I Love Portland!

I was in Portland last week for work and I have to say that I really loved the city. I am super picky when it comes to cities as I am a New York City snob and sometimes feel like certain places in the United States that are deemed "cities" are actually not so metropolitan. Well, I certainly did not feel that way about the city of Portland. In fact, I felt quite the opposite.

The Pacific Northwest is lovely in and of itself, but for me, the city of Portland definitely adds to the allure of the surrounding greenery, rivers, and mountains. My colleague and I stayed at a lovely boutique hotel located in downtown Portland called Hotel Lucia. The rooms were a good size, the beds were to die for comfortable, and the bathrooms were modern and squeaky clean. What more can you ask for? There were also art installations in the lobby, which were super interesting as well.

What I liked most about Portland were the different neighborhoods. The office we were working out of was in the Irvington neighborhood which was so beautifully lush and filled with lovely homes each with its own character and amazing landscape. We also visited Northwest 23rd which is a fun trendy shopping district. The streets were lined with great boutiques, amazing looking pastry shops, and cool restuarants. The Pearl District, where the famous Powell's bookstore is located has a super cool feel to it as well and reminded me of parts of Brooklyn Heights. I also really liked the Hawthorne neighborhood, also lined with fun hip shops and restuarants galore.

Another great thing about Portland are the good eats! Here is a list of where we ate and why you should too!

Pok Pok: Awesome Thai food. Not your average boring pad thai resturant. Things on the menu include pork belly, wild boar, and amazing noodle soup. The place is quirky which adds to the fun, and my colleague and I both got t-shirts as souvenirs!

Whisky Soda Lounge: Located across the street from and opened by the same owners of Pok Pok. Go here for enticing appetizers and drinks while waiting for your table at Pok Pok. Order small nibblys like crispy pig's ear and pork meatballs spiced with turmeric...so delicious!

Bakery Bar: Awesome bakery/cafe with scones and buttermilk biscuits that will knock your socks off. Truely. Try the buttermilk biscuit with raspberry jam. Your life will never be the same. I also had the miel (honey) coffee, which was amazing.

Doug Fir Lounge: Fun hipster meets woodcutter vibe in this restaurant/lounge. Try the Knotty Lemonade and the Cheezy Fries. I hear their Blackberry Cosmo is also really tasty.

Pambiche: Amazing Cuban resturant where we had a ridicuously yummy breakfast. Start with the basket of Cuban sweet breads (they are soo delish) and then try the steak and eggs or Chayote Scramble...soo good!

I can't wait to head back to Portland and see all the things we missed this go round. Voodoo Doughnut, here I come!