Portland's Top Five - Best Things to Do and See
By: Patricia

By: Kim @RTWsomanyplaces

Follow her incredible adventures here:http://www.so-many-places.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RTWsomanyplaces

Take it from me; Portland is one kick-ass town. We’ve got just about everything you could want in one place: great food, even better beer, and a bookstore so big it takes up a whole city block (sigh). We’re a city of neighborhoods, connected by great public transportation and miles of bike lanes. To top it all off, we’re tucked into a valley (a fertile wine valley, mind you), situated between the Cascade Mountain Range and the Coast Range (as in, the Pacific coast, the ocean is only 90 minutes away). Man, I love Portland. And if you were to come visit me in Portland, here’s what we’d do to ensure that you fell in love with her too.

photo by Ben Amstutz

There’s a reason that Portland is known as “Beervana.” There are over 40 microbreweries here and, according to the Los Angeles Times, Portland has overtaken Munich, Germany as the beer capitol of the world. When you come to visit, I’ll take you to the big hitters: Widmer, Bridgeport and Deschutes . Then, we’ll head over to my personal favorite brewpub, Laurelwood (the NW Kearney location), for a Free Range Red. Finally, we’d stumble our drunk little hineys over to Saraveza to try out their selection of beer from all over the world. If you visit in July, we’ll go to the Oregon Brewer’s Festival to taste the best of Oregon beer.

PhotoBy polysynaptic

We’d go hiking

You haven’t experienced Portland unless you get outside. When you’re here, we’ll go hiking in the Columbia River Gorge (see my web post on my five favorite hikes . If you aren’t up for a strenuous hike, we’ll head over to Washington Park for a stroll through the world-famous rose gardens and a walk through the Hoyt Arboretum.

We’d eat great food

PhotoBy www.foodandink.comon Flickr

We’ll start off our food-fest at one of Portland’s famous food carts . Later in the day, we’ll have a conversation-filled dinner at The Farm (best veggie burger ever) and some margaritas at my favorite little Mexican joint Por Que No? . Finally, we’d slip in a late night crepe and glass of red wine at Le Happy , Portland’s late-night hidden treasure.

We’d go to the markets

PhotoBy Alki1

There are dozens of farmers markets in Portland, but we’d go to the mother of them all, the Saturday morning Farmers Market on the Portland State University campus. Located in the Park Blocks (a 12-block park in the middle of downtown Portland), the Farmers Market has fresh, organic produce, meats, cheeses, flowers, and pastries all from local farmers. We’d do what the locals do: stroll through the market with our shopping baskets, picking up fresh eats and listening to the live entertainment. After we’re done at the Farmers Market we’ll head over to the Saturday market , where over 250 Oregon artists sell their jewelry, clothing, pottery, soaps and so much more.

We’d explore the neighborhoods by bike

PhotoBy orclimber

We’ll rent your bike from Kerr Bike Rentals and do a lap around waterfront park before heading over the Hawthorne bridge to Mt. Tabor, an inactive volcano within Portland city limits that provides great view from its summit. On the way back downtown, we’ll grab some pizza at Apizza Scholls the best pizza joint in Portland. From there, we’ll bike our butts over to Mississippi Avenue for a beer at Bar Bar. The following day, we’ll jump back on the bicycle and head to NW 23rd Avenue, an eclectic little street filled with boutiques and coffee shops.

About the writer:

Kim is a travel writer currently living in Portland, Oregon. In 2012 she & her husband will be quitting their jobs, selling all their stuff, and setting out on an around the world adventure!!!

Be sure to follow her incredible adventures here:

http://www.so-many-places.com