Land of Beer and Trees

Ahhh Portland, Oregon... a destination for hippies, hipsters and homeless alike. Boyd had to do some research at the Oregon Historical Society and so I decided to tag along and spend my break before summer school as a tourist in Portland. I had a great time planning my days with things to see, meeting Boyd for lunch and then finding a brewery to try out for Happy Hour. There are so many breweries it was hard to choose one!

The first evening we visited the Rogue Distillery and Public House. We tried a flight of beers to taste a whole range of flavors. At the recommendation of the server I tried the Brutal Bitter, which turned out to be my favorite. Pictured right: Boyd, my handsome husband, tries some beers brewed in the Rogue Nation.

After reading and this New York Times travel article, which came out just as I was planning our trip - we spent our first night (after being apart for 10 days!) at the Jupiter Hotel. It was a really fun hotel with some nice, bright yellow decor in our room. The Jupiter is also a music venue, so some of the reviewers said it could be loud and obnoxious (although the room does come with a set of ear plugs) - luckily there was no show the night we were there so it was quite pleasant. I should also mention that I had PERFECT weather when I was there - warm and sunny the whole 5 days! I also loved the restaurant at the Jupiter the Doug Fir, which is where we ate breakfast the next morning - the waiter was excellent! and we had this amazing french toast that was actually made with two egg battered croissants with cinnamon and lemon zest - and topped with real maple syrup! mmmmm my mouth is watering even as I write about it! (Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, so you'll just have to imagine...)

The other bewery we tried was the Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl Disctrict of Portland. I really liked the atmosphere in their brew pub which was built with lots of wood. So much of the interior of Oregon uses beautiful wood and even large logs - I guess I've gotten used to the brick of Minnesota. We also tried a flight of the Deschutes beers but I honestly don't remember my favorite anymore. I do remember that my burger was really tasty!

HAWAIIAN CHICKEN BURGER

1/3 Pound ground Natural Chicken breast. Served with Pineapple-Ginger Salsa, Soy Glazed Carmelized Onions, Avocado Ranch and Red Cabbage Slaw.

We also went to one of (the million) McMenamins Pubs in Portland. They seem to be known on restaurant review sites for their bad service - but their homemade gin makes it worth it to drop in.

In addition to spending my days researching restaurants and eating food I also DID do some cultural activities! Here are some photos from my adventures:

Powell's Books
the largest independent book store IN THE WORLD

Portland Public Library
for internet access and browsing
(psst - they don't have ANY comfortable chairs in the library, apparently they are
not allowed because of the issues associated with the mixing cloth and homeless people)

Washington Park
lots of trees!

The Grotto
a garden and shrine to the Virgin Mary - very beautiful and peaceful!
(except for the homeschool group that was also touring at the same time...)

That's it! A quick run down of a very fun trip!

And here it is ... your moment of kitty zen...

Love,
Tanya