Portland, Oregon

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Please note: while most of my Getaway from LA trip posts like Peru, Banff, and Cancun (and definitely scroll for more!) are lengthy and include many details/tips for visiting both local/global destinations, I’m going to keep this travel blog post short and sweet. :) I didn’t bring my DSLR camera on this getaway (it can be a lot to carry around, and I wanted to not have to lug around a bag everywhere I went), so I opted to take pictures on my phone instead throughout the weekend. I was also on this trip with my family, so I intentionally wanted to be more in-the-moment with them, and less worried about getting “perfect blog shots” everywhere I went!
 
My family and I ventured up north to the beautiful Portland, Oregon for Thanksgiving weekend 2017. Portland is Oregon’s largest city, home to about 650,000 locals. It sits on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, and is one of the greenest and prettiest cities I’ve experienced in the US. Portland is both an adored and very eclectic city, best known for it’s green parks, bridges, outdoor activities, delicious food and dining options, breweries, coffee houses, and ever-growing art/music scene. And good news for us Angelenos looking to explore an amazing new city: Portland is only a 2 hour flight from Los Angeles/Burbank airports, and you can typically find flights for under $150 round-trip.
 
I’ve been to Portland twice now – both times in the fall – and I have to say that this must be the most beautiful time to visit the city. We don’t get much of a traditional fall season in LA (case in point: when I was heading to the Burbank airport to fly up here the day before Thanksgiving, it was over 90 degrees outside…), so I soaked up every fall-filled moment in Portland. From the red, orange, and yellow leaves falling gently off the trees and coating the streets in blankets of color, to the gloomy skies and romantic hot cocoa weather, to the clean and crisp feeling in the air every time you step outside – I couldn’t quite get enough of what a true autumn feels like.
 
I hope to go back to Portland someday soon and do a full, detailed Getaway from LA post, but in the meantime, here is a short list of recommendations on what to do/see if you’re planning a visit to PDX:

1. Grab a cup of fresh brewed coffee from one of Portland’s many coffeehouses. Eater Portland has a great list of recommendations here. 
2. Eat your heart out! The restaurants here are delicious, and there is something for everyone. Oregon Live has a great list of recommendations here. 
3. Cheers your mate and enjoy one of Portland’s many micro-breweries. Check out Yelp’s 10 best Portland breweries here. 
4. Go wine tasting in the Willamette Valley. Find some inspiration via Trip Advisor here. 
5. Shop around and make sure to browse the infamous Powell’s Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore. 
6. Rent a bike and enjoy the city on wheels. (This was one of the highlights of my recent trip here – it’s such an easy city to ride all around.) More info is available here. 
7. Enjoy a relaxing and picturesque day in the garden at Portland’s gorgeous Japanese Garden. 
8. Stop and smell the roses as Portland’s Rose Garden. 
9. Explore the many beautiful bridges of Portland, either by car, on bike, or on foot. PortlandBridges.com has an extensive list to get you started. 
10. Go hiking in the Forest Park. And you’re in luck because Portland Monthly put together a great list of “8 Essential Forest Park Hikes.” 

Here are some additional helpful Portland travel links:
 
Google’s Portland Travel Guide
 
AirBnB’s Top 30 Things to do in Portland
 
Trip Advisor’s Top 10 Things to Do in Portland
 
Travel Portland’s Activity Guide
 
Happy adventuring, my friends!