Portland, the Jewel of the Pacific Northwest, attracts with excellent nutrition and drinks, creative shops and an exquisite natural setting.
Portland is both a small town and an urban center, robust but elegant, crazy and sincere. He combines self-confidence and a bold entrepreneurial spirit with a joyful sense of fun. Oregon’s largest small town has become a focal point for its culinary scene, vibrant designer community, and rapid growth as a city in recent years. It follows the opinions given in terms of quality of life, especially thanks to its incredible restaurants, its many bike paths and its proximity to beautiful outdoor countries. You can eat or drink for a week or just go hiking and biking, but if you want to get a taste of everything, here are some ideas for navigating this Pacific Northwest stronghold.
1. Coffee town
Seattle has Starbucks, San Francisco has Blue Bottle and Portland has Stumptown – and everything in between. (Little known fact: Portland was home to the first Starbucks outside of Seattle, which opened in 1989. It is estimated that Portland residents consume 26 pounds of coffee per year and that there are more than 60 people or companies that roast coffee within the city limits. And that has nothing to say about the beans’ trip to Oregon. Lora Woodruff, founder and guide of third Wave Coffee Tours, points out that coffee goes through up to 15 hands before reaching your cup. This is just one of the awesome facts that I learned during your visit, where more than three hours of coffee meet five cafes and roasters. The morning is a triple dose of knowledge about coffee: Lora and the Baristas and roasters along the way review the basics of fair trade approval, the different qualities that allow different growth increases of the beans, the physics of pouring, the chemistry of roasting, what it takes to be a Barista who wins Between a cupping workshop and the many repetitions at each stop, the visit reveals itself to everyone in the same way.
2. all the fun at the Peculiarium
Arriving at the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium and Museum, a modest storefront on a quiet Nob Hill street lined with discreet boutiques, a large beverage store/Bar and three-story houses, I realized that the strangest thing is the manufacture that few locals seem to know exists. During my walk, I asked for directions several times and got blank stares. A bearded young man thinks it’s a beverage bar he hasn’t heard of. He is a peculiar creature, knowing that scary rooms — an old man in a wheelchair, a Zombie in what variety – greet you on the sidewalk. The compact museum is a collection of strange and disheveled things, including, but not limited to, a life-size big foot, all kinds of terrifying monsters (and yes, you can even sit on a sofa or two for a photo), an interactive alien heist scene and the most elaborate, epic and bloody mini-crime scene that you will also find original people models and various props from classic horror movies. The museum filled to the brim has everything a Freakshow fanatic needs to add to their junk collection: bug candy, macabre oil paintings and other works of art, comic books and much more, including pieces from an artist and special effects professional who worked on Mars Strike and admission is free, but it might cost you a few nights of summer workshop.
3. takes a quiet walk in the Japanese garden
Spanning 12.4 acres, the Portland Japanese Garden is considered the most authentic outside of Japan and is a marvel for many reasons as it includes five different garden styles. You can easily spend hours contemplating the flat garden, the garden pond, the tea garden, the natural garden and the sand and rock garden. Each property is unique and a work of art.More than just landscaping, each garden has a sculptural element. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it is easy to get lost and contemplate the trees, the moss, The Fountains, The Bridges and the stone arrangements, but there is much more to do. Once you climb the main hill, there is a collection of traditional buildings known as the cultural village. It consists of a cultural center with demonstrations of traditional Japanese celebrations, a Gallery of design-oriented shows and Umami cafes serving small bites and green tea. Try to make a day of it. Getting ready by visiting here defeats the whole purpose. I went there as if I had spent hours in a Spa. Well-being for the Soul.
4. Take the time to have tea
There are other faces to enjoy tea after your visit to the Japanese garden cafe. Steven Smith’s team in the southeast tasting room, located in a separate section of the Central Eastside industrial district, is also the factory of this locally based tea company. With Persian-style carpets, pretty furniture and small Asian sculptures, the space is a comfortable and well-maintained refuge in a renovated industrial building. Sit at the Bar, order a sampler and watch the different leaves and flowers from the coins of the world with the bag being mixed and sealed in tea bags. The body, the mouth and the acidity are just some of the characteristics that encourage the Baristas here to consider the preparation they like to browse their different offers. They explain how the current blender travels the world to inspect the ingredients at the source and why hibiscus is considered a Tea Cabernet among other insider delights. You have a retail store, so be sure to stock up.