My Guide to Portland

I've tried to write a recommendations post about Portland for so long and each time I do, I get overwhelmed by all that I want to say. So now I am going to extend myself some grace and say that I could not possibly include EVERYTHING I love in Portland so these are the go-to's. Phew.

Ok. Here we go.

First off, Portland is divided into 4 sections. There is SW (downtown, Portland State, Goose Hollow), NW (The Pearl, Alphabet District, Slabtown), NE (Alberta, Mississippi, N Portland, etc.), and SE (Division, Hawthorne, Laurelhurst, etc.). The Willamette river divides east and west and Burnside street divides north and south! Downtown and The Pearl district divide at Burnside (as a general spot) near Powell's Book Store. Highway 405 divides The Pearl and the Alphabet District. 

So now that we are all situated...

T I M E   T O   E A T

 

 

1. Tasty & Alder- go for cocktails or dinner but you NEED to go for brunch. Also their radicchio salad is in my top 10 favorite things I've ever eaten list. 

2. Kiva- delicious acai bowls and smoothies (pictured above)

3. Ava Gene's- an amazing culinary experience every time I go. It's Italian. That should say enough.

4. Tilt- delicious burgers and tator tots. Definitely a good low key spot.

5. Bamboo sushi- super fresh and delicious!

6. 23 Hoyt- I like their brunch but dinner is also good!

7. Food carts- I love whole bowl

8. Ken's Artisan Pizza- AMAZING! 

9. Tusk- delicious middle eastern fare and the decor is 100%

10. Grassa- handmade pasta!

11. Matador- a chain but great for street tacos

12. Por Que No?- a classic but I do love their tacos and aqua frescas

13. Produce Row- fun happy hour place. Sit on the patio!

14. Sweedeedee- go for brunch! It's small but worth it!

15. Please Louise- delicious pizza!

16. Pine Street Market- like an adult cafeteria. You have to go for lunch. Don't forget Wiz Bang Bar (that's Salt & Straw soft serve for ya!)

17. Pip's Original Doughnuts- YOU HAVE TO GO HERE. This is my favorite doughnut spot hands down. Sure, go to Blue Star, do what you want, but you HAVE to go here.  

18. Guero- delicious Mexican tortas

19. Vivienne Kitchen and Pantry- go for brunch!

20. Olympia Provisions- love their brunch. 

21. Podnah's- their bacon is the best of all time. Now you have to go just to see if I'm right. 

22. Prost- a German bar and restaurant that has a large selection of only German beers.

T I M E   F O R   A   D R I N K

 1. The Rambler- my favorite bar on Mississippi. It's in a house and they have a killer back patio and fire pits out front. 

2. Multnomah Whiskey Library- worth the wait! Put your name in then go explore downtown.

3. Departure- rooftop bar!! It's part of The Nines hotel.

4. 10 Barrel Brewing- delicious beer and they have a rooftop patio.

5. Bar Bar- also on Mississippi. This is a part of Mississippi Studios so there are usually concerts happening right next store. Maybe you can snag a ticket!

6. Dig a Pony- I love the feel of this place.

7. Bit House- one of the oldest bars in Oregon! Right across from Dig a Pony too!

8. Vault- I've made every friend in town meet me here for a drink. I love their Habanero martini!! Also best happy hour!!

9. Pope House- also in a old house!

10. Church- there's a photobooth!

11. Eastburn Public House- they have swings!

12. Kask- tiny & intimate.

13. Irving St. Kitchen- They have a really good happy hour and a delicious drink called the Berry Blast.

14. Rontoms- one of the best happy hours and a really fun spot.

 (Friends at EastBurn)

D O N T   F O R G E T   C O F F E E

 1. Heart Coffee Roasters- my favorite. Hands down. They do cupping classes and different brewing methods that are fun for the coffee addict!

2. Upper Left Roasters- great spot to sit down for a while and their coffee is 100%

3. Never Coffee

4. Barista- my favorite is the one on NW 23rd

5. Tea Bar- obviously a tea place but you have to go

6. Sisters Coffee- the cutest and coziest

7. Chai at Pips' Original Doughnuts- my favorite is heart of gold

8. Coava Coffee Roasters

9. Ristretto Roasters- go to the one in Schoolhouse Electric and shop around!

10. If you have to go to Stumptown, go to the one in the Ace Hotel.

11. Water Ave. Coffee

12. Cathedral Coffee

13. Good Coffee- big influence on giving back


14. Kainos Coffee

T H I N G S   T O   D O

1. Walk the waterfront. I recommend going over the Tilikum bridge. I like walking on the east side of the river (opposite of downtown).

2. Visit the rose garden in Washington Park

3. Catch a concert at the Doug Fir Lounge or Mississippi Studios

4. Walk up and down Alberta St., Mississippi St., Hawthorne, and/or Division. 

5. Walk around NW 23rd. Stop at Salt & Straw.

6. Go hike the Gorge. I like taking people to Multnomah Falls then Horsetail and climbing the upper Horsetail. If you are feeling like a longer, more intense hike, do Tunnel Falls.

7. Hike around Forest Park.

8. Beach day on Sauvie Island in the summer. In the fall visit the pumpkin patch there!

9. Wine tasting in the Willamette Valley. See THIS post.

10. Explore Hood River. Drive the fruit loop and taste delicious ciders. You can do this after the gorge!

11. Do a brewery tour- you could go to 10 Barrel, Rogue, Deschutes, Fat Heads, and Bridgeport all in one afternoon and they are all right next to each other.

12. Visit the Grotto. 

13. Relax in Laurelhurst Park. Bring a frisbee.

14. Go to the beach! I love Cannon Beach and Pacific City!

15. Drive up to Mount Hood. Tell him I say hello. Eat something at the historic Timberline Lodge.

16. Catch a movie at the Living Room Theaters

17. Shop in downtown & the pearl- I love Tender Loving Empire, Poler, Ecru, Boys Fort, Porchlight, Made in PDX, Bridge & Burn, Work/Shop, Union Way, and Alder & Co. Oh, and get lost in Powell's!

18. Saturday Market in Downtown

19. Portland Farmers Market on the Portland State campus

20. See if there is a '90's night at the Crystal Ballroom. If so, GO.

21. Pack a picnic or get food to go at Pine Street Market and sit by the waterfront

22. Relax in Cathedral Park.

23. Go to Mt. Tabor, Rocky Butte, or Pittock Mansion for some pretty views!

24. Buy a distillery row passport and try out some of the amazing, local distilleries!

W H E R E   T O   S T A Y

 

I recommend staying in downtown or NW for easy transportation and use of the streetcar and the MAX (our modes of transportation out here). If you are planning on renting a car, then maybe an AirBnB on the east side would be a good idea! You can rent bikes at any of the Nike Biketown locations for easy access to bikes and another mode of transportation other than walking (they are bright orange and you can't miss them!). 

I've had friends and family stay at the Residence Inn in the Pearl (great location), The Nines (in downtown), and an AirBnB on the east side. Most everyone else has just stayed with me so I'm not incredibly helpful with recommending a place to stay. If you need something cheap and are willing to be more adventurous, there is a nice hostel in the Alphabet District that was just redone! 

Phew!! That was a lot. You still with me?

With this list, you are bound to have a good time in Portland. Send me pictures!

October in Review

 Now that it is November 10th, I thought a good October recap was a good idea. ;) 

October started off in the best way with a last minute trip to Las Vegas for my sister's 21st! We all got our hair done at Dry Bar, lounged by the pool, ate amazing food & had a blast. Can't wait to see her again so soon for Thanksgiving!

The following weekend I went on a retreat with my church to the coast! It was just what the doctor ordered and I had the best time. We trekked out to this lighthouse one of the days and it was absolutely beautiful. There was fog rolling in and out sometimes making the lighthouse disappear if you were standing back far enough. I love the rugged Oregon coast.

I also celebrated my friend's birthday! I love any excuse to have a bunch of us get together and eat out somewhere delicious!

Get ready for all the fall foliage!! 

This fall in the PNW has been un-real. Seriously. Even now I find myself in awe of the trees and all their beautiful colors. NW Portland has been showing off for a while now. One of my favorite spots in the city is at Barista coffee shop. You can sit facing out the window and people watch for hours. :)

 I took this one on the way to brunch with my cousin one morning. I drive down this street multiple times a week and on this particular day, it was really showing off.

 For Halloween weekend I decided to be THE most basic and go as Eleven from Stranger Things. Everything I'm wearing are things I already owned so it wasn't too hard to dress like a child from the 80's. I don't know what that says about me...

Then I celebrated actual Halloween at a memory care unit with some friends in my cohort. We had such a blast!! I wanted to be someone the residents would know so I dressed up as June Cleaver/a housewife. Again, I owned everything already so I'm not sure what that says about me either.

October was busy, fun, and went by so quickly!! November is already speeding by and soon it will be Christmas!! This fall has been going a little too quick for my taste. Next week I'm off to Philly for a conference and then it's home for Thanksgiving! 

Happy Thursday friends! 

Go out and hug someone today

Let's Go Back: Summer 2016

Last summer contained so many changes, exciting moments, big moves, & uncertainty. In comparison, this summer was all about being present, exploring, and not letting one minute go to waste. At this time in my life I never really know how long I'll be in one place, one state, etc. so I'm learning to embrace living in the moment and really seizing all that is near me. 

I'd say summer 2016 pulled that all together nicely. 

So I wanted to look back on the summer before I start school again and everything becomes crazy. This is more for me in the future than anything else, but I guess it could also serve as a Oregon summer guide. :) 

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M A Y

I surprised my mom in mid May by flying in for the family Yosemite trip. I originally didn't think I would be able to go so it was a huge surprise and one I'm glad I made a priority. That trip was just what I needed after an intense Spring. See post: HERE

Friends visited me at home and we spent the day in San Francisco. I documented my One Day in SF trip HERE. 

My youngest sister graduated high school and is now off to college!! Both my sisters are now in San Diego living the beach life. 

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J U N E

I got back from my quick trip home in the first days of June and had a little bit of time before summer classes began so my friend and I decided to take a beach day trip to Oswald West State Park and Cannon Beach. I love taking quick trips to the coast whenever I can.

The app, Square, put on a fun flower crowns, wine tasting, local Portland goods kind of showcase one weekend and we had fun checking out the pop up space. We also went to Pine Street Market for the first time and it's now one of my favorite places for lunch in the city. 

My mom came out to visit and we did a little trip out to McMinnville, OR to go wine tasting. It was such a relaxing trip and I just love spending time with my mom. She's the best. I definitely got my love of wine from her. See that post HERE.

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J U L Y

For the fourth, my friends and I knew we wanted to take advantage of 2 days off of classes so we booked a day trip out to the Painted Hills. Absolutely worth it. One of the most awe-inspiring moments of my time in Oregon so far. Post: HERE

And a bunch of us had a lake day out at Hagg Lake near where we go to school because when it's the fourth of July weekend, you best believe I'll find a lake to go to. 

One of my oldest and dearest friends came out to visit me with her boyfriend in July and it was such a fun time. We went to Tunnel Falls (see the post HERE), Hood River, the Multnomah Whiskey Library and as many breweries as we could fit in to a quick day and a half trip. 

 I went back to Oregon wine country again with some friends because I just couldn't stay away. This time we went to Dundee and it was absolutely picturesque. I have a post about it that I forgot to actually publish but look for that soon. 

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A U G U S T

To celebrate the last week of summer classes and our summer internships, my friend and I went to Cape Kiwanda! (HERE'S the post) It was a perfect beach day and I knocked off an item from my Oregon bucket list. 

I went camping with my church and some of my small group that following weekend and the place we were at was insane. Lake Billy Chinook is stunning if you ever get a chance to go! It's in the high desert part of Oregon not far from Bend and worth it for the views. 

In the second week of August I went to visit my friend Steph's family just outside of Seattle and we had some serious fun exploring the city, her hometown and Lake Cushman! See first Seattle post HERE.

I think I went to Seattle more than I ever have before this month! Less than a week after returning from Seattle, I was back up there to pick up our friend Bridget from her home in Seattle so we could continue up the coast to Canada! It was fun to do some of the classic things mixed with new adventures. That post is HERE.

For four days on Vancouver Island, we all got to relax, disconnect from reality and forget about school. It. Was. Glorious. We ate amazing meals, kayaked, watched 4 Harry Potter movies, read our books and enjoyed coffee out on the patio every morning. 

ALSO! I recently gave myself a 3 month goal of being able to do a headstand and guess what?? I did one!! So what should my next goal be? Handstand? (#iwish)

Vancouver was beautiful and those mountains made me positively giddy every time I saw them huddled around the city. So glad I was able to cross this off my bucket list!

Finally (I know, you probably finished reading this post when I was still talking about July! If not, thanks for hanging in there) I ended the summer by helping my cousin move into her new college here in Portland and got to show off my city to my aunt and uncle. I finally hiked into the Oneonta Gorge and it was everything I thought it would be. Holy smokes. 

Perfect end to a great summer.

What did you do this summer??

Summer Adventures: Tunnel Falls

If you've got several hours on your hands, might I suggest this hike?

This past weekend I had my oldest friend, Emily and her boyfriend Garrett in town and we had an event filled weekend from start to finish. On Saturday we initially planned on hiking on the Eagle Creek trail for about 6 miles and those 6 miles quickly became 12. But it was all worth it for the views you see here.

On the way to Tunnel Falls, you get to see many other waterfalls along the way. One stop you can make is to Punchbowl Falls. Here's me taking the shot above and there's the actual shot below. This hike has been on my list since the very beginning and it was so fun to see the actual place. We definitely didn't swim around since it was probably 11am and not that warm, but I've heard that's a fun thing you can do.

Here's another waterfall along the path to Tunnel Falls. 

It was one of the longest hikes I've done in a long while but it was absolutely worth it. It also helps to be hiking with people who are up for whatever and we were all on the same page the entire time. On the way back, we were starving and tired so we booked it and made amazing time back to the car. 

Some recommendations if you choose to do this hike: BRING SNACKS! We did not and I definitely got hangry at one point. Make sure you have lots of water and take your time! Go off to the other paths a bit and stop for the waterfalls. Give yourself plenty of the day to hike this route. :) Also, the exit to take is exit 41.

We went into Hood River after the hike and I'm going to put together a post for that next! 

Stay tuned!

One Placement Done!

Thanks Ashley for the photo!

Yesterday was my final day of my first clinical practicum! I ended my last day celebrating with my supervisor and the preschool teachers and aides I worked with all semester and then hopping over the Columbia and to the east side to celebrate with friends. Driving over into Vancouver, WA twice a week, at first, seemed like a frustrating task and it turned into such a great experience. I loved my time working in an early intervention preschool and in an elementary school! But I am also glad to move on and experience a new placement now with a completely different population. 

Getting to experience placements in the community is one of my favorite things about my program. I am getting to see, first hand, what the real life of an SLP is like. Every semester we switch where we are placed and the type of location as well. I'm SO excited that my summer placement is in the city, walking distance from my apartment!! Yippee!

Also, I'm so glad that there are friends in my cohort who appreciate a proper celebration like I do. We decided to try out Produce Row and all loved it! Sit on the patio and order some of their happy hour drinks (from 4-7!) and yummy food. I ordered the whiskey ginger and it was delicious! We then drove more north and got churros at 180 Xurreria! GUYS. If you're in Portland you have to try out this little place. They make authentic Mexican xurros and they even have one stuffed with chocolate and other deliciousness. I got the chef's special, which was a cookie & creme covered churro. A-maz-ing.  

Happy Friday! I'm so excited for the weekend to start because my best friend, Monica, gets in late tonight and will be here till Thursday (!!!) and I have an Aphasia Workshop to attend tomorrow. Let the festivities begin!! 
What do you have going on?

An Ode to Portland

 This week is the anniversary of finding out I got into grad school. This time, almost exactly a year ago, everything began to fall into place. All the hard work, the tears, the anxiety and the unknowns all came together to create the most perfect plan. And it wasn't how I would have had it go down at all, but God felt differently. 

And I wouldn't take a second back.

On Sunday I was driving back from church, listening to some music play softly in the background, the windows rolled down, as the trees swayed in the wind and thousands of leaves and flowers fell to the ground. It was like a scene out of a movie. A beautiful tree-lined street, the protagonist in her car thinking about other things when she all of a sudden notices how much beauty surrounds her and it stops her in her tracks. 

I always wanted to step into one of those movies and live in one of the tree-lined neighborhoods like in Father of the Bride with a big white house and black shutters. On Sunday it felt like I had finally found myself in one of those scenes and it made me take a minute to be thankful for this place that I'm in. 

And life isn't all perfect. I don't want anyone to think that I'm walking on rainbows day in and day out without any trials (currently my face is breaking out like I'm 13, so there's that), but it becomes really difficult to complain when Portland gives you a sunny day and there's a general buzz in the air. I'm living according to God's plan for me and while each day has its unknowns, I know the general trajectory of my life is set according to the path He's placed before me. 

Portland has been the ultimate gift for the girl who, a year ago, doubted everything and didn't know left from right. April 23nd, 2015 was the day everything turned around and it's a day I'll continue to celebrate year after year. 

We all have those moments in our lives where there is a key change. The build up is often complex and frustrating, filled with potholes and triumphs, but it makes the reward that much sweeter. It's the moment you get the job, you realize you had feelings for that person all along, you decide you have to move if you're ever going to grow, you leave the job for the one you are made for, or you climb the mountain you thought was impossible to climb. 

Portland/grad school was and is all of that to me.


ps. if you want some goosebumps, read THIS post from April 15th, 2015. spooky. this is why i blog.

pss. and for fun, HERE'S the post when i announced i got into grad school :)

psss. tired of me yet? just have a great Portland story from yesterday. we were on Division (always a kind of crowded 2 lane street) and trying to fit two large pieces of furniture into my friends car and secretly hoping some strong man would come help us because #weak when 1 man completely pulled to the side of the road-illegally-to help us out, then 2 more guys come over and basically take over the whole process. 3 strangers totally helped us out!! How amazing is that in such a busy, individualistic society that we live in that 3 guys of all different ages would help some sisters out. it made me grateful to live in this sweet community once again. 

Why Knot:: Hike {Elowah and Upper McCord Falls}

One of my favorite parts of living in Portland is how close I am to otherworldly nature. This hike took us just under 40 minutes to drive to and was breathtaking! All of a sudden you are in the canyon looking up at this giant waterfall and feeling the wind and mist hitting your face. There are large rock walls to each side and I've never felt tinier in my life. These falls are Elowah Falls and are very easy to hike to! Start at the John B. Yeon Trailhead and you'll reach the falls in no time!

 Once you're done admiring the beautiful falls, I recommend turning around and heading towards Upper McCord Falls. When you first start the hike at the trailhead, you run across a dead end and you have to go left for Elowah or right for Upper McCord. At this point go right and you will definitely not regret it. The views from the top of this hike are UNREAL. We seriously stopped and admired our surroundings so many times.

 Also, everything was SO green and mossy! All of the trees looked like Dr. Seuss trees and I felt like I was in a magical fairyland. :)

This was the view on the way to Upper McCord Falls. UN-REAL amiright?? How you doin' Columbia? Oh, and hey Washington! (Washington is just on the other side of the river)

I definitely recommend these hikes if you are looking for something quick and beautiful. Also, you are pretty close to Bridge of the Gods as well so you might as well drive 10 more minutes and take a look at that beauty of a bridge. :) 

Happy hiking!