We recently took a long weekend to Portland, OR. We wanted to do our trip as affordably as possible, which isn't hard to do in Portland. It all started with lodging. I was interested in staying at the Ace Hotel, in the Pearl District. Rooms at the Ace were anywhere from $160-$325/night, which was a bit more than we were willing to pay. After looking into Airbnb, I found a great place in the trendy Alphabet District in Northwest Portland for $115/night.
Our place was perfect. Cute, clean, and cozy. Portland is so small, and easy to get around, no matter where you are you feel close to where you want to be. We also had the added benefit of close proximity to Forest Park, which was important to us.
Next on the list: bike rentals.
Portland is such a bikeable city. It's flat and they have ginormous bike lanes, and bike paths everywhere you go. Cars are also aware of bikes on the road, which adds to the feeling of safety. We rented bikes from Portland Bike Tours and Rentals. This place was great. They are located right downtown, and are so helpful and kind. The bikes were vintage single speeds, so we didn't look like dorky tourists on generic rentals. Plus, these bikes were cheap. We only paid $60 to have both bikes for the whole weekend. If you just want them for they afternoon, they are $5 per hour. You can't beat that. They also have free rain gear to borrow, which turned out to be a priceless addition to our rental package.
On our first night we hit up The Star Theatre to see Fruition and the Dead Winter Carpenters. The Northwest has a great music scene. I currently can't stop listening to Fruition, and was delighted to discover that they were playing during our visit. The show and the venue were both great, and it was only $12 a ticket. Seriously, Portland is cheap.
On Saturday, we went for a hike in Forest Park. Portland is host to one of the largest urban parks in the country. After a 10 minute bike ride, we were in the middle of a lush forest. It's easy to get lost in the park. Trails meander and merge. We ended up doing 11 miles. A bit further than I intended, but gorgeous and free.
That night we did the food cart scene for dinner. There are an abundance for food carts in Portland, and they are grouped together in pods throughout the city. We had Thai that night in some downtown carts, and then Mexican and Greek for lunch at the oddly named Saturday market on Sunday. The carts are cheap, fast, and yummy. I really wanted to try the double decker grilled cheese bus, but it just didn't happen. Next time.
Last up on our to-do list: VooDoo Donuts.
Portlanders seem to be big into funky and gourmet donuts. There are tons of donut places, but VooDoo is the most iconic. It has been featured on Man VS Food and Anthony Bourdain, and has favorites like the jelly filled voodoo doll and the bacon maple bar. We stood in line for about an hour on Sunday morning. Once we got to the front, we went all out and ordered a half dozen. (There were four of us, this was not that unreasonable.)
Post donuts? Sugar crashes for all.
Portland definitely has a lot to offer. We were really wishing for just one more day. Now that we have it figured out, we will be a bit more efficient on our next trip.
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