A Quick Stop in Portland

Late July we took a summer trip to the Pacific Northwest area of America.. which consists of Oregon and Washington. M wasn't 100% convinced this was going to be a trip worth taking.. but by day two he was convinced.. it was such an amazing trip.

It was an 11 day trip and we started it by flying into Portland. In the initial itinerary we were going to be spending a night in Portland but after a few revisions we ended up with just a few hours in Portland. We took an early morning flight and thanks to the time difference we arrived there in the early afternoon. This was our first time flying with Alaska Air, not bad.. no complaints. We picked up our rental and with our stomachs grumbling we headed to our first stop, Alder Food Carts.


This was mainly a large parking lot lined with food carts along the outer edge.. there were so many options to choose from..     


The boys shared a grilled cheese, I didn't try it but it look pretty good. Came with a side of pickle and some chips.


M and I shared a savory crepe and some Korean taco's that I forgot to take a picture of.. OMG I will go back to Portland just to eat this crepe again. It was so good.. the taco's as well.. and we loved that when we asked for spicy it was really truly spicy.. 

We did a really bad job with our photo taking in Portland.. : / 


With out stomachs full we walked over to the Keller Water Fountain.. to our great disappointment the water fountain was closed.. we also took a few wrong turns making our walk longer than planned.. so
we were not too happy. But the boys tried to make the most of it.


Along the way we spotted a few of these drinking fountains known as Benson Bubblers they are iconic bronze drinking fountains named after businessman and philanthropist Simon Benson (1852–1942). In 1912, Benson donated $10,000 for the purchase and installation of 20 fountains; the designer was Portland architect A. E. Doyle. One of the reason he did this was his hope that they would reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages during lunch breaks, and the other was that he felt the need after witnessing a girl crying at an Independence Day parade due to her inability to find a drink of water.


I had wanted to try Blue Star Donuts as well as Salt and Straw Ice Cream but we could pick only one.. well actually initially we thought we'd have two ice creams to split and then two donuts to split but it didn't work out that way. We visited Salt and Straw's Wiz Bang Bar and tried their chocolate blondie as well as there strawberry roasted coconut... both were amazing.. the strawberry was unlike any strawberry we'd ever had before.. the blondie was pretty indulgent.. the cone was half filled with brownie!! 

With our tummy's full again we headed to Powell Books.. 


There were floors upon floors, rooms upon rooms of never ending books.. it was the most amazing place.. we barely made our way through half of it.. I could live here.. 


And that wraps up our quick stop in Portland. We stopped at a Target to stock up on snacks and sunblock and bug spray.. we decided to buy everything at the destination rather than bring it all from home. Then we drove the hour and a half to Seaside where we planned to spend the night.

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Comments

  1. Hi Hena, I'm just catching up with your blog, I've gotten really behind in my reading lately. Your trip to the northwest looks like it was really fun. I have always wanted to visit Seattle and Portland myself, hopefully in the relatively near future. Your boys are getting so big! I can hardly believe it. I hope the rest of your summer is great and you still have a little more fun before school starts. :)

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  2. Fantastic post, dear!
    Hugs ♥

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  3. I could have spent the entire vacation in that book store!

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  4. What a fun filled day....I love how you incorporate the yummies along with sightseeing!!
    My husband has never been to Portland, and yet it has an up and coming food scene...I bet we will get there soon!
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  5. Lovely photos ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭*

    Blog de la Licorne

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  6. Oh my gosh! That ice cream! :D My SIL goes to Portland a lot and she always goes to Powell's....must really visit it someday. Just from your post, I can see I'd be eating A LOT if I do go there!

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  7. Powell Books looks like my kind of space. I would be there OFTEN. And thank you for your photographs. I have a blogging friend who lives in Portland and it is nice to see some of her home environment.

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  8. Oh that ice cream! And those books - what a great family adventure. thanks for linking up, xo

    Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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  9. I have ordered books from Powell's online; they have a great selection

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  10. Those food trucks sound amazing!

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  11. Looks like a fun family adventure! Your boys will have so many wonderful memories when they are all grown up.

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  12. Looks like fun! I always wanted to visit Portland!

    xx Nicole
    www.nicolegramcko.com

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  13. I really enjoyed Portland while we were there too. I didn't know about the drinking fountains!!! We visited Powell books too and were in AWE. So amazing. We went to the Sunnyside neighborhood and had Salt and Straw ice cream at one of their shops. We have a few down here in LA, but I hadn't realized it was started in Portland. The ice cream is SOOOOO good! As much as I love to travel abroad, we have a lot of fun place here in the States too. I can tell you enjoyed your trip to the Pacific NW as much as I did. Can't wait to hear more!

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  14. Looks like such a fun trip! Great post dear
    xx
    Mademoiselle Coconath
    http://mllecoconath.com

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  15. I have always wanted to go back to Portland
    xo
    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  16. I hope you enjoy your time ❤

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  17. I remember visiting this bookshop! Coming from a small town in Switzerland (where everything is small, even bookshops), I just loved exploring Powell's Books. My husband, then boyfriend, used to live in Portland and I visited a couple of times before he moved back to the UK. Glad you loved the city. x

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  18. I hope to visit Portland one day! That bookstore looks amazing.

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  19. We have never visited that part of the country before, but I really want to go! xo, Biana - BlovedBoston

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  20. Powells's looks amazing! I miss old school books stores.

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  21. It looks like such an interesting place. I loved all of your photos :) http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2018/08/5-ways-to-wear-athletic-leisure.html

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  22. This looks so fun! That Salt and Straw Ice Cream looks really good!

    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

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  23. Nice post deaR! Have a great week!
    xx

    La ilusión de Nina - http://lailusiondenina.blogspot.com/

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  24. Hummm that ice cream seems to be delicious.
    xoxo

    marisasclosetblog.com

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  25. such a lovely visit, and you do post the most delicious photos of food. The boys are forever adorable.

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  26. Looks like you ate your way through Portland! Everything looked delicious!

    www.rdsobsessions.com

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  27. Oh, this icecream - yummy! It looks like you had a nice time in Portland.

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  28. I wish I could just absorb all the information from those books in that store.

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  29. Looks like a fun couple of hours. I have never been but would like to go!

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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  30. what a fun time!!!!!
    www.thehautecookie.com

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  31. I love the pnw! What a bummer that you did not get to try Blue Star! I think they have one at the airport, so maybe before you catch your flight? I have never gone inside Powell's books, so that will be next on my list for sure. Thank you for sharing!

    -PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com

    P.S. I will be hosting a giftcard give away on my Instagram page soon! Let’s follow each other!

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  32. YUM! Looks like you guys had plenty of yummy eats during your short time in Portland. I want to go to that ice cream spot!
    Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

    Susie | http://milehighdreamers.com

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  33. I'm pretty sure stopping for the food was worth it! That ice cream..wow!

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  34. Mmmm, that ice cream looked good. I would love to explore Powell books as would my girls; ppl are always posting that store on IG.

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  35. I really want to visit Powell Books!

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  36. Food in Portland is the best. Looks like you really enjoyed it!

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