People have always told me that I would like Portland. They took a look at my Birkenstocks or heard that I was gluten-free and made the connection. So to all those people I rolled my eyes at, here is my formal apology- you were right.
The first day was a long day. Rach and I stumbled out of our respective Philly apartments and into our parents car at the ripe hour of 4:00am. From there, it was Philly to San Francisco and then San Francisco to Portland, and by the time we landed, we still had a whole day ahead of us. We took a stroll through the Saturday market (where I may have been scolded for climbing trees) until it was time to meet up with my dad's college roommates for dinner.
We sat around the table, beyond full of Peruvian food, for hours before ultimately being asked to leave by the restaurant staff. I'd like to say that I was the the center of attention, but I think it was pretty obvious that this was a 3-way date between my dad and his roommates and the 9 of us were just 3rd (12th?) wheeling.
The next day came what was debatable the highlight of my trip: Powell's Bookstore. Anyone who knows me (hopefully) knows that I am never without my nose in a book, so when I heard that the world's largest book store was right here in Portland? Well, I think my family would cringe if they heard me ask to go one more time. I drug my mom (I'm sorry mom!) up and down virtually every isle of the book store that was 3 stories high and one city block in radius. Ultimately, I had to put half the books I grabbed back unless I wanted to buy another suitcase, but the feeling of being surrounded by millions of books was unrivaled.
Then came the winery tours. Equipped with my (real) ID, my family and I drove from vineyard to vineyard tasting fancy wines that, dare I say, all tasted the same to me. We lucked out with sunny skies and stunning views as we wasted the afternoon away.
We finished off the night in a way that had become all too common since arriving here in Portland, with yummy food and homemade ice cream from Salt and Straw.
Hard to believe that just a half hour outside of the city lies one of the tallest waterfalls and numerous trails and hikes. We trekked to the top of Multnomah Falls, and then proceeded to hike a few other waterfall loops.
I'm not even going to talk about the fish hatchery because I warned my family from the very start that it was going to suck. Mom, Dad, Rachel- if you're reading this, I told you so.
Portland was full of great views, fun workout classes (thanks @burncycle for kicking my ass), but most importantly- great food. From Thai to Indian to Mediterranean to Peruvian, I never left a restaurant unsatisfied, nor have I ever eaten so much vegan ice cream in my life.
