There are so many Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram accounts dedicated to the wanderlust aesthetic--people who want to get away and go places and stock up on photos of places they want to see. Unfortunately, traveling takes a fair amount of planning and money to get started. Fortunately, it's a lot more possible than some people realize. So, after almost seven months of planning and preparing, I went on a trip to the Pacific Northwest with my fiancé and my sister-in-law-to-be. Let's start with our itinerary for the week. This is the full master list of what we ended up doing with my comments interspersed.
March 5 (Tuesday before flight): 6:40am: Online Check-In 8:10AM: Catch FlixBus from 6th St. to PHX airport After having to spend about $90 on rides to Phoenix and back, we only had to pay $10 per person on FlixBus. However, going back was another story. It was about $75 on the weekend which sucked out loud--very grateful for family in this instance who saved us from having to spend that much on a 2 hour trip back! March 6 (Wednesday): -Flight: 6:40AM-9:55AM (1 stop in Sacramento) It was snowing when we landed! PDX to HI Portland Northwest Hostel Absolutely amazing place to stay if you're in Portland. There is easy access to public transportation, good food, and sights. The staff was kind, the family room we were in was fantastic for our little group, and it was so cozy. Car: Lyft/Uber 24 mins (Approx. $30) This is what we ended up doing to leave the airport. With 3 people splitting the bill, it was only $10 for each of us and much faster than the MAX (although I do encourage you using public transportation if it's available) -Lunch at Ken’s Artisan Bakery *SO good. We ended up going back here for breakfast at some point. We got sandwiches and pastries on this occasion. -Powell’s City of Books where we spent about an hour wandering around. The store is the largest new and used bookstore in the world, and it's so much fun. All three of us ended up buying books -Target because bathroom runs and beanies are a necessity when it's 30 degrees and snowing -Stumptown Coffee Roasters at the Ace Hotel This was recommended to us by a few locals who said it was fun to drink coffee and watch people passing by--and it was! -Blue Star Donuts I had a Lyft driver in Tucson who was from Portland recommend this one for me. This was definitely an experience that made me swear off Dunkin and Krispy Kreme for the rest of my life. Be ready to spend a little extra, they're gourmet donuts and definitely live up to the hype. -Brief break at Hostel Because we were walking everywhere and it was only our first day, a break was incredibly necessary. We took off our wet socks and shoes, and had a brief break for reading. -Thai Bloom for dinner Recommended to us by the staff at the hostel--I got pad thai of course. -Local beer tasting and board/card games at hostel The hostel we were staying at had evens around 6 or 7pm every night. It made it feel like a small community, and was a great wind-down activity. March 7 (Thursday): -Breakfast at Hostel Hooray for free bagels and coffee/juice/tea! -Coffee at Coava You have to try the honey latte--it's worth it! 10:00AM: Portland Art Museum opens Two buildings, three floors, and lots of art. Of course we all had our favorite pieces and exhibits. Mine was this glass ball that mirrored an upside-down map of the world and a sculpture piece of floating rocks. -lunch at cafe (eat packed pb&j sandwiches+fruit and veggies) In order to save some money on food, we had PB&J sandwiches, cuties, and veggie medleys that we packed in our backpack. -Keller Fountain Park It was turned off, but still fun to play around in and climb. -Student Store and ice cream at PSU Let's talk about losing something in a city--it totally sucks. You're someplace new, you've been exploring everywhere so backtracking means streets, traffic, and very separated places. The best thing you can do for yourself and others is keep calm, breathe, understand that it's ok to be upset, but to not let it totally ruin your day. 3-4:15p PSU Campus Tour (2:45p check-in) This only made me realize how much it sucks going to a big school with fraternities and sororities on campus. Also all the classes at the rec don't require another fee?! Lucky. -hang out at Ford Food and Drink What we really needed was another nap at the hostel, but since we needed to be on the other side of the bridge for the play, we got some dinner here (try the rice bowls), and read our books until it was time to leave. 7:30p Shaking the Tree Theatre Made to Dance in Burning Buildings Aka one of the best pieces of theatre I've seen to date. March 8 (Friday): -Breakfast at Hostel I think we tried every bagel they had. -Catch MAX Red or Blue Line to get to the zoo -Oregon Zoo There was a deep underground elevator that took us from the MAX station to the zoo above. When we got up to the surface, the doors dinged open, and there were light snow flurries! (Looked a lot like Narnia). We had a chilly day at the zoo, but it was so much fun to see the animals and not be surrounded by crowds of people. Bonus: if you take the MAX, you get a discount on your tickets! -Break at the Hostel (Nap Time!) -Salt and Straw ice cream You cannot miss this place if you go to Portland. Even chilly and rainy weather couldn't stop us from trying ice cream! Their honey lavender tastes like lavender smells. -walk to Morrison Bridge for river viewing We walked almost 30 minutes and our feet were soaked after because of the rain. -dinner at Killer Burger -Stumptown Coffee Roasters hangout This time at a new location just down the street from Killer Burger. The bathrooms are gorgeous with tiny tiles surrounding everything and blue or red light that bounces off of them. It's like your own personal rave. We were exhausted by this point and wanted to go home to take our wet shoes and socks off--but we still had a play to go to! -Voodoo Donuts Yes, we had ice cream and donuts in one day but Voodoo was right down the street. I got a voodoo doll which had chocolate icing, a pretzel sticking through it, and was filled with jelly. These donuts were my favorite because they were more traditional than Blue Star. I'm a classic kind of girl. 7:30p: Portland Center Stage Tiny Beautiful Things This is the kind of theatre that I think people expect to see. There are a lot of sponsors, the company is well established, and they have the money to do amazing sets. However, this play definitely catered to their audience demographic, and left me frustrated because of how little it truly needed but how much was put into it. The acting was fantastic, but it could have been 30 minutes and in a black box space instead of 80 minutes and on a set with running water, a fridge, full couch, microwave, and every little prop you could have imagined in a house setting. Yikes. March 9 (Saturday): 6:00a: Online Check-In -Breakfast at Hostel -Chinese Gardens Although it's in the middle of Chinatown in downtown Portland, this was the most serene and beautiful place I've been to. I felt so at home and so at peace, the staff members there were extremely warm and friendly, and the space was so well kept. We stopped to get tea and some moon cakes in the tea house, and it was a really wonderful experience. -Saturday Market If you're in the area on a weekend, the Saturday (and Sunday) Market is a stop you have to wander around. See local artists, grab some good food, and spend some time chatting. We were super lucky that it was a sunny day and that one of Dylan's friends from his summer program in Italy lives in the area! -Voodoo Too So I was craving donuts again but the line was out the door and squiggling along the sidewalk to get into Voodoo that day--so we took a bus across the bridge to Voodoo Too and were treated to donuts (thanks, Amethyst!). -Vintage shopping After our donuts, we had a lot of time to wander around. So we did, and found our way through a couple of vintage stores to look around. Why are flannel shirts so expensive?? -Walk across Burnside Bridge By the time we exhausted our shopping brains, we just kept walking until we were even remotely hungry. So, we went about halfway across the Burnside Bridge to see the white stag Portland sign--the one that glows and is on literally every postcard. We had fun taking pictures and enjoying the view. -dinner at Fire on the Mountain I had been to Fire on the Mountain about five or six years ago when we were in Oregon touring OSU, U of O, and University of Portland. When we asked for recommendations, we got told to check out Fire on the Mountain--and I remembered it for this trip. I got the exact same thing: vegetarian nuggets with mild buffalo sauce, but we added fried oreos and nutter butters, fried pickles, and stuffed mushrooms to the mix. YUM. March 10 (Sunday) 3:45a: Wake up I was that jerk that got everyone up super early for the plane, but because it was daylight savings, we technically woke up at 2:45a--YUCK. When we got there, there was no Southwest staff on the premises and the kiosks weren't turned on, but all was well after about 5-10 minutes of waiting. 6:00a: Flight from PDX to PHX I got some tea and socks from a store in the airport to commemorate all of our wet socks and comfort drinks on the trip. 8:35a: Arrive in PHX and wait forever for luggage. -Drive w/ family to Tucson Stopping at Cracker Barrel and at the outlets for an emergency bathroom break on the way. -Drink comfort tea and reminisce about the trip, attempting to get all laundry done and prevent post-travel depression. What I took away from this trip and some things I loved about Portland: 1) People are nicer and are way less concerned with being perfect. 2) Comfortable clothing is a must (flannel shirts for the win). 3) Giving yourself a complete mental break allows a full stress-free experience. 4) Snow and rain are worth walking in when you're going someplace new. 5) New experiences are the best experiences, but it's good to revisit old ones. 6) Travel buddies are important and make life way more fun. 7) Plane rides will forever be fun. 8) Listen to your body and don't be afraid of resting when you need to, even if you're excited about going everywhere you can (you won't get to everything no matter what). 9) Be flexible but functional--prepare so you're not stranded, but don't panic if you do have to change up plans. 10) Adventure more.
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June 2020
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