Sorojchi v. Diamox

Border Sheep

Willka T'ika

I just returned from two weeks of imbibing amazing brews in Portland, Oregon. A Magical Journey awaits...

Portland Tap Dancer

Last day. Portland was amazing. The food, the beers, the PEOPLE, the sun (it was summer!), the city, the mountains were amazing! Had one more meal on Friday at Jam on Hawthorne, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Almost as good as the ones I had in Sydney.

Portland, Oregon is where I located my zest for life again plus my enthusiasm, my energy and my smile. I took a part of Portland with me back to New York and I'll never be the same.

Stumped

This morning I checked out brewing at The Kennedy School. Then after yoga, hit Produce Row Cafe for an early meal, the Hummus Plate and a Walking Man. Headed to Stumptown yet again, I am addicted to their Thyme Iced Tea. Drove to Sellwood through Brooklyn and stopped in to New Seasons again on Division. I got a hair cut at Bishop's where we drank Miller High Life while we waited.

Tonight was my last night and my new friend Uptown, took me to an awesome place for seafood on the water and then to the tallest building in Portland for views and brews. We shared the best apple/pear bread pudding I have ever consumed in my life at The Portland City Grill and drank more Oregon beers. I even tried a Spanish Coffee, I'll be a local yet!

Amnesia

My cousin used "Amnesia" as an excuse when she missed her curfew back in highschool. She still stands by this story today. I love the name of Amnesia Brewpub and more importantly their IPAS! I had the Desolation and Copacetic IPAs.

I loved North Mississippi Ave., definitely a neighborhood in transition. I highly recommend the clothing shop Blue, where I spoke to the shop owners as they reminisced about NYC but without regrets. Lunch was at La Bonita on Alberta where I ate authentic fish tacos and dinner was the Sturgeon at Fife. The most surprising of the day was that I LOVED the Magic Cup Espresso Porter by McMENAMINS. McMenamins owns 22 breweries!

Full Sail and Back Roads

Today was tourist day #3: Columbia River, Hood River and Mt. Hood. Went to Full Sail for lunch and watched Kiteboarders and Windsurfers. Kerry at Full Sail took me on a private tour. Full Sail is employee owned!

We had to take the backroads to Mt. Hood due to the fires, so it was very desolate and peaceful. Hit the Vita Cafe in Alberta. While I didn't find Alberta as friendly as Hawthorne, I did love the basil pesto cous-cous with pine nuts and currants at the Cafe.

Walking Man

Today I went to Yoga Bhoga for my first class, first of three. Although I would have loved to try Pilates at Reform, yoga was easier to get to. TODAY WAS THE DAY I FELL IN LOVE WITH A CONDO on Belmont. $299k. Goals. Dreams.

Hit the Paradox Cafe for lunch, Fried Tempeh Sticks with Pineapple infused dressing plus this amazing soup and GREENS! It's always tough to get enough greens while traveling. Today was the day of WALKING MAN. I went to The Horsebrass Pub. This beer is now my #1, it's brewed in Washington. Walking Man Black Cherry Stout and Homo Erectus Imperial IPA were my top choices.

Down on the Ground Affective Disorder

The world looked different when I woke up on Sunday. I didn't like being on the ground. Had breakfast at Le Pigeon on Burnside. Waitstaff and Chef were so friendly, once again I got friendly advice and encouragement about moving to Portland. This area reminds me the most of Williamsburg. I can imagine what it will look like in 2-3 years time.

Headed out for some Pinot Noir (I love reds apparently) on a Grape Escapes Wine Tour. I'd say the highlight of the day was meeting a group of young college graduates that asked, "Is living in NYC like it is on Sex and the City?" To which I replied, "Yes." HA. Went to the Bite of Oregon where I had some delicious crab cakes, paella, berry dessert and more wine. Check out the photo below, OREGON HOPS!

"54477"

Today was the day. Flying. The day of the Cessna 172 P Model at Hillsboro Aviation. I'd rather not put my experience in words, not sure if I can. I will say a BIG THANKS to Uptown though for opening my eyes. The best part was feeling like we were the only ones on the earth while flying over Mt. St. Helen's. Portland is full of incredible life-changing experiences as far as I can tell. Tonight I hit Widmer's. Today was also my first trip to New Seasons!

Nolita

Was sort of dreading going in to the "city," I prefered not to cross the river. In a week, I will take this lesson with me to Brooklyn, NY. Got a massage and made a new friend from LA, took the bus to The Pearl. I knew right where to go in Powell's for my Moleskin notebook. Today was my shopping day. Yes, I finally found a pair of jeans, after a four month search, at Nolita. "That's a booty," the shop keeper and my personal shopping assistant exclaimed.

I treated myself to a pedicure, then lunch at the newly renovated Bridgeport Brewery. I want to like their beers, but I find them to have minimal taste. I went to the NW to "trendy yuppie 23rd street" to Laurelwood Brewing and New Old Lompoc. I was pleasantly surprised with the brews at Laurelwood even though the locals tried to deter me. I loved the grittiness of New Old Lompoc, made friends at the bar and enjoyed the C Note IPA.

The Good Foot and Cheese Fries

Today, I played tourist and went to the coast for Whale Watching on an Eco-Tour. The best part was an amazing fish sandwich at Mick's Bay Grill. The family had just moved to town from Arizona, as this was their favorite beach in all the world. The menu was simple, mostly consisting of fish sandwiches.




Had to check out the Buffalo Exchange on Hawthorne where I met someone that was transferring to the Williamsburg store. Checked out Mio Sushi based on the recommendation from someone at the airport and had the Sushi Pizza. Checked in to The Jupiter. Followed Uptown's suggested and hit The Good Foot to see The Everyday Prophets. When I returned to the hotel, I checked out The Doug Fir and it's fries with Tillamook Cheese.