Chi and I completed the coast but I still wanted to see the eccentric city, Portland. We decided to make it a weekend getaway after our coast trip so I don’t miss too much work.

Day 1 – Saturday June 4, 2016

We drove 3 hours to Portland but made a stop at our local favourite coffee hut —Dutch Bros. We discovered this on the coast and we’ve been hooked to their smooth Irish creme iced coffee since.

Once in Portland, I took Chi to a craft fair where they sell handmade Etsy-like goods. Another reason we went was to hide from bizarre 40° C / 100°F heatwave outside.

We went to Nong’s Khao Man Gai for hainanese chicken but it was quite disappointing. It wasn’t bad but the hype made me expected more and I guess it hard to compare it to Singapore.

After lunch, we went to the Woodburn Outlets to take advantage of the tax-free savings. After shopping, we headed to Blue Star donuts for a snack. The donuts were great and very close to Doughnut Plant quality from NYC.

We then wandered around the Hawthorne district and shopped at a few quirky and local shops, including the popular Powell Bookstore but the Hawthorne location.

For dinner, we ate at Pok Pok, a popular thai spot with high reviews but I wasn’t too impressed. The roasted chicken was great, Chi loved the pork belly but we both felt the famous wings were too salty.

We went to Salt & Straw for ice cream afterwards. The shop had many odd flavours like fish sauce caramel, dill pickle, pear blue cheese and olive oil. I tried a couple of them and they were all pretty unique but tasty.

We rented an AirBnB in Hawthorne and it was very Portlandian with unique hipster decor (eg. a hammock on top of our bed). It was a little messy but overall good stay to get the portland vibe.

Day 2 – Sunday June 4, 2016

We woke up early before the heat starts so we can bike around town. We started our morning with more donuts from Blue Star because they ran out of the popular creme brûlée donut yesterday. It was good but I don’t like filled donuts as much.

We biked across bridges and along the waterfront to our second breakfast spot, Ken’s artisan bakery. The croissants and iced coffee was great.

We continued on to the Rose Garden where the roses were in full bloom. It was beautiful but we were starting to melt in the heat.

With our biked locked up, we walked to the japanese garden. It was nice but I think I like the San Francisco garden better.

We biked back to return our bikes and pick up the car. Along the way, we were caught in a bridge lift for tall boats. It was an interesting sight but not appreciated under the blazing sun.

With the car, we headed to Tasty & Sons for a late brunch. It was fantastic. Every dish was delicious and this was definitely the most impressive meal I’ve had in Portland… or even Oregon.

After buying a bike to save taxes, we wrapped up Portland with soft-served ice cream at Wiz Bang Bar and a quick visit to Keller Fountain Park.

It was a short getaway to see Portland. I’d definitely come back and sightsee more but we got a good glimpse of the city vibes.