It was one of those years where for a while it seemed like summer break would never get here–between all the snow days and the “sick out” days, the school year was extended a couple of weeks past the originally scheduled end date. Then as the end of the last day approached, it felt (as it always does) that it had come too soon! If I just could have had a couple more weeks, my students would have made even more progress! Nevertheless, the school year did end, and Ryan and I wasted no time heading out on summer vacation.
Our destination this year was Portland, Oregon. Why Portland? Well, for one thing, I had never been there before. It would be Ryan’s first trip to the west coast. But most importantly, my friend Laura had recently moved out there, so I was anxious to go visit her.
There were a lot of things Ryan and I both really enjoyed about Oregon, and a few things we didn’t enjoy.
What We Liked:
Seaside
On our first day, Ryan drove out to Seaside, OR on Sunset Highway. It is only about 1.5 hours away and is worth the drive. The beach was nearly empty and very quiet. We enjoyed finding lots of shells in the sand, including hundreds of crab shells (later used for a game Ryan invented called “Crab Flipping.” I still don’t understand the scoring system so he will have to explain that, but the premise of the game involves using a stick to flip crab shells into the water).
Ryan also thought it was great fun to chase the seagulls. He noticed that they started staring at him no matter where we walked! One downside could be that the water is way too cold for swimming (unless you are brave) and Laura said it stays that way throughout the summer.
Near the beach is a quaint downtown area with lots of restaurants (we chose Norma’s Seafood & Steak and it was probably our favorite restaurant of the trip–we recommend the clam chowder). There are also lots of shops, giving the town a similar feel to Gatlinburg. It also reminded me of my recent visit to Amelia Island (I haven’t written about this yet!!). Before leaving, we made the obligatory stop for some gelato, where I was introduced to the flavor “marionberry,” which I would encounter again throughout the trip.
Seaside was bustling with people, but not too crowded. However, I have heard that it gets much more crowded in the summer, so be aware of that!
Merging Lights
Portland traffic is much heavier than Louisville traffic, but it didn’t always feel that way due to some of the systems they have in place. One system we really liked was during heavy traffic times there are traffic lights at the top of the merging ramps onto the highways. These lights help disperse cars merging onto the highway and also ensure that people are taking turns merging. As a result, we felt traffic moved more smoothly despite being heavy and I am sure it also cuts down on accidents.
Powell’s City of Books
Powell’s is definitely a must-see for any bookstore lovers. This independent bookstore occupies an entire city block and is four stories high! The children’s book selection is excellent, and I found more baby board books than I even knew existed. I found a couple of picture books in the display of featured children’s books of the month (this month’s theme was Asian heritage) to add to my ESL classroom library. As for books for myself, the travel and culture section (which took up a whole room) was my favorite. Ryan even found a couple of chess books, a rare find in most bookstores! There is a parking garage attached to Powell’s. If you buy something in the bookstore, you get a discount on your parking. If you spend over $100, your parking is free for the whole day!
Pedestrian-Friendly
We were impressed with how much more pedestrian-friendly Portland is than Louisville. Cars stop at crosswalks when pedestrians are around. If there is a walk sign with a button, the sign almost immediately turns to “walk.”
Ryan was also a big fan of the scatter walks, which allow you to cross an intersection diagonally. Definitely a time-saver at a busy intersection!
Chess Friendly
I’m not the chess-pert around here, but Ryan was super excited about the strong chess culture in Portland. We ran across some chess-influenced decor around the city. One park had a giant chess board and a couple of groups of people playing chess. Ryan joined in and won. Later in the week, he paid a visit to the Portland Chess Club to participate in a tournament.
Cider Culture
While Louisville is known for its bourbon and also has a pretty strong scene of craft breweries, it can be difficult to find a good cider. Portland, however, is a cider lover’s heaven! There are multiple cider houses where one can sample a variety of locally-brewed ciders. Case in point: I accidentally told Laura to meet up with us at Portland Cider Company, even though we were going to Portland Cider House. I didn’t realize they weren’t the same place! Portland Cider House has 28 different ciders (and one beer) on tap. You can buy a flight of six ciders for $10, giving you an opportunity to try a variety. Ryan and I each purchased a flight, sampling 11 different ciders in all (we each ordered Black Currant as part of our flights). Another testament to the strong cider culture lies in the quality of the cider. Ryan usually does not enjoy cider from a can, but thoroughly enjoyed the canned Anthem brand cider. Fred Meyer (the local version of Kroger) also sells a larger-than-normal variety of cider. Between Portland Cider House and Fred Meyer, Ryan purchased seven bottles of cider that we later had to figure out how to pack in our checked luggage.
Road Conditions
The roads were in great condition! We hardly ever saw a pothole!
Mount Hood Scenic Loop
We took I-84 out to Mount Hood and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. Ryan was impressed by the crystal-clear look of the Columbia River and we both enjoyed the interesting mountains, rock formations, and waterfalls along the way. We stopped at Multnomah Falls for a photo, although hiking is still not allowed due to the forest fires that happened in 2017.
We followed a recommendation to stop at Panorama Point for a photo of Mount Hood, and we were not disappointed! Clear skies meant we were able to get a great view of the mountain from about 37 miles away.
Public Transportation
Public transportation is definitely not a strong point in Louisville, so I am always excited to try out the public transport in other cities. Portland has the MAX light rail, commuter rail, and traditional bus lines. For just $5 you can buy a day pass that allows you to hop on and off different forms of transport. Laura and I took the MAX into downtown on Saturday. There are designated “park and ride” stations outside of the city where you can park in a garage for free and take the MAX into downtown. This was very convenient for us on Saturday as the Rose Festival Parade was occurring downtown and driving would have been a pain. But on the MAX, not only were we able to get where we wanted to be hassle-free, but we even forced the parade to pause while our MAX line intersected the parade route!
Food Stalls
One city block downtown is lined with food stalls, and Ryan and I enjoyed eating at those. It was definitely less expensive than eating at a restaurant, it’s pretty fast, and it’s great for times when you can’t agree on what kind of food to eat. We saw a lot of people picking up some food on their breaks from work. Ryan ordered a Mac and Cheese bowl (which was huge!) and I ordered a very long falafel wrap. I also had a boba tea and Ryan had a boba strawberry shake. Our only complaint was there were not any benches or picnic tables by the food stalls, but we did find a park with places to sit just a couple of blocks away. Laura and I also tried out some food vendors at the Saturday/Sunday market near the waterfront. She had pad thai and I had crab rangoons and a Himalayan sampler plate. Between the food stalls and the wide variety of restaurants, Portland is definitely a great city for foodies!
Rose Garden
This is more of a “me” thing, but I did enjoy my visit to the International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. I did not realize there were so many different types of roses! It is free to visit (except for parking). It is also right across from the Japanese Garden, which is not free, but is also interesting.
Outdoor Activities
If you enjoy outdoor activities, Oregon is a great place to visit. Even if you just stay in Portland, there are opportunities for hiking. We hiked through the Hoyt Arboretum, which ended up being a lot more extensive than we thought when we started out. While we did not make it to Forest Park on this trip, Laura said that is another great place within the city for hiking.
No Sales Tax
It’s nice going into a store and knowing that the price listed is the price you pay! No need to account for sales tax!
A Bustling City
Unlike our experience in Columbus last year, Portland is quite the bustling city. People are about everywhere and there is lots of activity happening. This could have been in part due to the Rose Festival occurring during our stay, but even the locals looked to be busy with bustling about their daily routines.
Banning’s Restaurant and Pie House
I feel like we need to give Banning’s a special shout-out because we basically became regulars by the end of the week. We stopped in almost every morning for breakfast (I recommend the breakfast enchiladas, but they also have many other choices, including a good selection of omelets, Belgian waffles, and stuffed hash browns) and we brought Laura and her husband here for pie one night! I had a slice of marionberry pie. Ryan had custard pie and liked it so much that he ordered another slice for breakfast on a different day. The food is great and the service is friendly, but be aware that the service can also be a little slow.
No Humidity!
My hair was a lot easier to manage in Portland!
What We Didn’t Like:
Gas Stations
In Oregon, you don’t pump your own gas. I’m not sure if it’s due to safety concerns or as a way to create jobs, but I found it kind of strange. Gas is also significantly more expensive in Oregon.
Hilltop Cafe
The one day we tried to eat somewhere other than Banning’s turned out kind of weird. I searched on Siri for “breakfast places near me” and one of the choices that came up was elegantly named Hilltop Cafe. I checked the website and it looked promising. But when we pulled up, we found out it was located in an office complex! The food portions were on the smaller side and the orange juice consisted of bottles of Minute Maid that you pick out of the refrigerator. It definitely appeared to be “that place where people who work in the office go to get a cup of coffee in the morning.” After that, we just stuck with Banning’s for breakfast the remainder of the trip.
Figuring Out Where to Hike at Mount Hood
Ok, this is probably our fault for not planning our hiking better in advance. We had a great drive out toward Mount Hood, but after Panorama Point when we were ready to hike, we couldn’t figure out where to go for good day hiking trails. I expected to find an easily-accessible visitor’s center where we could ask a ranger for advice (much like we did when we went to Gatlinburg) but we kept driving with nothing that looked promising. Eventually, we pulled into an area that seemed promising and did find a trail-head…but no maps to be found. We took the trail anyway as there were several other day hikers around. The trail was fine and we had a nice hike. However, it wasn’t the best trail I’ve ever been on. Lots of fallen or falling trees. I’m sure with better planning, though, we could have found a better trail.
Driving to Seattle
If you think you want to drive from Portland to Seattle and back in one day, don’t do it. Your GPS will tell you that it will only take three hours. It will take much longer. We have been told that riding the train is a better option.
Dutch Bros. Coffee
To be fair, this is more a critique of the experience than of the drinks. Also to be fair, neither Ryan nor I drink coffee. But our hot chocolate and chai tea were both really good. However, the experience was strange. The locations we saw were drive-through only (not sure if they have a walk-in location or not) and the line was backed up. Once you are in line, you are pretty much committed to getting your hot beverage since the design of the parking lot makes it impossible to leave once you are in line. This was the problem we experienced once we realized a hipster in skinny jeans stands outside and greets you at the window of your car to take your orders. So we had to order from the skinny jean hipster. This wouldn’t be so bad except he tried to talk with us as if we were long-lost pals. He asked us, “What are you all up to today?” and Ryan responded, “Nothing!” Skinny Jean Hipster went on to talk about the beautiful weather and how he planned to take a nap after he got off from work. With a sigh of relief, we pulled forward to the window to pick up our drinks where three young women were bustling about in a tiny building with loud music playing. One greeted us with extreme cheer as she handed us our drinks. As I said before, the drinks were actually quite tasty. But the experience was strange.
Homeless Population
Portland has a very large homeless population, including more young people than we typically see. To be fair to the homeless people though, Portland has relatively mild weather, so if I were homeless, I might also pick Portland as my home. We did have mostly positive interactions with the homeless population.
Expensive!
In general, we found eating in restaurants to be more expensive in Portland than it is in Louisville. From talking with my friend, we also learned that the general cost of living is a lot more expensive in Portland, including buying a home and child care.
However, all of the restaurants at which we ate in Portland were much more reasonably priced than where we ate for lunch in Seattle!
All in all, I would say we had a great trip, and the things we liked about Portland greatly outranked the things we didn’t like. I can say for sure that I will be back since my friend lives there, but even if she didn’t, I would return!
Tracy Travels & Teaches 
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