We love Portland.

This past Labor Day weekend, we finally made it to Portland to visit our dear friends, Rebecca & Jody (You may know Rebecca as our very talented friend who made our wedding cake topper). They have a BEAUTIFUL mid-century modern home in Portland, and were the best hosts we’ve ever had the pleasure of staying with. They had a full weekend planned for us with lots of sightseeing, and they even made us breakfast every morning! Thanks for the pumpkin pancakes and home-grown veggie scramble, you two!

We were a little concerned about the madness of Labor Day weekend travel at LAX, but we just had to grin and bear it. Vacation time off is limited, so when a “free day” comes along, we just gotta take it! However we were pleasantly surprised* – it was an absolute GHOST TOWN at 5:30pm on the Friday evening of this holiday weekend! Here’s the proof:

*Okay, maybe we were slightly freaked out by the fact that it was so empty, like What the heck is going on?, but after we got over that, the pleasantly surprised part settled in …

Portland is a pretty great place. Lots of young folks just like us, a real artistic vibe, and a general concern for things like locally grown foods and independent businesses. No McDonald’s on every corner in Portland! As soon as we got off the plane, Rebecca and Jody drove us downtown, so we could visit the famous, Voodoo Doughnuts. They are known for some pretty wacky creations (check the menu!) – including their famous Maple Bar, topped with a giant piece of bacon. We went for the kitschier variety – Ed got the Captain Crunch doughnut, and Carrie opted for the Fruit Loops. Sweetness overload!

There are so many fun foods to document about Portland, but we’ll cut to the chase and get to the pictures! Feel free to click the “Portland” link under the photos too, if you want to check out the entire album.

Some favorites:

Rebecca & Jody at a local Cafe

Ed’s heart attack on a plate – Scotch Eggs. Huh?

Portland is known for their beers – and here, they feature a Beer Float! Ed says they taste great.

Vietnamese cuisine is pretty popular in Portland, and we couldn’t be happier. This is Jody after his giant crepe arrived at the table!

Now for the pretty stuff. On Sunday, we took a full day to just drive and enjoy the gorgeous Portland Scenery. We had to admit, for two city people like us, we were pretty enamored with Oregon’s green. We’re typically not the nature-y type, but we definitely fell in love!

Beautiful views on our way up to The Gorge

One of many waterfalls, peeking through the green.

Crazy for trees!

Self-explanatory.

After all of the falls, our grand finale was to visit Timberline Lodge, a historic ski lodge at the top of Mt. Hood. The place was amazing. It’s also the lodge you see in The Shining. We didn’t see Jack Nicholson, but we did see SNOW – on the last day of August! It was pretty cool.

To wrap up our trip, we flew home 1st Class – just by pure luck! Our trip was courtesy of Delta (thank you, Frequent Flyer miles!) and on the way home, they just happened to put us in 1st class!

We admit it – we are happier in 1st class. :)

All in all, it was an amazing trip. Thank you, Rebecca & Jody for being such fantastic hosts! Check out the album for more beauty …

Portland