I was in Portland for 24 Hours. Here’s What I Did
I’ve always wanted to go to Portland, but it’s been hard to skip away. My cousin lives there and had taken a liking to guilting me monthly that I haven’t visited him yet since he moved there. So, when I had the opportunity to take advantage of a work trip and change my return flight to PDX, I was all in—even though I couldn’t take extra time off and would have one day in the city. So, with the chance to catch up with my cousin and also explore Portland, I was excited. I had essentially 24 hours to not only spend quality time with fam, but also get to know the city.
Pfft. I CAN DO THIS ...
My biggest travel recommendation always is: trust a local to show you around. They’ll know the best, must-see touristy spots, but also the secret must-see spots, too. I consider this trip a little bit of both. A lot of times when I travel it’s my friends and family who get me there because I trust them to show me the best time, and with one day in Portland, I was not disappointed.
The sights were awesome, the food was delicious and the drinks were a plenty. I feel like if anything, I drank my way through Portland, and it was glorious.
Here’s where I went with my one full day in the delightfully strange city of Portland:
Powell’s City of Books
Location: 1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209
As an author and book nerd, Powell’s City of Books was the only place I HAD to visit. I knew I needed to walk this world-renowned bookstore (known as the the “world’s largest independent bookstore”) that sits on a full square block—and it did not disappoint. It has all the wonderful bookish feels you’d want from an Indie bookstore. And for being so famous, I adored its worn bookshelves, handwritten notes and signs, and their fun bookish merchandise. The store is so expansive, complete with a maze of hallways and stairways that divided books by genre. I was a little overwhelmed at first. I told myself I needed to walk out with at least ONE book because it only felt right, but I didn’t know where to start. My heart immediately wanted romance, but I decided to roam instead, drawn to the Young Adult section first. I found such an array of books and so many wonderful staff recommendations. I love wandering bookstore end-caps to see what’s new and popular. I’m not as in tune to the book world as I used to be, and I trust bookstores to keep me fresh. I eventually did stroll into the romance, but was actually disappointed to see it so lack luster, and mostly filled with used books. This is pretty typical, but I was hoping more from an indie bookstore that seems to treasure all genres, but I tried to not take it personally. I found myself drawn to sci-fi and fantasy section, which is a genre I seem to want read more and more of, and ended up purchasing V.E. Schwab’s “A Darker Shade of Magic.” And of course, I walked away with SO much bookish, travel-y, swag.
Side Note: we walked here while waiting to eat at Mother’s Bistro & Bar (see below). It’s about a 10 minute walk.
Mothers Bistro & Bar
Location: 121 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
What fun, country-chic, super hip brunch spot in Portland. Apparently, Mother’s Bistro & Bar has been around over 20 years, but just recently moved from its original location to the bottom of the Embassy Suites. They specialize in hearty brunch favorites approved by “Mom”, with a fun drink menu. The decor was charming and cheerful, surely Instagrammable, and quaint. I ordered the special of the day which was an Italian omelet, which was essentially an Italian sausage omelette covered in marinara sauce. It was delicious. The staff there was super nice, too. True story: Half way through my “Corpse Reviver” from the Bloody Mary menu (I got it because I love gin), I spilled it all over my table. The waitress replaced it free of charge, and in return I got a little extra buzzy. Heads up on this adorable brunch location, it’s SUPER busy, and from what I hear it’s busy nearly all day. So, definitely make reservations in advance if you can. We waited a little over an hour for a table without a reservation.
Pittock Mansion
Location: 3229 NW Pittock Dr, Portland, OR 97210
Admittedly, I did not visit the Pittock Mansion itself. However, if you want an epic view of Portland and Mt. Hood, definitely make the journey to this overlook. It’s free to park. You can check out the view and walk the grounds, and also the drive is beautiful through lush forest (that contain hiking trails) as you wind up a hill and out of the city bustle. The mansion itself is also beautiful to witness, and you can tour it for only $12. Apparently, the mansion was built in 1914 and represents Portland’s transformation from pioneer town to modern, industrialized city as exemplified by the home of one of the most influential families of the time—The Pittocks.
Hale Pele
Location: 2733 NE Broadway St, Portland, OR 97232
Hale Pele, an epic tiki bar, was a big recommendation from my cousin and his boyfriend, so much so we jetted across the city to try and get there at their 4pm open time. This place is so popular that when we got there only 15 minutes after they opened(due to a Pip’s donut run, see below) the wait was already an hour! Technically, a good sign on deliciousness. We went to a wine bar down the block to kill time as we waited to get mai tai’s. This place was an amazing tiki bar! The inside was dark and intimate, decorated to tiki perfection. When you order the “volcano bowl,” a concoction that serves 2 (or level up and get the one that serves 4) is lit on fire for a sparkly ka-boom effect, and the entire tiki bar thunders and fills with fog. It’s incredibly delightful. My favorite part of this tiki bar though was the menu: each drink is given a 1-4 rating based on alcohol content. Meaning: how effed up do you really want to get? And what was cool was that the prices didn’t really vary too much on alcohol content. For the most part, all drinks are created equal, and you can choose your own alcohol adventure without breaking the bank. My cousin ordered the volcano bowl, and I ordered Jet Pilot—which is also served flaming. They also serve small plates of food great for sharing, and I was excited to see lumpia on the menu. If you want a fun, strange, buzzy experience, definitely stop at this tiki bar.
Pip’s Original Donuts & Chai
Location: 4759 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
Not to get all hipster on you—but when I mentioned VooDoo Donuts to a couple local’s they scoffed at me and said they’re too mainstream now (even located on the Universal City Walk next to Universal Studios now) and told me they’d take me Pip's; a different, popular, more delicious donut shop in Portland. We rushed to this location to make it before their 4pm close time and found a line out the door! This small, unique, casual donut shop specializes in fried-to-order mini-donuts and I was not disappointed. I tried 3 flavors of mini-donuts: Nutella, honey and sea salt, and cinnamon sugar. They were fresh and delicious, and I probably could have eaten a ton more, but we had mai tai’s planned next. They also specialize in chai, and if I had more time I would have tried their “chai flight” to try all the flavors. The line moves pretty quickly, and it was quaint, yummy food spot to satiate that sweet tooth. Highly recommend.
Other things I did in Portland? I walked past the “Keep Portland Weird” sign and encountered the infamous “Unipiper” of Portland and totally forgot to take pictures, and I even visited a dispensary because … Portland.
Also, did a random homeless person tap me on the shoulder to try and start a conversation? Yes. Did it rain? No, actually. Luckily, I experienced clear blue skies, but brisk, chilly temps for sure (I visited in March).
Overall, it was an amazing trip and I was sad to only have 24 hours in the city and to spend time with my cousin, but if anything, it’s guaranteed me coming back very soon. I can’t wait!
