Greetings from
Portland, Oregon
& The Pacific Northwest
We are so excited to have you visit!
The beautiful Pacific Northwest has been our playground for the past three years and we are still in absolute awe of it and have tons to still explore. But also, in our short three years we have already explored so much and are excited to share some of our favorite spots with you! So, whether you are coming in for the weekend and only have some time around the city, or you are staying for longer, we put together some recommendations and favorites below!
Our Favorite Eats
Heathen Brewing Feral Public House
Vancouver, WA | 15 Min from Portland, OR
Tons (like 50+ options!) of great beers on tap that can be had in the small tasters. Lotssss of really good food options, and bonus: dog friendly patios. Ours faves: Dirty Burger (Jose) + Brewer’s Mac and Cheese (Maggies) + Chicarrones (Theirs).
Le Provence
Vancouver, WA + Portland: NE Alberta, NE Sandy, Se Division
The BEST (our opinion hehe) Brunch around! The croissants (offered as a side to brunch) which are buttery and amazing in themselves, come with a heavenly raspberry jam. Our fave: The salmon hash (pictured on the left plate) is unreal. Pro tip: order it with a side of their basil or garlic aioli.
eem
We went here with with a friend and boy was it fun. We ate family-style with a ton of different amazing thai plates and some bomb ass drinks! Some faves from that night: Sweet & Sour Friend Chicken Thigh, Green Curry (or any of those curries for that matter) and green beans. Their menu changes and is small. but amazing.
3808 N Williams Ave #127, Portland, OR 97227
Los Comales
3312 SE Belmont Street Portland, OR 97214
Amazing tacos, great pozole, and some dope drinks!
Matt’s BBQ
4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Great BBQ in a cute food truck pod spot.
Duck House
1968 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97201
Unreal Chinese. A Fave: Chong Qing Hot Chicken
Beer, Wine + Sips
Great Notion Brewing
Four locations in Portland
One of our absolute favorite breweries. They have tons of really unique beer options, even for a non-beer drinker like Maggie, there are always TONS of great fruity options. Our fave: try their Blueberry Muffin beer!
10 Barrel Brewing
We fell in love with their sours! They have a crush series that has some amazing sours - cucumber, marionberry and apricot - to name a few!
1411 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR 97209
schilling cider house
If you like ciders, definitely stop by! They have over 40 amazing cider options and really great, unique bar snacks. Not to mention in a cool location!
930 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Columbia Ridge Winery
3006 NW 199th St, Ridgefield, WA 98642
A WA fave of ours. This ones in Ridgefield, WA, just north of Vancouver. With great wine, a beautiful lawn with chairs and a cutie black cat, its the perfect sip and yap spot.
Cliff Creek Cellars
214 East First Street Newberg, Oregon 97132
Newberg is the wine area of the PWN. If you have the time, check out the cute little ton. TONS of wine options both in wineries and tasting rooms.
South Hill Winery
801 Scoggins Rd Box 235, Underwood, WA 98651
A little ways away, but if you are staying for a longer time, check this spot out on the way back from the gorge. The wine is amazing, but the views make it all worth going.
Some Sweets + Snacks
Crack and Cheese
A snack shop that serves cheese boards! And some awesome seasonal boozy slushies AND phenomenal seasonal custard sundays.
22 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Fifty Licks Ice Cream
Multiple Portland Locations
The best ice cream you will have in Portland. Her fave: mango mochi. His fave: Oregon Strawberry.
VooDoo Donuts
Multiple Portland + Vancouver Locations
It is a bit of a tourist trap, but we don’t care. after a joint, we love it all!
Things to do
Powell’s Bookstore
Four locations in Portland
Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Portland, Oregon, and its surrounding metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world.
Pittock Mansion
This is a great quick stop for some views. Drive up into the high neighborhoods for Portland and park in the lot. You can go into the mansion but the real excitement is the view around the back.
3229 NW Pittock Dr, Portland, OR 97210
Rose Garden
400 SW Kingston AvenuePortland, OR 97210
Beautiful area to walk around, if or if not the roses are blooming it’s a nice little area to check out.
Portland Arial Tram
3303 S Bond Avenue, Southwest Portland, OR, 97239
This is a quick ride up a gondola in the Portland area. It’s used as public transit to the hospital but also makes for an amazing quick top with some pretty stellar views. Cost is low ($5 ish per ride) and goes every couple min. But does not ride on Mondays!
Vista Crown Pointe
40700 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019
This is a little ways outside of Portland but its a really cool spot to stop. In the gorge area, about 30 min outside of Portland, you will be in an area of beautiful views, waterfalls and rivers.
Portland Timbers
1844 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205
If you have a chance to catch the Portland Timbers, MLS Soccer team - do it! The atmosphere is amazing, the team is great and the beers and beering. Would recommend for a great time in a great location in PDX.
Hikes + Nature
Coast Hikes
Elk Flats Trail
Oregon Coast Hwy, Nehalem, OR 97131
3 Miles - Out and back
This hike will always be close to our hearts since we got engaged here! It’s a quick, easy hike with great views and a short ride from PDX. On the way back make sure to stop at Cannon beach, Hug Point (you’ll see some crustaceans) and Pelican brewing!
Crescent Beach Trail
Parking lot, Ecola Park Rd, Cannon Beach, OR 97110
2.2 Miles - Out and back
This is an Oregon Coast classic - you have the misty trees and ferns smelling like the plant section in Home Depot, you have the little beach waiting for you at the end. While your’e in the area, make sure to stop at Cannon Beach (big tourist spot!).
God’s Thumb
2.5 hours | 1435 NE 12th St, Lincoln City, OR 97367
4 Miles - Out and back
This is one of our favorite hikes along the coast. It is more of a drive (2.5 hours) but is SO worth it. The area is amazing to check out for a day as well. Lincoln City has glass floats through a really cool tourist program.
other recommendations for the coast:
Pelican brewing | cannon beach,or + Pacific city,or
Barnacle Bills seafood market | lincoln city, or (get the salmon jerky)
Cap'n Gull's Gift Place | Lincon city (cute gift shop with glass floats)
Gorge Hikes
An ass-kicker with the a great reward of eye candy at the end. This one is not for the light hearted or elderly. Not to scare you! We’ve done it tons of times no prob. Best time to check it out is spring so you’re in luck! The yellow wildflowers are unreal and cover the entire mountain side. It’s magical.
Dog mountain trail
Lewis and Clark Hwy, Cook, WA 98605
6.5 Miles - Out and back
Catherine creek arch loop
1.5 hour | Parking lot, Old Hwy Number 8, White Salmon, WA 98672
2 Miles - Loop
This one has a great drive out and along the hike, the views just get better as you go up. Pretty easy. Lots of other trails in the area so you can remix it as you go. Bring sunscreen if it’s a sunny day. Little shade cover on this one.
Angels rest
30 min | 47786-47858 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019
4.5 Miles - Out and back
All around great hike - close by, great views, little adventure with the rocks. A gorge classic. Not too hard and to the point! We take visitors here as it’s a great half day/morning activity that’s low effort (for most heh), high reward.
Multnomah falls (tallest waterfall in north america!)
lower latourell falls. (Maggi’s fave in the gorge area.
cape horn view point (this is along the way to some of the hikes)
Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center (meet herman the sturgeon - 10ft long!)
other recommendations for the gorge area:
Mountain Hikes
Mt. Rainer is a magical, mystical, eye candy nature playground. IYou will also meet some friendly chipmunks and possibly see goats, bears, foxes, marmots, and eagles. It’s unreal. Make sure to look into if reservations are needed and plan accordingly because the park packs up so head there early! (pro tip)
Skyline loop trail, Mt. Rainer
Mt. Rainer National Park, Ashford, WA 98304
5.4 Miles - Loop
Coldwater lake trail
1.5 hr | Coldwater Lake Boat Launch, WA-504, Toutle, WA 98649
8.7 Miles - Out and back
One of Jose’s favorites! This can be as long or as short as you want it to be! Does not need to be 8 miles! Around the Mt. St Helens area, you get views right away with this and have the view change throughout. Gorgeous hike along the lake with spots to stop and dip into the water.
Silver star mountain trail
1 hr drive | | L-1200, Yacolt, WA 98675
6.4 Miles - Out and back
This is an ass-kicker but the views are SO worth it. You get some gorgeous pine forests strolls, a nice workout of an incline up, then this gorgeous views of ALL the mountains in the surrounding area. It truly is magical. Herman was sherped back on this one (you can see his head sticking out of the backpack in the pic hehe).
other recommendations mountain nature:
tolmie peak trail – 5.6 miles out and back, best for alpine lake views
trillium lake - no hike here! Just a beautiful lake with a mt.hood view
high rock trail - a quick 3 miles with incline to a cute little lookout cabin, 2.5 hr drive from pdx
Frequently asked pnw questions
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That depends - If you are looking to explore some nature then yes! We would recommend getting a car. If you are checking out the city for a couple extra days, a car would still probably be best but ride shares (uber and lyf) along with public transit and pay bikes are available as well.
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This can be a toss up - it can be sunny and warm or it can be drizzly and chilly. This will depend on the months leading up to the time. Check back soon for a more accurate forecast.
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The PWN is know to be rainy, which, May being a spring-ish month, can be rainy or, can be sunny. Be prepared for all the types of weather. We'd recommend bringing a rain jacket of sorts. Hiking boots, if you want to check out nature, but also not needed, a sneak will do but know it comes with the risk of getting muddied (especially along the coast hikes in the spring). And some layers - mornings can be chilly with later in the day being warmer.