Portland Diaries

So I had a chance to visit Portland in the month of Feb. As many of you must be aware of, the city is known for its microbreweries and strip clubs ;) Sadly, I could not visit any!
It's a nice city with green areas and a downtown good enough to call it a city. Yes, I judge the city by its downtown. The people are nice and smiling. I unfortunately could not see the best weather days which is a rare thing in Portland but if you happen to visit in one of those sunny days, do try some of the street-side cafes and live music. In this city of roses, the most beautiful thing was Mount Hood. Every road I travelled, every bridge I crossed, I could see it. Not to forget, the city has a beautiful skyline. If you're a museum lover unlike me, then Portland has Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) to offer. Pittock Mansion is a beautiful place for the home makers. One must thing is to take the Portland Underground and also the Portland Aerial Tram. If you are a fan of lush parks, Portland has few to offer - Forest Park, Jamison Square, Tanner Springs Park and Washnington Park top the list. To me visiting the Willamette River was a must. If you get to visit the city for more than just a weekend getaway, a visit to Mt. Hood is must! Some of the other nice getaway places would be Mount St. Helens, the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Wine Country, Multnomah Falls, nearby cities like Seattle, Vancouver and Eugene.
Portland is surrounded by water all over. On the north side is Columbia River which separates this beautifully lit city from Vancouver, WA (Dear Punjabis, it's not the one in Canada) I liked how the public transport was punctual but then it is not that frequent. Also you can see a lot many walkers and bikers. Of course, the services are well connected and good priced. Not to forget, Portland is well planned in terms of addresses and locations. You can very well survive without a GPS though I would not recommend that.  Well like any other city in US, Portland has its very own Zoo too. :) I was told by the locals that the International Rose Test Gardens was a huge visiting place in June when they held the Portland Rose Festival. So if you happen to be around, visit and let me know how festive it is.
Two things that I would definitely visit Portland again for is the Reed College and Powell's City of Books. The Reed college has a nuclear reactor at display :) and well I love books. Portland is home to people of many origin. It is one of the largest cultural mix I have ever seen. So that results in best food options. For the eating and being merry places, I would recommend Doug Fir Lounge, Quan Linh, Gravy, Detour Cafe, Nicholas' Restaurant, Portland City Grill, Byways Cafe, Ristretto Roasters, Portofino Caffè Italiano, Salvador Molly's, Voodoo Doughnut, Pazzo Ristorante, Andina, McCormick and Schmick's, Huber’s, Marrakesh, Riyadh's, Baan Thai (Warning: Spicest Thai food ever had. And for the record, I am a chilli loving Indian) and did I mention that they have foods on carts too. (YUM!) Some of these places are family owned which I always adore. What else could you ask for more than a good trip, good food, great people and warm hospitality. Oh and 'Coffee People' at PDX is a must too.

Adios!

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Seattle Diaries

I am no travel expert but yes I am the opportune traveller. And this post talks about my weekend trip to Seattle, WA, USA. (Phew!) So I would call an ideal journey as reaching Seattle on a Friday noon. Seattle's airport - Tacoma International is well connected unless you choose to drive. From the airport, there are transit buses to downtown. I liked the city's downtown worth staying. It is not as crowded as Chicago, LA or NYC but is equally beautiful. There are some good places to put up. I stayed at The Westin. My first suggestion would be after you reach your hotel, to relax yourself and have a good dinner at the Waterfront. There are some good options, my choice was Elliott's Oyster House. Caution: It is a bit on the expensive side and almost a NO option place for vegetarians like me but then it is those perfect fine dining, great ambience places that you want to go to. Another thing to do on waterfront is walk; it's fun! Or you can always come back and blame my sun-sign, the water sign, Cancer for this. To me, the best way to start your Saturday is with a coffee at the original Starbucks right next to the Pike Place Market followed by buying fresh flowers from the locals. There is nothing like self-pampering and Seattle offers that well. From fresh produce of fruits and vegetables (trust me the strawberries, cherries and apples are must try) to bakeries (oh! the cakes) to sea-food vendors to the most remarkable artists - all on one street at Pike Place Market. Yes, I am a coffee person. So like me if you need to have another coffee after all this shopping, check out this place called Local Color. To be honest, I was attracted by the line 'Art, Coffee & more..' - well I needed to find out what more was. It was nice - good music, nice decor and wonderful hospitality. I liked the sandwich as well as the coffee. Oh! And they had free Wi-Fi! That's bingo for me. Following this, one could either go back and relax or take a ride on one of those ferries. As one of the local pointed out, no trip goes complete without them! There are a good number of museums like Seattle Art Museum, Museum of Flight. Also, the Aquarium and the Public Library are much talked about places but I am really not into all this so I skipped my knowledge gathering part. The evening to night transition would be incomplete without a trip to Space Needle and then a feast dinner. Sunday mornings can be left for the choosy option - while I choose to laze around, one can go to numerous parks that Seattle has to offer or hey! a stress buster could be to shop around. They have good stores too. Amidst all, don't forget to take your flight back home.. because I almost did! =)

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