Portland, Oregon

Traveling is definitely one of my favourite things and I just love having the opportunity to explore a new place. Throw in no sales tax and you can't go wrong even if the weather wasn't the best in Portland this past weekend. The train ride was a pleasant enough experience and the scenery along the way was quite pretty. I wish I had taken a few snaps on the way to Portland because the weather was the sunniest. 

Portland is an interesting city filled with a variety of eateries and the usual suspects when it comes to shopping. It also has lots of random sculptures and a lot of naturalness about it once you get near Washington Park. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and after checking into our accommodation, wandered downtown for a bite to eat. 

Different day & night views from our balcony

The early start (we were up at 4:45am) meant an early night after a bit of a walk around, which I guess you could say was reconnaissance for the next day's shopping. Sunday started out with a walk down to the waterfront, where we caught the tail end of a half marathon run. 

During our random wanderings we happened upon Voodoo Donuts and we weren't the only ones eager for a sugary treat, as there was a decent sized line-up even though it was raining. My crushed Oreo on vanilla frosting aka dirt donut was definitely worth the wait. 

After this it was all about shopping with notable purchases made in Forever 21, H&M and Sephora, which I will showcase tomorrow. After dropping off our purchases, we decided to explore a little bit around the area where our hotel was located. This was a great decision as we discovered a cute area called Nob Hill. Nestled here amongst independent stores were Urban Outfitters and the likes of Williams Sonoma, which I couldn't resist making a small purchase at. 

Shopping can definitely be tiring and the weather doesn't help when it is raining. After a brief re-group at the hotel we had dinner in Nob Hill then dessert with my two favourite men - Ben & Jerry. I couldn't resist having their ice cream on both Saturday and Sunday night. Our sense of adventure kicked in after dinner on Sunday as we trekked up to Washington Park for a look around. Initially there were plenty of stairs involved, which is never a good idea with a belly full of ice cream. However, the park's rose garden and it's many varieties, in various stages of bloom, made it worth the walk. I must admit though I got a bit nervous as we tried to figure out how to get out of the park as darkness approached. Obviously it all turned out okay because I am writing this. 

Monday was short and sweet, just like our weekend, as we only had a few hours before getting the train back to Vancouver. They were spent grabbing a quick brunch, last minute shopping and picking up some snacks and magazines to help with the journey ahead. 

All in all it was a great weekend away and possibly worth a second trip if the opportunity presents itself again. Portland has a lot going for it and not just the no sales tax.