Dear Portland, Everyone told me to expect greatness. They told me I’d fall in love with you. They told me if they could live anywhere it would be with you. Portland, you’ve had a tough couple of years and that kind of tough triggers change; from gun violence, to racial injustice, to the homeless crisis, to being crushed by a pandemic, you aren’t who you used to be and it’s sad. I wish I had the opportunity to meet you before all of this trauma but maybe in the future we can try again.
I arrived in Portland to a heatwave of epic proportions; for several days the temperature was above 110. I actually saw my car thermostat read 118 degrees. I have never felt heat like that. It was too uncomfortable to be outside for any reason. It is like in Massachusetts when it’s 10 degrees and it hurts to walk from your front door to your car. My AirBnB didn’t have air conditioning but somehow the two fans combined with being in a basement level apartment kept it comfortable.
At one point I found myself thinking, “I can’t wait for it to only be 98 degrees tomorrow” which was a full 20 degrees cooler than the 118. I do have to say, after experiencing dry heat for the first time, it is so much more comfortable than humid heat. Temperatures in the 90s are actually comfortable without the humidity. I couldn’t get over how different it actually felt.
I was so excited to see a wonderful friend and old roommate who now lives in Portland. Aliess and I lived together in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, along with 2 other amazing roommates back in 2013. We bonded quickly over a love of musicals, books, and sports (the Red Sox happened to win the World Series that year). We also survived some gnarly things including someone throwing a brick through our window and robbing us blind on Thanksgiving Eve about 6 weeks into knowing each other; they left blood all over our apartment after injuring themselves climbing through the broken window. Needless to say, we were fast friends that have lasted almost a decade and I couldn’t wait to see her.
Aliess booked us tickets to attend a small pottery throwing class my first week in town. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was an amazing experience. If you’re ever in Portland and have time to head 20 minutes north of the city I highly recommend going to hang out with Ted at Norris Arts. Ted grew up in Hawaii and has been throwing pottery since he was a teenager. He is one of the most charismatic and kind humans. He quickly taught us some basics and we got started on our wheels.
Come to find out, I am absolutely terrible at pottery but thoroughly enjoy it. Ted had to get me started each time and I ruined 3 pieces of clay before getting one right. Clay is reusable once it dries out a bit. Ted has a dedicated spot in the studio to put messed up clay and he calls it “feeding the gods” because you’re giving back to the ‘clay gods’. It was a fun and lighthearted way to handle the mess ups and I just may have fed the gods more in one night than anyone he’s ever had take a class.
After finishing our ‘wares’ and choosing glazing colors we headed to get a delicious dinner of (gluten free) fish and chips.
I met up with Aliess again on Saturday, along with her boyfriend, to go to the staple Portland Saturday Market which is a farmers market on the river waterfront. I got an awesome pair of earrings made our of a skateboard deck. After wandering around the market we got lunch at Thai Peacock and then we separated and I continued exploring.
My first stop was Powell’s Books (obviously). Powell’s is a massive bookstore with an even more massive line to check out. I loved getting lost in the many aisles of the many rooms. After Powell’s I went to Tender Loving Empire,which is a super cute store, then got Verde Cocina which is a Mexican restaurant where every single item is gluten free- yes, even the quesadilla.
I had a lot of coffee and bakery recommendations for Portland including Petunias Pies where I got gluten free cupcakes and a thin mint fudge brownie, Gem Bakery where I got a gluten free cinnamon roll, Heart coffee, and Cafe Umbria.
One Saturday after grabbing Gem I went to find a place on the southeast side of the river to sit and enjoy my pastries and I couldn’t find a place that felt safe to park my car or to walk to the waterfront; there were homeless encampments and people milling about everywhere. At another point in my trip I was leaving Whole Foods and a young man was standing outside shirtless and covered in angry scratches on every surface of his visible skin almost like he fell down a hill covered in thorns.
One thing I loved about Portland was running. There was a track near my AirBnB to do my speed workouts on- I haven’t had access to a public track throughout my trip and it’s amazing how much being on a track can improve those workouts.
I was at the track one morning as the high school cross country team was warming up for their first day of practice and I overheard the coach tell them that the route they were about to run was the most beautiful place he’s ever run. After finishing my workout I went and asked the assistant coach where this renowned route was. She directed me to Terwilliger Boulevard which she said was gorgeous with rolling hills…. rolling hills to the point of other cross country teams coming to train on it to be prepared, both physically and mentally, for meets against them.
I have to say the route was every bit as beautiful as the coach described it- a winding road through a forest with wide sidewalks, lots of shade, and beautiful views of Portland and Mountain St. Helen in the few tree breaks. I ran Terwilliger the rest of my time in Portland.
Multnomah Falls was at the top of my list of things to do while in Portland. It is a massive waterfall about 30 minutes outside of the city. Due to the number of people it attracts, I woke up early on a Saturday to get there by 730am. I was able to take a bunch of pictures and hike the steep trails to the top with relatively minimal traffic. I started speaking with a runner, Lina, who had grown up in Oregon and was there to run every other switchback (total badass). She introduced me to her friend and her dog once we got to the top, she directed me towards the waterfall, and we parted ways.
The entire climb is beautiful; the Columbia River is visible the whole time and the people were all friendly and kind. While the view of the waterfall is better from below I would highly recommend hiking to the top if you’re ever in the area.
After my hike I headed to Terwilliger for my 5 mile Saturday run all the while knowing my calves were going to be wrecked the next day after the steep hike and the rolling 5 miles.
I relaxed after my run by heading to the Mississippi Avenue area to relax on the patio at Stem Wine Bar with a good book. The wine paired perfectly with the 90’s hip hop/R&B playlist.
I was able to reconnect with another childhood babysitter and family friend, Summer, on my visit. My friend Vicky’s mother-in-law who I saw in Naples back in January connected me with Summer because her and Summer’s mother a good friends. I drove out to Summer’s house for a wonderful dinner with a beautiful view, and to meet her adorable daughter Sage. I don’t think I’ve seen Summer in about 25 years. We caught up, she and her husband gave me a ton of recommendations for Portland must-sees, and then bonded over maybe all ending up in Asheville, NC someday.
My third weekend in Portland I had plans to meet up with Beth Anne and her fiancé, Robert (my friends from Seattle). They had already booked a place in Rockaway and I was planning to visit Cannon Beach while in Oregon so it was the perfect timing to meet up again.
I drove out on a Friday morning to explore while they finished up work. I went to Ecola State Park where the fog was so thick the beach wasn’t visible from the hike. I was having flashbacks to my first trip to see the Pacific Ocean and swearing at its evasiveness.
Arriving at the park there are signs alerting to it being a “tsunami zone” and indicating designated evacuation routes. I never knew this kind of sign existed; a sign I never knew I never wanted to see.
After a short hike in Ecola I made the 10 minute drive to Cannon Beach to walk the shoreline and admire the large rock formations in the breaking waves including Haystack Rock. Luckily, at the lower altitude the fog cleared up and I could actually see the ocean.
After finishing up at the beach I explored the small town of Cannon Beach. I got lunch at Ecola Seafoods (fresh shrimp, fresh crab, and french fries). I read a book while eating at a picnic table then got a latte at Sleepy Monk coffee before taking the beautiful 40 minute drive down the coast to the sleepy beach town of Rockaway.
In honor of our favorite cocktail bar, Daphne’s, we made paloma slushies and went to the beach. We sat in the sun as the fog completely burned off, enjoying our drinks, listening to music, and laughing.
We made a delicious dinner on the grill at the adorable a-frame AirBnB then headed back to the beach with red wine to watch the sunset.
We walked onto the beach playing a T.I. song because I had to show them I know all the words then we settled in with some Fleetwood Mack and our wine and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean; my very first. It was beautiful and monumental; something I have been waiting to see for this whole trip (and most of my life).
We finished the perfect night relaxing around the fire pit.
We woke up the next morning; we packed and drank terrible coffee and then took a group photo outside our cute AirBnB. One of the wonderful surprises that came out of this trip was having an acquaintance become a treasured friend.
When researching Portland, one recommendation that came up was Sasquatch Brewery which happened to be about a quarter mile from where I was staying; it became my spot. A couple nights a week I’d post up at a picnic table on their patio, have a couple New West: True Love blueberry blackberry ciders, and get work done on my laptop. I built my own website for my business, wrote blog posts, and sent emails.
One day after work, Aliess and I went to Washington Park to see the International Rose Test Garden and then the Japanese Garden. We drank our iced coffees and wandered through beautiful roses then through serene waterfalls and bonsais then enjoyed a cider in the rose garden amphitheater.
After our ciders and people watching we went to Harlow for gluten free dairy free stroganoff – it was good but had too many mushrooms (and we like mushrooms).
On my last Wednesday in town, I drove north to Vancouver (Washington, not Canada) to see Aliess’ new apartment. We got drinks at McMenamins which was another huge recommendation in the Portland area. There are tons of locations where they redo old hotels, movie theatres, or old high schools with swimming pools and they create a bar around them. We went to the one on the Columbia riverfront and sat outside. After drinks Aliess’ boyfriend met us for dinner at Twigs.
We walked along the waterfront with the sun setting to the west and the full moon rising to the east. As we were saying goodbye in the parking lot a man saw my license plate and remarked, “Well, you’re a long way from home.” I replied, “I just got on the MassPike and ended up on 90 west in Washington before I knew what happened!”
Where My Feet Are 