( ↓ Scroll down to the bottom for itinerary ↓)
Where we stayed - Hotel Lucia
When in Portland, I prefer staying in Downtown just so I have easy access to not only my donut and coffee in the morning but also to all the stores I’m planning to go during the trip. Hotel Lucia is located right in the middle of everything and is within walking distance to a variety of restaurants, coffeeshops and stores. Although the room is fairly small but the amenities and the friendly hotel staff made up for it :)
I also LOVE how cool the decor of the lobby is!
Where we shopped
Since this is our second trip to Portland, we already had a list of shops that we favor when visiting so we try to spend at least a full day to check-off our to-buy list. Apple products are always something we managed to get during both of our Portland trips! Some other spots that we hit: Madewell, Patagonia, Poler, The North Face, Snow Peak, Nike and Muji. Oh, don’t forget about Nordstorm too! |
| How cool is this dome for camping?! |
The one store we ALWAYS had to visit - Powell City of Books
Powell City of Books is usually the only store that is still open post dinner time so I like coming here right after dinner and walk around the book store, burning away all those calories I just consumed. It’s also a great place to get souvenirs for friends and coworkers!
Schoolhouse Electric
A special mention of this store because I just love the interior of it that combines ! I did not make any purchase so I can’t really give you guys a review. They also share their space with Ristretto Roasters so you can come here for a cup of coffee and walk around this really beautifully designed store.
What we ate
Food carts!!! Portland has over 600+ food carts, which mean you have 600+ affordable (and delicious) options scattered around the city. Most of these carts are grouped, making it easy to sample several at a time. We sampled some food carts but sadly I forgot to take any photos :(Here are some that I managed to photograph..
Hat Yai - fried chicken was delicious. LOVE the curry and roti combo. Brings me back to my Singapore days.
Nong’s Khao Man Gai - a Portland staple. I don’t want to over emphasize how much I love chicken rice but gosh I really really really love chicken rice and Nong’s got it right. Nong’s Khao Man Gai is a no-frill chicken rice establishment that only serves you two things - chicken and rice or pork and rice. It may look unappetizing at first but the combination of flavors from the juicy chicken, the oily rice and their garlicky sauce was amazing! It is THE ultimate comfort food for me.
Luc Lac - coming from the Bay Area, it’s really hard to find Vietnamese food that can beat the ones we got back there.. and even though Luc Lac was surprisingly good, nothing really stood out. If you’re not from the Bay Area and are looking for a good bowl of Pho, you can consider Luc Lac — if you don’t mind standing in line a little bit too long or have your dinner earlier than everybody else.
Blue Star Donut - another Portland staple. This is a great place to get a quick breakfast bite before you start your day!
180 Xurros - forgot how we stumbled upon this one but I do remember their thick hot chocolate that you dipped your churros into, Spanish style! Unfortunately, by the time I’m writing this post, 180 Xurros has been closed permanently :(
Coava Coffee
It’s no secret that the coffee scene is huge in Portland. This time, we checked out Coava Coffee Roasters. They have a huge open air seating with lots of workspace. You would also find an array of woodworking machineries belong to Bamboo Revolution, whom they share the space with. Coava is definitely one of my favorite coffee shops in Portland now!
Stay tuned for another blog post featuring Portland in a couple of weeks! (You see how much I love this city now?)
Here's a 3-day weekend itinerary to Portland, Oregon
Day 1, Friday
• Fly from SFO to Portland
• Shop at Powell’s City of Books
• Stay a night at Hotel Lucia
Day 2, Saturday
• Breakfast: Blue Star + Heart Coffee + Stumptown Coffee
• Shopping in Downtown:
Poler Flagship Store, Patagonia, Madewell, Anthropologie, The North Face, Snow Peak, Porch Light, Made Here PDX, Powell’s City of Books, Union Way: Danner, Will’s Leather
• Lunch at Nong’s Khao Man Gai
• Continue shopping at: Nike, Pioneer Place (Apple, Zara), Nordstrom
• Dinner at Hat Yai
• Stay a night at Hotel Lucia
Day 3, Sunday
• Breakfast: 180 Xurros + Coava Coffee
• Visit Schoolhouse Electric
• Shop at Danner factory store
• Lunch at Nong’s Khao Man Gai
• Shopping at Washington Square
• Early dinner at Afuri Ramen
• Fly back to SFO
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