PORTLANDIA

I've been really silly and left it really late to write about our west coast trip, because now I can't remember everything, but I'm giving it a shot...

POPPY HOUSE

It's June 6th, and we get up so early it feels like when you’re a kid and you’re uncontrollably excited to go on holiday and also super tired. We get a taxi to Pacific Central station, were we get the train to Portland. We arrive extremely early because we have to clear customs in Vancouver. Once in the queue, we almost have to end the trip there and then as we get told that we need an ESTA to enter the US (which we already knew wasn’t true in the case of entry by land). So the officer goes away and we’re feeling pretty sick, but he doesn’t really say anything when he comes back and we just go through into the next room anyway. How about, ‘SORRY for making you almost cry in front of the border police.’ We got an ESTA pretty sharpish after this, just in case, and no we didn’t need it on our trip, not once.

So we get seated on the train, where every coach is the equivalent of first class at home. Very comfy, and we’d brought lots of childish travelling games. Even though it was an 8 hour journey we barely had time to make it through all the reading material and puzzle books. We had limited view in our seats, but the view from the dining car was awesome, beautiful lakes and snow capped mountains.

We arrive in Portland early afternoon and face our first challenge of navigating an alien public transport system. Here, it was the MAX light rail, followed by a bus to get to the Hawthorn District where our accommodation was. These were always the most dreaded parts of our journey, the heat, the heavy backpacks, and the sense of confusion, were definitely testing of our temperament! But we arrived at Jill’s fairly happy, a little tired, but ready to locate a beer garden and explore the area. Jill was our host at Poppy house, which we’d found on a website called Air BNB, which proved to be a very successful and cheap way of staying here, and in San Francisco and LA. The house was lovely, old fashioned, and definitely catered to her guests. We were also the only ones staying there so we had the house to ourselves, and she only used it as an art studio during the day. She also lived in a great area, between two neighbourhoods packed with third wave coffee shops, vintage stores, and painfully cool residents. We spent this first day walking down Division Street, and stopped for a local beer at the hedge house, just in time for happy hour (a concept lacking in Vancouver). The weather is perfect for drinking outdoors, and we stop by a whiskey lounge for cocktails, so experimental they are disgusting. We sit on the sidewalk watching Portlandians bike past. It’s a very green part of town, and feels very small and local. We have a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Pok Pok that includes south Asian style sprouts. YUM.

The following morning is the day of my tour at Stumptown, which I’d organised a few weeks before. They are a Portland roaster whose coffee we carry at the cafe where I work, and they seemed pretty thrilled that I wanted to come and have a look round. I got the full tour of the warehouse, coffee shops, roastery and plenty of swag, including Stumptown cold brew which was delicious. I had a Hair Bender espresso in their flagship store, which was so beyond what I’ve been able to do since I started working at Salty. Still, it makes me want to be better! My tour guide, Skip, got me into a cupping with one of the most influential coffee buyers/tasters on the west coast. I obviously embarrassed myself, having never been to a cupping before! I got the coffee all down my front when trying to make use of the spittoon. But I got to taste some of the newest single origin coffees coming out of Central and South America.

Afterwards I meet Stell and we head downtown to a parking lot we’d read about filled with food trucks. Its obviously really popular in California too, but they are crazy about them in Portland! Lots of super healthy food as well as obscene burger vans. We obviously plump for the famed burger van that serves a grilled cheese- cheese burger. Yes, that’s a burger, where instead of a bun, its 2 grilled cheeses. So disgusting... and amazing.  We wonder around downtown, feeling pretty ill, and work off our lunch in Powell’s book store, the biggest new and used book store in the world! We purchase a Californian feast of lonely planets and John Steinbeck, to prepare us for the rest of our trip. 

On the whole we find downtown Portland very small and we’re not sure where the good areas are. It seems the majority are outside of downtown. Before heading back out to the Hawthorn, we head to the 15^th floor of Macy’s for happy hour and catch the sunset. That evening we explore more of Hawthorn Street, that includes sitting on the sidewalk enjoying real pints! (not the 16oz sleeves we’re used to) from Portland’s oldest brewery at the Bridgeport Ale House, we also head to the Hophouse which carries 20+ draft beers, of which we try the blackcherry and apricot beers.

The following day we head to the Belmont area and to another of Stumptown’s coffee shops were we have a cup of an Ethiopian Mordecofe I got to sample the day before, brewed with a chemex. We then take the bus to Nob Hill, where we stop to book flights from LA to Vegas because we’ve read too many awful reviews of the greyhound stations and we’re scared. The Nob hill area is gorgeous with tree lined streets and lots of fancy shops. We stop by a New York style deli for super stacked sandwiches, and an ice creamery where we opt for the tasting flight of flavours that includes an amazing almond brittle and salted ganache flavour- so delicious. We walk around lots more back toward downtown via another recommended caffeine stop ‘Barista’ where I’m close to shaking from all the caffeine! The baristas have a very professional image, and every brew method imaginable is available.

We take a walk through the Pearl District and China town, which feels a bit neglected, although we do find a printing press and stationers. Where I can’t quite justify a purchase and begrudgingly leave. We’ve spotted a few sailors by the this point, and assumed it was a fancy dress thing, but we keep seeing them and realise that they are REAL. We walk to the waterfront park alongside the Willamette river and see the ships, and the naval recruitment tents and it all makes sense. It feels about happy hour time and we find a bar down a cute alley way with very cheap beer. It also happened to be beside an Italian restaurant we’d heard about so that pretty much finished up our last evening in Portland. Oh, apart from a quick late night pudding from voodoo donuts, another recommendation, which was more gastronomic obscenity than enjoyment. A bacon maple donut is not for me, no matter how much I love Canada.

PORTLAND. I’M FULL!