Oregon - Day 3

Happy Valentine's Day!

Before we headed home, we were lucky and got to try several of the many many many food carts Portland has to offer. We found ourselves on a block full food carts... surveyed them all... ate from two of them... and continued walking only to find another THREE blocks of food carts. Wow! But, I was super satisfied with what we had so I didn't feel cheated not having surveyed them all before we took our picks.

We picked up some croquettes and other goodies from a Spanish food cart before we shared some Hawaiian pull pork. Now, I was a bit hesitant in ordering the Hawaiian pull pork but it was one of the most recommended from the menu. The other was a teriyaki type chicken but I wasn't feeling like something sweet. This cart was also recommended by Google ... but whatever that means. I remember the pork from the luau in Hawaii and I remember I didn't like it very much. I wondered if it would taste the same.

Fortunately, it was pull pork at its best. No sweet and tangy bbq sauce. It was simple, perfectly seasoned, and accented with green onions. It was unbelievably delicious. I was thinking of skipping out on the macaroni salad but it was equally addicting for some reason. We were all picking at it even though we said we'd only try a bite. Yum! Sometimes, the simpler it is, the better.



chairs and tables set along the street for convenience too



different kinds of chili for a competition

this cute window was definitely welcoming

After a bit of shopping, we headed to the next food cart site - their very first location. There was a crepe stand there where we decide on some dessert for our lunch. Although my go-to crepe is always banana and nutella, there were so many different choices that I decided to go for something else. We chose the walnut, honey, cardamom, and coriander combo.
It was distinctly cardamom and reminded me of Gurm's chai spices. It was yum.

With our tummies filled, we hit the road and headed home.

One awesome and relaxing road trip down in the books.

Oregon - Day 2

free tram rides

crossing tram tracks

We woke up bright and early and all set to tackle Portland's transit system. We stayed in downtown which meant that taking the tram within the vicinity was ... FREE. (Tax-free shopping?? Free transit?? What more could you ask for??). Our destination was the areas of food carts. Ahh yes, it's always about food. You'd think, well, Vancouver has food carts too. What's the difference? Well, they don't just have a couple japadog stands here and there and maybe a Mr. Tubesteak on your way to shopping Robson St.. They have food carts all lined up in a row on four different sides of the block. And food carts of many different ethnicities. Not only were the menus eye-catching, but so were the designs of their carts. For more info, click here.

Unfortunately, we picked the wrong day of the week to check them out. They were mostly closed. Oh well. We still have Monday. So, we chose something a little more close to home to start off our day... Starbucks. I guess Portland doesn't have the green tea lattes, so I settled for their vanilla rooibos latte instead. The sun was out but the air was still crisp. Alice whipped out the map to circle all the places to go (she did all the navigating of the trip), while Gurm surfed his iphone (which he did whenever there was free wi-fi), and me... I stared out the window and people watched (as I always do at a coffee shop). I spotted a lady outside wearing the bright blue Vancouver 2010 fleece vest. I noticed Nordstrom the department store had taken out one of their large window displays and turned that window into a mini espresso bar/stand.

Afterwards, we took the tram to our plan B for food. To an area close to their Chinatown. We ate at a cozy breakfast restaurant called Bijou. We sat at the bar with me sitting in the middle separating the two lovebirds. I always crave mushrooms when I see mushrooms on the menu, so I got the mushroom omelette. Gurm had sausages, potatoes and eggs with his morning ceasar. Alice had a tofu scramble. All soooo yum. Great recommendation by... wherever Alice found the recommendation!

iron cast work in the area near Chinatown

Bijou's window

Gurm's morning caesar

Allie's tofu scramble

yummy brioche french toast

sitting infront of a bar with a mirror


Our stomachs were too full for the Voodoo Doughnuts just around the corner. So, we'll save that for later. We walked around the Chinatown and noticed their bummy areas aren't so bummy. And their homeless were mainly dirty but not doped up, high or even drunk. We walked by their well known haunted pizzeria (visited by Rachel Ray) and decided to come back for dinner. Someone dining at the pizzeria left their dog outside and I just had to take a picture. The owner ran out thinking his dog was bothering us... but we were just lovin' the doggie! Soon after, it began to rain. Good timing. We had a whole morning of cool breeze walking, and now time to pick up the car to drive out to Nob Hill.

Nob Hill is a street of mini shops and cafes. Reminds me a little of our Yaletown or Main St. We whipped out our umbrellas and took a stroll in and out of stores. I think the rain was making me a bit groggy so I didn't see much that was interesting... until... I walked into Paper Source. Inside, I felt like a kid at a candy store. Me and my paper and stamps and colours... sigh.
We drove out to check out a few more food carts but they were also closed. So, what else is there to do in Portland on a rainy day? Woodburn Outlets! By the time we got to the outlets, we only had two hours to shop. None of us really had anything in mind to get. But with the first store we walked into, Gurm picked up something within 5 minutes. Then, the next store, Alice picked up something within another 5 minutes. Soon, we were on a mission to do it all in the 2 hours that we had. Now that was what I called power shopping! In the end, we all came out with our own loots. Happy we were!

Then, we drove back to the haunted pizzeria... called Old Town. Read their story here. Of all the tables in a rather empty restaurant that night, Alice chose to sit around the corner from the kitchen at the very end right next to the elevator shaft. The restaurant was dark and dimly lit by candles. And the mirror on the wall next to our table was broken. Nice... Gurm walked off to order our food at the counter, while Alice walked to the elevator shaft to check out the crime scene... I sat there waiting for the chills to hit my spine. (It never did).

Honestly, the pizzas were just okay. I've definitely had much better pizzas at home. Nothing to rave about. Their spinach salad (one of Rachel Ray's favorite) was also one of our favorites though. It was good! Don't know what it was. The dressing? The cranberries? The sugared peacans? The bacon bits? The feta? Probably all of the above.

We made sure to leave a little room because we made our way back to Voodoo Doughnuts. The lineup was an hour long before and after breakfast food that morning... luckily, at night, the lineup wasn't as long. But, there was still a lineup at 10pm. Nuts. We picked up four specialty doughnuts. I just wanted them for a photo op. Who knew that some of them actually tasted surprisingly good... (because they look digusting).

one hour line-up infront of Voodoo Doughnuts all day long

Back at the hotel, we stopped by the lounge and had a drink before we retired back upstairs. I did my whole photo op thing with the donuts and my nightstand light while Gurm droned himself to sleep with the TV and Alice researched some more on things to do the next day (see the pattern?).  We all took a bite out of each doughnut and I gotta say my favorite was the Oreo and peanut butter one. Mmmmm...  The two laughed at my improvising with using a cup to cut the doughnuts because we had no knife. "Just use your hands and rip it apart!". Well, better dirtying the cups than my hands.

hotel lounge

fruit loops and sugar doughnut

the voodoo doughnut

mango jelly with orange icing doughnut

oreo and peanut butter doughtnut (my fave out of all of them)

By 2am, I had almost finished the book that I started the night before. Now that's what I call a good trip. When I get the time to finish a book in one weekend.

Oregon - Day 1

We set out early Saturday morning about 2:30am. No waits at the border. Hardly any cars on the highway. And luckily, the rain hasn't quite started. It was pretty much smooth sailing. I didn't sleep at all till 2:30am. I was pretty wired.

Now, I felt like I was travelling first class. Bottled water was already set in my cup holder. Comfy leather seats. Snacks all prepared for me. And even a screen to watch DVDs. Allie popped in Enchanted, which I've watched a million times but still love watching it. The sound system was like the theatres. But even with all that stimulation, I was soon drifting into sleep. It was soon 4am. The rest of the ride was a blur.

We ended up at a fake Denny's in Portland for breakfast. Fake because there was a sign at the cash register stating that they are an independently running business. Which explains the non-American (not even Canadian Denny size) portions. They were pretty tiny. But, a little is enough for us anyway.

Then, off to the Oregon Coast we went.

We started off at Seaside. It was W-I-N-D-Y. People were looking up wind speed on their iphones. It turned out to be one of the windiest days of the month. Maxing at 93 km/hour. Store owners came out to put away their signs. Our hair was being whipped around once we stepped out of the car. Talk about getting some fresh air after a long car ride! We checked out some antique shops, bought some of their famous salt water taffy's, and walked down to the beach.

Of course, it was my brilliant idea to walk on the beach. We're here... we must go on the beach! Standing at the platform above the beach, you could already see the sand being thrown all over the place by the windstorm. But, down we went. I have to say.... it was quite the experience! The beach sand was wet from the previous rain, but the wind was bringing in all this dry sand from elsewhere... which created a light coloured sand cloud whooshing over the darker, wet beach. I'd have to post a video. Because the sight was amazing. Beautiful. I could have stood there all day watching the sand clouds whoosh by... but standing in the middle of it meant getting sand in my hair, my clothes, my ears, my nose, my eyes...

Allie and I were busting out laughing because the wind was so strong that it literally blew us off our feet and you could see the seagulls having troubles in flight and landing. All that laughing left our mouths filled with that sandy crunchiness. Once we got off the beach, we brushed ourselves off and poured out a fair amount of sand from our shoes.

Second stop, a talked-about view point for a fantastic view of the beach and the Haystack Rock. We parked our car at a parking lot and hiked down to the view point. The wind was worse. But we figured, at least there wasn't any sand. It was higher up. You could see everyone else leaving their cars at the parking lot and having trouble walking down. The wind was pushing them a few steps back each time. We stayed in the car for a while just watching other people walk. It was hilarious. What was more funny was the two men parked right next to us. They had opened their trunk to get something and was having the hardest time trying to close it. Two medium built men. Pushing down on their trunk door at the same time. To no avail. We could have gotten out to help... but we were too consumed in our laughter.

We did eventually venture out and tried to make our way down to the view point. Unfortunately, Gurm and I couldn't make it down. Because instead of sand... there were rocks. We were getting pelted and it hurt. Allie braved it all and made her way down... shouting from below, "It's really pretty! The view is beautiful!". Well, I could only imagine. I don't want a rock in my eye. The wind picked me off my feet on the walk back to the car. I nearly rammed myself into a pole. But all the while, Allie and I laughed hysterically. Like children. Because it was so. much. fun. Who needs Hawaiian sunshine? Oregon windstorms are just as memorable. Haha.

We made our way to Cannon Beach. We ate at a cozy tavern (there are a lot of taverns there!). Much needed food. (Not knowing that the weekend would turn into a string of food comas). I had the seafood stew. I was craving something warm. It was packed with the goodies - shrimp, fish... all in a yummy tomato broth. Mmm Mmm. So good. Allie had a black bean burrito. And Gurm a burger. Shared beers. We were totally satisfied. It was one of the best meals of the trip.

By the time we were done. It began to rain. No, correction. It poured. It really really poured. It was a bit miserable, but I was quite content just being outside. Being smarter this time, we only looked at the beach and the Haystack Rock from afar. Soon after, we decided to head back to town... downtown Portland... and check into our hotel.

We stayed at The Modera. It is an old Holiday Inn revamped into a chic and modern small luxury hotel. The staff and the service was excellent. We checked in around 4-5pm, and took quick showers to wash out all that sand. Once we were all clean and comfortable, we ventured out (back in the pouring rain) to find a good restaurant to eat at. The strange thing about downtown Portland in the winter is that it looks like ghost town. That is, there are a lot of cars parked on the street... but not a single person walking around. Once you enter a restaurant however, it's bustling. Maybe also because it's Valentine's weekend.

By this time, we were starving. And finding a restaurant with available seating was near impossible. We decided to wait an hour at one of the largest restaurants I've seen... quite popular. (Sorry, don't remember the name). After filling up on clams and bbq chicken, we went to visit the world's largest independent bookstore - Powell Book Store. Frankly, the outside looked dumpy. But upon stepping in, and seeing all the brand new and old books stacked up to the ceiling in endless rows of bookshelves... I was in heaven.

I could have spent a LOT of time in there but we went near closing time. Probably a good thing for me because I still managed to pick up three books. Allie wanted to check out the travel section (which was as big as probably a size of a starbucks coffee shop), and we spotted some really ancient travel books. That's what I love about this place. It as the old and the new, the common and the queer.. it has everything. These ancient travel books dated back to the 1870's! $90 a pop. Pretty cool.

We were done after that. Exhausted. We went back to the hotel. Planned our next day. Gurm droned himself to sleep with the TV. Allie researched things to do on the ipad. And I started to read one of the books I bought.

Then... lights out.