Portland: A love story

I can't stop thinking about Portland. No matter what I do, this Oregon gem will not let go of my heart. I don't even know if it can be fully conveyed in words, but this city has a vibe and it's addicting.

Welcome to Portland

Last fall, the husband and I decided a West Coast road trip was in order. I longed to dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. He wanted to go somewhere cool (we had endured a string of more than 20 humid, 90+ degree days that summer.) The Pacific Northwest seemed like the only logical conclusion so we made a plan to hit up Portland, Seattle and Vancouver (more on the latter two in another blog post).

Wanting to get the most out of our week off, we opted to fly right into Seattle to kick things off rather than drive through some of the duller states in the Midwest. (I'm looking at you Nebraska). It was his birthday wish so the husband rented a red Ford Mustang for the trip. Once those keys were in hand, you couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

We rolled into Portland late Saturday afternoon. It's a three-hour drive from Seattle, but we took a couple extra hours to detour over to the coast to be pummeled by waves and whipped with sand. Fun.

Portland's Chinatown

That night we had reservations at Andina, a great Peruvian restaurant in the Pearl District. We didn't have time to figure out the vast public transportation system (an impressive combination of buses, light rail and streetcars) so we walked. That gave us a good chance to see some of what the downtown had to offer - namely a cool little restaurant, bar or shop on every corner. And plenty of homeless people.

We were warned about the large homeless population before our trip, but nothing could have really prepared us for the sheer numbers we saw. Even New York City has nothing on Portland. You can't turn a corner in Portland without being confronted by the situation. But with such large numbers, some have found clever ways to stick out from the masses. My husband particularly enjoyed the gentleman that was "selling" his ideas for saving democracy. The price? A mere penny. I got a kick out of the man in front of Voodoo Doughnuts with a sign that said "Spaceship low on fuel."

Sunday morning we headed across the river to brunch at Screen Door. The Yelp reviews were off the charts on this place so we settled in for the 90-minute wait. I would have waited four hours for this food. It completely destroyed me for any other restaurant for months.

Fried chicken and waffle at Screen Door

The menu is decidedly Southern which may seem odd to be ordering in Portland, but trust me, it's that good. The husband ordered a decadent Bananas Foster French Toast. It was gooey and rich, but still paled in comparison to what I got.

I gave in to the chicken and waffles. I couldn't resist. I'd never had it before and- while I'm not one to eat chicken for breakfast- I'd order it again in an heartbeat. Three giant fried chicken breasts were stacked on a plate-sized sweet potato waffle with a steak knife keeping it all together. The waffle was exceptional, but the chicken, the chicken was heaven. It was juicy and flavorful with a breading that had a peppery kick to it. I couldn't get enough of it.

I powered through long after my stomach had reached its limit and still only made it through part of the waffle and one chicken breast. The woman next to me- who was clearly a regular- smartly asked the server to box two of the chicken breasts before her plate even came to the table. She had dinner all ready. It was all I could do to not add my leftovers to her pile and then invite myself over for the reheat party.

Blissfully full, we spent that afternoon wandering Old Town, taking in the waterfront, the Saturday Market (which also runs on Sundays) and circling Voodoo Doughnuts wondering if we really wanted to stand in that long line (we opted to come back later that night).

Food truck

After brunch, I could not stuff another thing in my mouth for hours, which was a shame because Portland boasts more than 500 food trucks scattered throughout the city. Next time, that dumpling truck will be mine!

Portland is a foodie paradise. I have seriously never experienced such good food one meal after another. I could move there for the food alone. Even Voodoo Doughnuts was a pleasant surprise. You expect that something with the notoriety of Voodoo can't live up to your expectations, but it does. Tasty doughnuts with clever toppings (the Rice Krispies with chocolate and peanut butter drizzle and the Fruit Loops with a sugary sweet glaze were our favorites) wrapped up lovingly in a pink box.

Voodoo Doughnuts

All of this plus a vibrant music culture. We happened to be there during a multi-day music festival in the park adjacent to our hotel. The music wafted up to our high floor room for most of the weekend, but we didn't mind. It was actually pretty charming. Sunday night, with doughnuts in hand, we opened up the window and enjoyed the sounds of Silversun Pickups playing "Lazy Eye." It was a moment that seemed to capture the mood of the whole town - irresistibly cool.


Don't miss: Take the half-hour drive east to check out Multnomah Falls. The two-tier, 620-foot waterfall looks like something right out of Lord of the Rings. It's gorgeous, as is the drive there along the Columbia River Gorge.

Multnomah Falls