How to Spend a Weekend in Portland
Two itineraries (one dog friendly!)
One of my favorite things about living in the PNW is the proximity to cool places to visit. Portland has quickly become one of my favorites, especially because it’s only a two-hour drive away. Read on for two itineraries that detail where to eat, drink coffee, and hike in Portland.
An Overnight in Portland
For my husband’s birthday this year, we decided to have a celebratory overnight in Portland doing his favorite things, drinking coffee, enjoying a luxury hotel, and ordering everything off of the menu at an Asian fusion restaurant. We arrived around 10 am on Sunday and went straight to Proud Mary’s for coffee and brunch. We checked into our hotel and set out to walk around town, stopping at Powell’s where we picked up You’re Safe Here by Portland-local Leslie Stephens, The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffmann, How to Taste Coffee by Jessica Easto, and I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen for Liam. After a swim at the hotel pool, we grabbed coffee at Case Study on our way to dinner at Gado Gado (who were so amazingly sweet to Liam, bringing him a crab-shaped plate with tons of fun food!)
The next morning, we walked to coffee at Less and More per a recommendation from the barista at Case Study before hopping in the car to drive home. A short, but super fun, trip!
A Dog-Friendly Weekend in Portland
My greyhound Ivy loves to travel. She sleeps so heavily in the car, we often forget she’s there, she loves lounging on the patio at restaurants (especially if the waiters bring her treats), and she’s never met an air-conditioned boutique she didn’t like. Last Summer, before getting our Deerhound puppy, Sage, we took Ivy with us to Portland for some quality time before her whole life got turned upside down. This guide can be done without a dog, of course, but contains special accommodations for pups!
Friday Afternoon
After making the rookie mistake of not planning our drive around high-traffic times, our two-hour drive turned into a four-hour one. Starving and cranky, we dropped our stuff off at our AirBnB and rushed to Phuket Café for dinner. We managed to grab a table outside and loved every single thing we ordered, especially the Gai Tod, Thai Paella, and the Magnolia cocktail.
Saturday
We started our day with coffee at The Stacks before heading to Forest Park for the Dogwood and Wild Cherry loop. We stopped for post-hike coffee and snacks at Coava, ice cream at Kate’s to cool off (it was one of the hottest days of the year!), and then landed at Tin Shed Garden Café which has doggy meals on the menu alongside human food. This was the highlight of the trip for Ivy, who wolfed down her food and then passed out on the patio. We decided to cut our trip short due to the extreme heat and lack of air conditioning at our AirBnB, so we grabbed coffee and snacks at Proud Mary before driving home.
Are you from Portland? How would you spend the ideal Portland weekend?
