Portland, Oregon

In early January Zach and I went to Portland, Oregon for a quick day trip. Ever since I saw Voodoo Donuts on the travel channel, I have wanted to check out all the “weird” stuff Portland had to offer. It just so happens to be on my 30 Before 30 list as well, so it was fun to check this one off. 🙂

Voodoo Donuts

It is safe to say that Voodoo truly lived up to the hype for me. I really loved the cute atmosphere and the donuts were amazing. They have so many options, and even I could have some as Lactose-Intolerant because they have a HUGE vegan selection. Dairy-free? What a dream!

Tips:

– There are two Voodoo stores, I recommend the one we visited as it is the original of all of the ones in the country.

-Voodoo only takes cash, and while they do have an ATM, it isn’t always functional. We got lucky because Zach happened to have a 5-dollar bill in his pocket, but be sure to bring plenty of cash.

-While their tagline is still “The Magic is in the Hole”, they no longer serve donuts from a hole in the wall. This is what was on the Travel Channel (YEARS ago), but just know they have an indoor area to order donuts now.

Portlandia

The dream of the 1990’s truly is alive in Portland. 😉

We enjoyed checking out scenes from the tv show Portlandia and loved seeing the city that inspired all of the satire. While we didn’t see Carrie or Fred, we loved getting to see a few famous spaces featured frequently on the show, including the feminist bookstore, “Women and Women First”.

Tips:

-The bookstore in the show is called “Women and Women First”, but in reality it is called “In Other Words”. It’s pretty easy to find using Google Maps and as seen from our photo it looks exactly the same as it did in the show.

-One important thing to know is that the owners do NOT like Portlandia as a show. They were pretty vocal online about disliking the portrayal of feminists on the show and I feel like it is safe to say they hate the concepts delivered. If you want to know more you can always look up their blog, but I will not link it here as it is very negative. That being said, we just took a quick photo outside and came back after closing to get a better look at the storefront as to not cause any issues.

Downtown Portland

We checked out record stores, Powell’s bookstore, and I definitely have to come back for some Doc Martens soon! We loved walking around and seeing the food trucks on food trucks. It was nice to be in a city with some older buildings and unique coffee shops, but I don’t know if I would classify Portland as “weird”. Having visited Austin, Texas last year, I feel like Austin has a “weirder” vibe. The hipster mixed with Texas-country culture was far more bizarre to me that people biking around or wearing thrifted clothes.

Tips:

-Be sure to save some time to hit up Powell’s City of Books. The place is HUGE and can be a bit overwhelming, but it is wonderful.

– Portland does NOT have sales tax (YAY!) so just be sure to remember that when shopping.

-Check out Stumptown Coffee! It was delicious and a PNW staple, not to mention their storefront is the cutest. Also, their Instagram is beautiful as well so check that out too.

 

We really enjoyed our day-trip to Portland and hope to come back again for a little longer. I want to do all the thrifting!

Much love,

Chelsea