnuts is not a sensation that can be described in words. You will just have to come to Portland to understand, and that's simply all I have to say about that.

Voodoo Doughnut is usually found with a line out the door, but we managed to get our box without much wait at all (so I'd suggest a Sunday night...maybe after a game of mini-golf).