Portland is one of those American cities that will leave you yearning for more, feeling as though a section was missed, a restaurant not discovered and ultimately your gut reaction is that the sooner you return, the better it will be.
Perhaps it is the walkability of the city, the never-ending choices of restaurants, the kitschy mixed in with the modern streamlined stores throughout the city, the close proximity to my Canadian home-base or simply because Portland is completely tax-free. Whatever the case may be, this past long weekend when I visited, the city did not disappoint and I can't WAIT to go back for another extended weekend stay.
Here are my top 3 favorite discoveries from my recent weekend away in Portland:
3. WORLD FOODS PORTLAND
Looks a bit like a wine bar right? Well, don't let looks deceive you because World Foods Portland is in fact a family-owned grocery store. Specializing in unique products from around the world. I purchased two different types of olive oils, each was processed in the original Palestinian method, however one was fruity and the other robust (can't wait to indulge with a proper baguette and a glass of wine). In addition to their amazing on-the-shelf products, they also have a proper wine/beer bar right in the grocery store so after shopping for unique delicacies, you can sit down and have a glass of wine or a pint of Portland's famous micro-brewed beer and then continue discovering the rest of the Pearl district.
830 NW Everett Street
7 AM - 9 PM daily
2. CANOE
A shop that specializes in small home-goods that are appealing in both design and functionality. Canoe prides itself on sourcing products from around the world that are iconic, almost art-like pieces that you wouldn't think twice about using as a decorative piece throughout your home. The Tube Wringer was one item that may have been purchased along with the Chemex coffee maker. I am THRILLED by both items as they were necessary, desperately needing to be replaced in our home. To add another element to the Canoe shopping experience is the fact that it is in an up and coming area of downtown Portland which is considered by some locals to be the new Pearl District, walking around I couldn't agree more as there were some fantastic clothing and home shops mixed in with random pubs and restaurants that will need to be discovered on my next visit.
Canoe
1136 SW Alder
10 AM - 6 PM Tuesday - Saturday
11 AM - 5 PM Sunday
Closed Monday
Canoe
1136 SW Alder
10 AM - 6 PM Tuesday - Saturday
11 AM - 5 PM Sunday
Closed Monday
1. BLUE STAR DONUTS
Okay, so I can see you rolling your eyes as I know it may seem strange to you that my no. 1 pick for Portland this weekend is a donut shop however, I would like to defend myself by providing the following information about this amazing donut shop. Their motto is simple, "Quality over Quantity"; as someone who has come to understand that quality and freshness is the answer to "what makes one dish taste better than another?", this donut shop really proves this to be true. All organic ingredients from the flour to the milk to the eggs, they explain exactly where they source their ingredients (all local might I add) and to top it off, they cook all of their donuts in rice oil. And if you're still not convinced, then the answer may simply be that by 2 PM on a Sunday afternoon, all the donuts were completely sold out, enough said!
1237 SW Washington Street
7 AM - sold-out Monday - Friday
8 AM - sold-out Sunday
The wishlist for my next Portland weekend will definitely include the following:
Brunch at Tasty n' Alder
Shopping in SE Portland
Splurging at The Nines
And, these are the sites I like to visit before going to any new or revisited city: Refinery29, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Lonely Planet and of course I am a crazy advocate of visiting random blogs and so for this weekend I visited this site to find some fresh, new ideas.
Happy Friday!!
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