I made four trips to Oregon in four months! Read on to see what I got up to this time!

Tuesday:

My morning started at 4AM. By 7:50AM, I was flying out of LAX and on my way to PDX.

When I arrived, Brittany (my childhood friend since second grade who you met here) picked me up and drove me to Washington. Wait – what? Tess, you flew to Oregon to drive to Washington? Well, it felt fitting since in March I flew to Washington to drive to Oregon (read more here). Brittany recently moved from Portland, OR to Vancouver, WA. She wanted to show me her new place and introduce me to her roommates, mainly her roommate’s dog Lani.

After meeting her roommates we all packed up for a day of hiking through the Columbia River Gorge.

First we needed some lunch. We stopped at Fire House Subs. I ordered a turkey cranberry sandwich and it was amazing. I would highly recommend if you need good food fast.

We hiked the two-miles to reach Punchbowl, where we spent a few hours enjoying the waterfall.

We even braved the 45 degree water to get a picture with the waterfall in the background. It was totally worth it and I have regained full feeling in my legs.

We then hiked out and headed back to Washington. I highly recommend this hike. Great views and a fun place to end up at. It must be really nice during the summer time when the water is warmer, so bring a bathing suit!

Brittany then dropped me off in Portland where Riley and I (you met him here) ventured out for some food. We both opted for the burger at Le Pigeon, which was good but extremely messy!

We then grabbed a drink at Pay Dirt. This place is perfect if you have a large group as there are plenty of benches and seating both indoors and out.

Wednesday:

This was the big day, and the whole reason for my visit to Oregon: my MBA interviews for the University of Oregon.

I got ready and started the two-hour drive down the I-5 freeway from Portland to Eugene. I stopped for a quick lunch at Little Big Burger, which was really nothing special. The rest of my time on campus will be recapped in a different post coming soon.

Once back in Portland, Riley and I celebrated Wednesday Night Cocktail Challenge! With the Portland Trailblazer game on, we started our night at Slow Bar – which, as I was starving, was thankfully pretty fast. There are so many great places to eat in Portland (read more here), but this just isn’t one of them.

We then got cocktails at Victory Bar, a Communist themed bar. I wasn’t a huge fan of my drink, but it definitely was an interesting setting! Worth trying once.

We then rounded out the night with a drink I knew I would like at one of my favorite bars in Portland: Swift. Riley and I had only ever been to happy hour before, so it was cool going much later at night and watching a DJ play!

Thursday:

 

I went out exploring for a light breakfast in the morning. I took the MAX Light Rail to one of my favorite places, Great Harvest where I got a marionberry scone.

I then met one of my old friends and past UC Davis roommates Janet for lunch. She and I spent an hour and a half together getting lunch and exploring the river front.

We went to Luc Lac and had amazing Vietnamese food.

I ordered a shrimp banh mi and a Thai tea.

It is always great to be able to visit so many friends at once while traveling! Although it was a short visit with Janet, we weren’t too bummed because she already had tickets booked to visit me in LA just one week later! What a great friend.

I then met Riley for his lunch break, as he works just a few blocks away from Janet. He and I walked to the Pine Street Market, which, much like Grand Central Market in LA, is a collection of restaurant vendors.

Riley opted for OP Wurst, which offers some pretty radical bratwurst sandwiches. Riley got the mac and cheese dog, which he said was good to try once. I said it looked like a heart attack in a bun.

I then walked around and enjoyed the beautiful day and architecture! There is so much to see in Portland and I love the juxtaposition you will find in the architecture by just walking down one street.

I then popped over to REI to purchase a backpack for a trip I am planning this summer. I had been eying this backpack from Deuter since Valentine’s Day and finally took the plunge and purchased it. I figured if I was going to do it, foregoing sales tax would be the right time.

Once Riley was off work, he and I went to Mississippi Street for dinner at Interurban.

 

I decided to try gin for the first time and wasn’t a big fan. The Pear Stinger (Beefeater London dry gin, lemon, pear syrup Giffard Menthe-Pastille, Combier Kummel) wasn’t for me, but Riley liked it a lot.

The food on the other hand was really good, although it doesn’t look it in the photograph!

Riley and I then walked around for a while.

We ended our night at Victoria, which soon became one of my favorite spots.

I very much enjoyed the Floran (Bombay, Strawberry, Basil, Fresh Lime, Soda Water).

With that, my week in Portland came to a close! Riley and I called it a early night and packed up for a long weekend in Bend the next day. I’ll have an entire post dedicated to our weekend trip coming soon.

-TM

Where do you recommend I stop next at in Portland? Let us know below.