Emma & Teddy
Things To Do in the PNW
Portland! Our Favorite Restaurants
Ran out of characters... PIZZA - Scottie's - one on SE Division, one on NW 23rd - NY style slice - Ranch Pizza - a few locations - thicker style slices - Lovely's Fifty Fifty - wood fired oven - amazing, you'll have a wait but there are tons of fun places to grab a drink on Mississippi, this place was on Chef's Table Pizza - Ken's - you're going to have a wait, but Kerns neighborhood is really cute. Award winning wood fired - Pizza Kat - Ellie's fav ASIAN - EEM - incredible Thai BBQ and vibes. you'll have a wait, grab a beer at Migration - Kayos' - ramen - Din Tai Fung - it's in the Pioneer Place mall but can't beat the dumplings - Top Burmese - numm. In NW INDIAN - Bollywood Theater - right by our house, so good MEDITERRANEAN - Mediterranean Exploration Company - this is so fricking good! Might want a reservation. In Pearl District - Bluto's AMERICAN - G Love - upscale - Tulip Shop Tavern - smash burgers! - Bless your Heart - smash burgers! SANDWICH - Break Bread - Taste Tickler
Portland! Our Favorite Places to Grab a Drink/Coffee
BEER - Steeplejack Brewery - cool spot in an old church - Great Notion - they have such good beers - Wayfinder - great brewery - Prost - has a bunch of food trucks outside too COCKTAILS - Expatriate - this place is so hip and is also on the cutest corner in portland (NE Killingsworth) - Take Two - right next to Expatriate - Too Soon - in the Kerns neighborhood, very hip DIVEY BARS - The Rambler on Mississippi - Joe's Cellar - by our old apartment - Tulip Shop Tavern - also incredible smash burgers - Goose Hollow Inn- they also have the most amazing Reuben ever WINE - Dogwood - cutest little wine shop right by our house - Negociant - also cutest little wine shop right by our old apt COFFEE - Sweedee- absolutely incredible pastries, so cute - Woodlawn - incredible pastries + Coffee - Fehrenbacher Hof - cute, good breakfast sandwich - Case Study - num! Matcha latte - Upper Left - great coffee - Slow Haste - obsessed - Cotta - cute walk up, in someone's gargae
Portland! Beautiful Places to See
PARKS - Washington Park! beautiful rose garden, amphitheater, tons of trails and big trees - Forest Park has a ton of trails - Laurelhurst park is so nice and beautiful - Redwood Observation Deck - fun to see redwoods! They're amazing - Leif Erickson is one of our favorite trails for running and Biking VIEWS - Council Crest has a nice view of the mountains - Pittock Mansion also has some views MISCELLANEOUS - The Kennedy School Theater is an old school and is super fun - There's lots of thrifting in Portland...ask Ellie for recommendations NEIGHBORHOODS - Mississippi - so many restaurants, fun vibes - Alberta - right by our house, so many shops and restaurants, not always as busy - Northwest - NW 21st/NW 23rd - so many shops and restaurants, our old apt was here - Kerns - super cute - Hawthorne - think keep Portland Weird - Division - lots of good restaurants - Sellwood - cute, kind of far from us
Hiking! Mt Hood Area
There are sooo many I linked my list of All Trails favorites within 1.5 hours of Portland. I'll highlight a few standouts here... (also, get lunch @Koya Kitchen) Longer Hikes: -McNeil Point - one of the best views of Mt Hood. 9.3 miles and 3,356 ft elevation, this is a relatively challenging hike. If you do the whole 9.3 miles, you'll eventually see Mt Ranier, Mt Adams, and Mt St Helens at the top too! - Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain via Mirror Lake Trail - also an amazing view of Mt Hood. This one is 8 miles and 1,709 ft elevation. At the top, you can see the whole ring of fire - it's spectacular! Mid Length - Bald Mountain and Muddy Fork - 5.4 mi, 1,148 ft elevation gained. Spectacular views of Mt Hood - Elk Meadows South Trial - 5.7 mi, 1,089 ft elevation. Beautiful river + views of Hood Shorter -McNeil Point - You get an amazing view like ~1 mile in, so you could also make this a 2-3 mile out and back and still experience amazing views. We've done that with Barb, Jeff, and Nick.
Hiking! Columbia River Gorge
The gorge is stunningly beautiful and there are tons of waterfalls. Recommend stopping for a beer in Cascade Locks, Hood River, or across the river in White Salmon after your hike. Mid-Length: -Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls - 3.9 mi, 928 ft elevation. This waterfall is amazing, and the trail along a cannon is so beautiful! -Angel's Rest - 4.5 mi, 1,489 ft. This is only ~30 min from Portland and has great views of the gorge! - Falls Creek Falls via Falls Creek Loop - 6.1 mi, 1,279 ft gained - this is a lesser known trail but one of the most insane waterfalls I've ever seen Shorter: -Wahclella Falls Trail - 1.9 mi, 308 ft elevation. This waterfall is insane! -Sharrard Point (Larch Mountain) - 0.6 mi - you could walk on a trail to make this longer, but this is just a viewpoint with beautiful views of the Gorge and ring of fire.
Hiking! Other Notable Hikes
NORTH -Silver Star Mountain via Grouse Vista Trail - maybe 1-1.5 hours north - 6.3 mi, 2,106 ft. One of my favorite hikes, stunning views of all the mountains on the top. Recommend having a car with good clearance for this one. - Mount Margaret via Boundary Trail- this one is a little bit further away (maybe 2.5 hours?) near Mt St Helens. 10.9 miles, 2,621 elevation gained, and absolutely spectacular the whole time -Lewis River Falls Trail - also a little further at 2 hours away, near Mt St Helens - this waterfall is absolutely amazing. You can also swim in it. There's a 3.6 mi or 8.3 mi version of this trail SOUTH - Trail of Ten Falls - 7.4 mi, 1,207 ft elevation - 1.5 hr South near Salem, OR. Beautiful, 10 waterfalls! WEST - King Mountain Trail - 4.4 Mi, 2,532 ft elevation. ~1 hr away on the way to the coast, you can see both the ocean and Mt Hood at the top - Saddle Mountain Trail- 4.7 mi, 1,794 ft elevation, ~1 hr 40 min away towards the coast. High point with views -Ramona Falls
Willamette Valley!
Willamette Valley is absolutely stunning and known for its incredible Pinot Noir. There are 700+ wineries here and you will feel like you're in another country as you visit! If you are staying for a few days, we highly recommend a stop here. Most of the wineries require reservations in advance. While you're in the area, McMinneville is a really cute town to stop in or stay at. Some winery recommendations: - Avidity often has live music on Friday nights - Soter is beautiful and is our most frequented winery - You really can't go wrong!
The Oregon Coast! Towns
The Oregon coast is so stunning and is one of Teddy and I's favorite places to go, whether that's for a day trip or a weekend. It's very quaint and not so populated, but here are some of our favorite cities... - Pacific City - really cute little town, good surfing at Cape Kiwanda. Grab a beer at Pelican Brewing - Manzanita - also a cute town, stop at the Winery at Manzanita. - Netarts - super cute, sort of near one of our favorite restaurants called the Fish Peddler which is out on a dock and has AMAZING clam chowder + fish and chips - Cannon Beach - one of the more popular coastal towns, tons of restaurants and cute shops -Astoria - sort of a quirkier town, where the Columbia river meets the Pacific Ocean, but we had the best time here, recommend going to Buoy Brewery, getting fish and chips at Bowpicker (cash only), checking out the sea lions on the boardwalk
The Oregon Coast! Beaches and Hikes
Best Beaches - you can have a bonfire on any of the beaches here! Also, all the beaches are just right next to the forest and it's just stunningly beautiful. There's also some really nice tide pools and low tide. The water is very cold, though! : - Indian Beach - so beautiful, near Cannon Beach (can surf here) - Short Sands - 0.4 mi walk to beach, south of Cannon Beach (can surf here) - Hug Point - really beautiful, there's a waterfall on the beach, also near Cannon Beach - Pacific City - Cape Kiwanda (can surf here) -Cannon beach - just classic! Hikes! - Cape Falcon - in Oswald West State Park - such beautiful views at the top, and one time we saw Humpback Whales breaching from the viewpoint (with Maeg and Jake!) - 4.5 mi, 580 feet elevation gained - Elk Flats Trail and Devil's Cauldron Overlook - also Oswald West State Park, really beautiful, 2.5 mi with 580 ft elevation - God's Thumb - further South (between Pacific City and Lincoln City) - 3.9 mi, 971 ft elevation
Hood River!
Hood River is amazing, such a cute little town on the Columbia Gorge ~ 1 hr from Portland. I recommend day tripping here, but it would also be a fantastic place to stay! Many of the hikes mentioned are near here. Other recs... - Pfriem brewing - right on the river, great beer, beautiful views - Hood Crest Winery - beautiful winery with a view of Mt hood. There are lots of wineries near Hood River - Sauna/Cold plunge/hot tub experience - Bingen Society Hotel and Spa - reserve an hour here for $35, it's so nice -
Bend!
Bend is incredible and some of our favorite friends happen to live there! It's a smaller city about 3 hours from Portland and is very granola. Some of the best things to do in the summer... - Float the Deschutes River - you can rent tubes - Hike in Central Oregon - it's drier here, there's lots of volcano hikes - Get a beer - Crux and Bend Brewing are great
Seattle!
I heard some of you want to see Seattle! Queen Anne and Capital Hill are really fun neighborhoods. Maybe stop and do a Mt Ranier hike on your way (try High Rock Lookout, Freemont Fire Lookout, or Skyline Trail). Take a ferry, go to Pike's Place, try this local coffee shop called Starbucks.
PNW Smaller Outdoorsy Places!
- Leavenworth, WA is ~5 hr from Portland and it feels like you're in the Bavarian Alps. Surrounded by incredible mountains and it's a German town - Crater Lake is a pretty cool place to go, ~5 hrs away - Olympic National Park - we've done a few overnight backpacking routes here that are incredible, if you're into that check out High Divide trail or Enchanted Valley. - Alpine Lakes Wilderness - there's some amazing backpacking and hiking here too. Check out Jade and Marmot Lakes - North Cascades and Mt Baker - we haven't spent much time up here but it looks absolutely stunning. It would be nice to stay in Bellingham for this. There are so many stunning hikes and backpacking trails - San Juan Islands - We've been wanting to go here a while. So beautiful, and there's whales! - Trout Lake - cute town near Mt Adams. Lots of little concerts at Trout Lake Hall - Government Camp - close to Mt Hood. Cute but very small town - Walla Walla - more wine! haven't been here