Portland, Oregon

 
Our first full day in the Pacific Northwest found us in the city of Portland. We had flown in the previous night into Seattle and drove down to the Rose City in the morning. We've heard so much about the food carts of Portland that we had to just dive into the city's rich food culture! Too bad for us, it was Saturday, and we didn't realize that a lot of them are closed or open later.


We had read in the New York Times about the Saturday Market, so we headed there hoping for some food! Lucky for us, we came across several vendors. I got this Himilayan Vegetable Tripti that was very much like a burrito. Easily made vegan without the sour cream!

Not impressed by the actual market, we came across VooDoo Doughnut. The line was so long, that we decided we'd try to come back later. Getting back on our itinerary, we walk to the Lan Su Chinese Garden just a couple blocks away. We striked it lucky with a tour just about to start. Our quirky guide gave us insight into the Szechuan-style gardens and a little insight into Portlanders (see matching Dansko shoes with the Chinese style dress).

 

After our enlightening tour, we walked through the Pearl district, a neighborhood filled with new loft-style buildings with lots of cute boutiques and restaurants. A quick jaunt later, we found ourselves back at our hotel, The Mark Spencer, to freshen up.

 

Since we were on a tight schedule, we went out after our quick breather and found ourselves hungry as the hour neared dinnertime. Coming across a pod of food carts, we opted for Korean cuisine. I ordered a rice "bowl" with tofu. I would have to say it was one of the highlights of the trip.

 

The tofu was fried to perfection, and I absolutely loved the accompanying glass noodles. The only thing that threw it off were the steamed vegetables topped with a mayonnaise-type sauce. I think I may be going vegan soon, since so many milk-based products just aren't doing it for me these days!

We wandered over to the real "downtown" part of Portland, and it was the first time we'd seen any sign of chain restaurants and shops i.e. the mall. It seemed out of place. We soon meandered towards the Portland Art Museum, but unfortunately they had closed for the day. Then we happened upon a really cool bike shop, and ooh-ed and ah-ed at all the various types of bikes they were selling.

 

We were getting awfully tired, but lucky for us, we were right on the TriMet yellow line, so we took the light rail on it's entire route and saw Northeast Portland to the University. The light rail also stopped half a block from our hotel, so we hopped off to refresh again.

It was getting dark, and not to lose any time, we decided to check out the Southeast portion of Portland called Division and Clinton. The New York Times article I mentioned before had written about the Whiskey Soda Lounge, so we drove across the river to see for ourselves. Settling on the only vegetarian option on the menu, I had the papaya fritters.

 

A tad too fried for me, it seemed like the restaurant's strength's were really in the meat portion of their menu. After our quick meal, we cruised different commercial districts on the east side of the river. We ended our evening at Deschutes Brewery, a local brewery.

The next morning, we were departing for Seattle, but had to catch one last neighborhood on the Northeast part of Portland. On the way to Alberta Street, we decided to see if Voodoo Doughnut had a line that was reasonable for us. We must have timed it just right, because we arrived, waltzed right in and had absolutely no waiting. I'd advise going at 8 am on a Sunday! The only problem was their extensive menu of vegan doughnuts. I was NOT prepared to have to decide amongst so many choices!

 

 

As we drove to Alberta Street, we fawned over the cute bungalows in Portland. We loved all the different types of architecture and quaintness that drew all the disparate elements together. We decided on a popular brunch spot called the Tin Shed. I ordered the Tim Curry, which had all this (straight from the menu): tofu, roasted garlic, yam, zucchini, mushroom & sweet onion in a coconut-curry sauce, served over a bed of spinach & topped with roasted peanuts, raisins & avocado. Despite it looking a little burned, it was delicious. I think I could eat this every day!