Not kidding, right after we bought our plane tickets we got an email from Ashley titled “Portsgiving 2016” which was the equivalent of a three page Word document filled with specific hikes we could take, sights we could see, websites to reference, and most importantly... places we could eat ;). I’m actually including some content below, but this isn't all of it! We are packing as much as we can into SEVEN days (including a one-day break for Thanksgiving), and Ashley has already warned us that she will not slow down unless we specifically ask her to. I know my husband won't. He has been nerding out checking out all the beautiful places for months now.
If you live in Portland or simply love it, we’d love to hear any suggestions! We are leaving the itinerary up to Ashley and Christa but she has they far given us all the following information:
FOOD:
Breakfast/Brunch:
-Gravy in Northeast Portland
-Mother's Bistro
-Barista- Coffee
-Insomnia- Coffee
-Stumptown- Coffee
-Pip's Original Donuts in Southeast Portland (YUM- they're so tiny and cute and DELISH)
-Blue Star Donuts- organic, specialty donuts- they serve them til they run out and they usually run out
Lunch/Dinner:
-Bamboo- sushi
-Henry's Tavern-pub
-McMennamins Crystal Ballroom- pub
-Brix-fancier pub food
-Oba- mexican
-Oven & Shaker- pizza
-Deschutes Brewery
-Rogue Brewery
ACTIVITIES:
We’ve decided to hike/adventure at least three days. And I’ve been warned that a hike could easily be seven hours. At first I was like “Oh wow, I’ll get whipped into shape”, and then I remembered the food list above ;)
Ashley’s Favorite Gorge Hikes:
-Angel's Rest
-Latourell Falls Loop
-Wahkeena Falls Loop
-Multnomah Falls Loop
-Rowena Crest
-Tom McCall Point
-Wahclella Falls
Additional Locations:
-Silver Falls State Park/Trail of Ten Falls
-Coast: Ecola State Park and Cannon Beach
-Mt. St. Helen (weather permitting-- whatever does't make this trip will make the next!)
-Mt. Hood (weather permitting)
More than anything, we're excited for some quality time to catch up with an old friend. And we are pretty pumped to have her show us around her city. She is a hoot. I know we will come home with some amazing experiences and definitely some funny stories. After all, she ended the email with “I want y'all to be able to do whatever you want while you're here! Except drugs. You're better than that.”