Our journey together officially started right here on September 11th 2015! This waterfront park stretches along the west side of downtown. We love the view from here and the Tilikum Crossing (Portland's Pedestrian/light rail only bridge).
Portland's rose garden is in Washington Park just above downtown. This is a nice nature area to walk around. Great views of Portland and Mt. Hood.
We lived on the edge of Forest Park for two years. This is Portland's largest park system with tons of trails. For those looking for a casual walk on a semi paved area, we recommend Leif Erickson Road or Saltzman Road. The area around Pittock Mansion can be accessed by car as well. For those looking for a light uphill hike we recommend Council Crest, though be aware of about 4 road crossings throughout the hike.
One of our favorite areas of downtown. Great food options throughout. Our favorites include Matador, Southland Whiskey Kitchen, Life of Pie Pizza, and Salt and Straw ice cream. Salt and Straw originated in Portland and it is absolutely the best ice cream in the world.
We would come down here frequently in college. A lively area for food and drinks. Prost, Porque No, Gravy, Bar Bar, Rambler. Also tons of great food trucks. Close to N Williams Ave area as well.
High rise/ Rooftop dining options: Portland City Grill (Pioneer Square). Upscale dining. Departure (Pioneer square) Revolution Hall (East side)
Many weekends in college we would go on a hike out here. The area is beautiful and is within a 45 minute drive from Portland.
Hannah and I frequent Mt. Hood in the winter and summer. We have many fond memories up here with Hannah's family, and Loki too! You don't have to ski or bike to come up here, this place is an amazing day trip (or stay the night) option to see the Mt Hood area and historic hotel built by the Works Progress Administration under Theodore Roosevelt. An excellent location with walking trails, scenic chairlift rides and great food & drinks. When you're done seeing the hotel and mountain up close, go down to Trillium Lake.
A Columbia river gorge town with wineries, breweries, hiking and biking. About an hour and twenty minutes east of Portland. This is as far east as we recommend going if you are day tripping around the Columbia river gorge scenic highway!
Another excellent day trip opportunity to see the Oregon Coast, about an hour and 40 minutes from Portland. Cannon Beach is one of Hannah's favorite places to visit and has now become one of Zach's. We come here frequently throughout summer and fall. We had gone into town right after our proposal! This place is what many people see when they hear of Haystack Rock. Some other areas to check out are along Oswald West State Park.