The first impression I ever had of Portland was based off of the TV show Portlandia. I only watched a few episodes but it was enough to paint a picture of the culture there. If I can only use one word to represent Portland, it would be … different.
When Brea and I take short trips (over the weekend), we tend to fill our days with activities and things to do so that there really is no break time. We just go from one place to the next. Read on to see how we managed this in Portland!
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Getting There
There are many airlines that will get you to Portland International Airport (PDX). We decided to go with American Airlines/American Eagle. Since the flight is relatively short (about 2.5 hours one way), it didn’t really matter to us which airline we took as long as we get there and on time too.
If you haven’t flown with American Airlines in a while, then you might be in for a surprise because you will need to first take a shuttle to the terminal. This happens for smaller airlines that are not at the main terminal entrances.
Once we boarded, everything went smoothly though. I thought we had ample leg room (but Brea thought the seats were uncomfortable to sleep in).
Things to Do
This is the second time that Brea and I visited Portland. The first time was a few years ago but we didn’t stay in the city. That trip was mostly focused on seeing all of the waterfalls and more nature things.
The second time around, we visited Portland for a DJ concert actually (Zedd) and for our friend’s birthday. We decided to just make a whole trip out of it. We booked our hotel in downtown Portland to ensure that we would get out and see everything about Portland that we missed the first time. Since we only had 2 days basically, we had to pack everything in to those 2 days (this isn’t really anything new for us though since all of our trips are jam-packed with activities!)
Scooter Around
There are plenty of electric scooters everywhere in Portland. You just have to download the App (Lime or Spin) and scan the scooter’s QR code. This is the first time I ever used an electric scooter so I was really slow haha. I was also pretty scared since the law in Portland is that you’re not allowed to use the scooter on the sidewalk. So imagine me, a first-timer, using the electric scooter in the street next to a bunch of cars trying to go faster. But I managed and it was a good experience overall.
Keep Portland Weird Mural
This mural is located in a parking lot at 350 W. Burnside St. We went here just to snap a picture and because it was close to our next destination.
Ground Kontrol
This is a pretty big arcade with really old school games. It had every old game you could think of AND a full bar. We didn’t play any games though but it was very nostalgic just seeing these vintage games. The bar had funny drink names:
Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The reason we were in Portland was to see one of our favorite DJs: Zedd. The venue was spacious inside.
Game Knight Lounge
Brea and I like to play board games with our friend who went with us and we found this place that was on the way to the airport. You pay $5 to play any of their thousands of board games.
They have a full bar and food too. We tried 3 new games: Zombie Dice, Tsuro, and Survive: Escape from Atlantis! Survive was our favorite out of the 3 because it blended aspects from two of our other favorite games: Catan and Betrayal. If we had more time, we would have played another round but unfortunately we had to head to the airport.
Where to Eat/Drink
Brea and I are not ‘foodies’ so we don’t tend to visit places for their food. But during this trip to Portland, we had time and were able to visit some of the more popular places to eat.
Screen Door
We went here right after our flight landed for brunch. This is a popular place (although kind of small inside) and the wait was about 30 to 45 minutes when we arrived. You are able to order drinks while you wait though so our friend and I got a drink called Bourbon Street Coffee. It consists of bourbon, coffee, and ice cream.
Most of the reviews we saw on Yelp raved about their chicken and waffles so that’s what we got. You are able to customize how many chicken pieces you want and they are pretty big portions too!
Ascendent Brewery
I wanted to visit at least one brewery during our time in Portland and I also wanted to go to a new one too. I got a flight of 5 different beers here (I’m up to 621 distinct beers now!)
Mother’s Bistro & Bar
We went to Mother’s Bistro for brunch and the wait was really long (over an hour). But since it got so many good reviews, we sucked it up and waited. They have a whole waiting area just because of the long wait times where you can order snacks and drinks. I got a Bloody Mary (to help me with my hangover).
The food tasted delicious:
Stumptown Coffee
Since we had time to kill before our flight back to LA, we stopped by this famous coffee shop. They had a hipster feeling as soon as you walk in. And they made cute designs on your coffee.
Where to Stay
You can stay at either a hotel or an Airbnb. We opted to stay at a hotel in downtown – the Red Radisson. It is very red immediately when you walk in. One of the cool things about the hotel is that they have a giant camera for you to take a selfie at.
They have a bar here with a happy hour as well. We got their fries and I got two of their Moscow Mules.
Even though our time in Portland was only for the weekend (2 days), it felt much longer because we were able to see and do so much. It was really different experience this time when we stayed in downtown. Maybe next time, we’ll stay even longer!
