Broke by Noon: Visiting Portland

I eluded to my love of Portland when posting last week but I didn't go into much detail regarding my trip. It was definitely a whirl-wind and although I wish I could have spent more time there, I did enjoy just about every minute of my trip. I did a fair amount of research before heading to Portland because I knew my schedule was going to be tight and I wanted to be able to fit in as much as I could of what the city has to offer. Surprisingly, one of my best tools turned out to be the Portland City Guide offered by West Elm. West Elm actually offers a number of these City Guides and they are filled with the best restaurants, hotels, landmarks and shops to visit in an given city - great idea, especially for a furniture shore - it makes them appear more local and less corporate.

But anyway, back to Portland. The city itself is amazing - practically set into the mountains, split by a river with almost a dozen magnificent bridges connecting the city and a size that was neither overwhelming nor too small. The culture of Portland is very eco-friendly and seems to really focus on leveraging mom and pop shops rather than large food chains, which I loved. My favorite spots had to be Le Pigeon (an amazing french inspired restaurant that only houses a handful of tables but has some of the most amazing dishes I've ever tasted) and basically any shop or brewery that resided within the Pearl District, one of Portland's distinct neighborhoods set right next to downtown.

The only downside to Portland would have to be the rain, which I don't know if I could ever get used to if I lived there. As one would imagine, it rains slightly less than Seattle and slightly more than San Fransisco...which still equates to quite a bit of moisture in the air year-round. However, the city is so unique and inspiring that maybe after investing in one of the patented Patagonia rain jackets that everyone was sporting, and some durable rain boots, I'm be able to make the sacrifice. :)