I visited Portland, Oregon the end of March this year with my family and here are my impressions of Portland.
It is very green. It was raining the whole three days we were there. I also noticed that there was a lot of green moss on the trees which was an indication of all year humidity. I love the fact that you can just drive 30 miles east and you will find amazing water falls, hiking trails, dams, mountains, and other natural places.
On our first day, we drove east along highway 84 (E Historic Columbia River Highway) and stopped at a few falls along the way. Multnomah Falls is one of the most popular falls since there is a visitor center, a cafe, and a restaurant there. It is also one of the tallest falls in the area. Here is a picture of Multnomah Falls.
Here is a view along E Historic Columbia River Highway. It is very green and pretty. It was not crowded at all. This might be because it is not high season.
The street food scene here is amazing. I think they have one of the best food carts/trucks in the country. I love the idea of putting all the food carts/trucks in parking lot. There are so many places around town with groups of food carts. I think other cities should adopt this idea.
The food scene here is also amazing. I am talking about regular restaurants. There are many cool neighborhoods around the city and each neighborhood has its own flare including great places to eat. I was very impressed with Chinese food at Frank’s Noodle House in the Irvington area. I found it on Yelp. They make their own noodles there. I also enjoyed their General Tsao’s Chicken. I also think Voodoo Doughnut is overrated. Yes, they are very creative on their menu but I don’t find the doughnuts taste any better than other doughnut places. I also found my new favorite place for espresso, Spella, in downtown Portland. It is a small shop with two people working there – one is Italian. They make a great latte (very smooth and not overly hot).
There is no sales tax in Oregon. Great place for shopping for sure. There are a few outlet malls around the outskirts of the city.
Portland is older than I thought. After learning a little bit about the history of Portland, I now understand. There are many old brick buildings in the downtown area. The China Town area also has many historic buildings including the Lan Su Chinese Garden.
And, there is no Ikea Inspired Home at Ikea in Portland. When I saw this article, I didn’t read it completely (my fault) and I thought Ikea was selling a house in Portland. I was wrong. It is a house by ideabox furnished by Ikea furniture. I stopped by Ikea in Portland and asked the greeter at the door and she said I was the second person asking her about the Ikea house but she had no idea what it was.
I only bought two magnets in Portland this time. To see them, click here.