Portland in 3 Days
Get away from the LA smog and breathe in that Pacific Northwest fresh air + weirdness. Everything you need to know for a 3-day trip to Portland filled with lots of nature, food, and beers!
WHERE TO STAY
When I asked around, everyone said "stay west of the river" because the area is generally nicer on the westside. We ended up finding the best deal on AirBnb east of the river in Buckman. I was a little skeptical at first, but WE LOVED IT. The location was walking distance to a few breweries, literally a block away from Lardo (more about that later), and a short (less than 10 minutes) uber ride across the bridge to Downtown.
TRANSPORTATION
If you plan on staying around the city, public transportation is great. BUT if you are planning on going hiking, the trails are outside of the city so I highly recommend renting a car for your trip. We took our rental downtown a couple of times to get coffee and surprisingly had zero trouble with parking!!
WHAT TO EAT
There are a few locations - we ended up at the one in Alberta because it was the closest to us. Loved this neighborhood. So much color. We arrived at around 11am on a Friday and there was a line, but it moved quickly.
#1 recommendation: The Reggie Deluxe—fried chicken, bacon and cheese topped with gravy + egg with their infamous biscuits. I’m drooling just thinking about the biscuits and the gravy. It’s a heavy meal so I shared, but kind of regretting not eating my own, lol. You also have to order the Hash Ups to share.
609 SE Ankeny St C, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 740-2907
I shared the khao man gai (Hainan chicken and rice) and the pork and rice. The khao man gai is simplicity at its best. I really liked the sauce. Ask for extra Thai chili peppers to give it a nice kick. The pork and rice was very, very flavorful. Had hints of star anise.
Great place for lunch or dinner. Multiple locations. They specialize in a variety of sandwiches. We ordered a bunch of sandwiches to share. I would skip the dirty fries. The group’s favorite: Korean pork shoulder – the meat is incredibly tender and their housemade kimchi is SO GOOD. A 10/10 sandwich.
“Don’t fall into the hype!” “It’s not that great!” “I’ve had better!” Well, whatever. We went anyway, but mostly because this is one of the places that Anthony Bourdain highly recommended and he loved the maple bacon. Voodoo takes cash only so plan ahead or they have an ATM inside. The line looks crazy, but it goes by really quickly because the cashiers are super efficient and know how to keep the line going. We ordered the voodoo, bacon caramel, and a couple others. This is also right next to the “Keep Portland Weird” sign if you want to do it for the ‘gram really quick.
580 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
(503) 621-9251
Prepare for a long wait. We were warned so we went to Tasty and Alders before we got coffee and donuts to put our name on the list. The guy gave us a 2-hour estimate so we went to Pittock Mansion to kill time. Honestly, the food was just aight - I wouldn’t recommend it. Overrated and definitely not worth a 2-hour wait. Maybe because some were “Korean-inspired” and tasted like mediocre Americanized Korean dishes? The portions were too tiny. OH but I really LOVED their Korean inspired Bloody Mary made with gochujang.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
HIKING: TRAIL OF TEN FALLS
One of my friends who used to live in Portland recommended this hike. I’m soooo glad she did because everything else on my list was more of a tourist trap. Trail of Ten Falls is about an hour and a half away from the city and it is 7+ miles! Don’t be scared away by the distance. There is some incline here and there, but it isn’t a difficult hike. And the views are breathtaking. I found this website very helpful. I highly recommend this hike. It was definitely the most memorable experience. 100% worth it.
Tips:
Start at the South Falls Lodge Trailhead. Huge parking lot. Drive up to the front and get a parking pass (parking machine, $5) first before parking otherwise you’ll have to walk back and forth!
Bring water and snacks. It’s a long hike.
Wear a light jacket. It gets chilly throughout the hike because most of it is shaded.
Use the restroom before you start—no bathrooms on the trail.
Plan to be there for 3-4 hours.
Pick up a map at the lodge. The trail is a loop so you can go either direction and you’ll end up in the same place. We walked towards the Winter Falls first and made our way back around to the South Falls.
GO EARLY! This place is a tourist trap, but for a good reason. It is simply stunning. A local recommended parking at Rooster Rock State Park and taking the free shuttle to Multnomah. The Columbia Gorge Express shuttle leaves every 30 minutes. Check status and timetables here if you want to plan it out. Short walk from the parking lot to the waterfall. Kid/elderly friendly.
3229 NW Pittock Dr, Portland, OR 97210
A mansion from the 1800s with an amazing view of Portland. Lots of families were having picnics on the lawn. I really enjoyed the rose garden. Not a must on the list, but a great place to stop by if you’re looking for a quick attraction.
SHOPPING
No sales tax in Portland so take advantage of that. We went to the Nike outlet because we couldn’t find out way into the Nike Employee store (boo!) but I was pleasantly surprised because I found some really great deals at the outlet + an additional 10% military discount!
BEER CRAWL
We knew we had so many breweries we wanted to hit and very little time so we planned to do a PDX beer crawl for the rest of our day/night—one beer at each location.
BASE CAMP BREWING COMPANY: 930 SE Oak St, Portland, OR. The first of many beers we had on our trip. Very spacious, industrial feel. Reminded me of some of the breweries in San Diego. There is also an outdoor seating area an a Mexican food truck that posts up outside. I definitely enjoyed my IPA flight. The crowd pleaser was the Send It IPA.
CASCADE BREWING: 6770 SW 111th Ave, Beaverton, OR. I'm not into sour beer at all, but I decided to give it a second chance at the “House of Sour” and I’m so glad I did. The honey ginger lime was my beer of choice. 6.8% alcohol content, but it tasted like kombucha. Dangerous. A few of these could escalate the night really quickly. I highly recommend sour beers for anyone who is not really into hop. Regardless of your preference, Cascade is a must.
MODERN TIMES: 600 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR. A San Diego staple and my second favorite brewery of all time (second to Elysian!). When they opened in LA, we were so excited to try their special edition “Now Open in LA IPA”. Every time Modern Times opens a brewery in a different city, they create a “Now Open in ___” beer so we made it a point to try their Portland version. Unfortunately, they only had the cans available and did not let us enjoy them inside so we came back at the end of the night to pick up a 4 pack. The Portland Modern Times mimics the ambiance of the San Diego breweries—hip, open, colorful, and lively.
MULTNOMAH WHISK{E}Y LIBRARY: 1124 SW Alder St, Portland, OR. Beware of the wait! My sweet husband headed there when they opened to put our name on the list. They gave him a 3-hour estimate and they call you to give you 15 minutes to get there, which is perfect because all of the breweries are about 10-15 minutes away from one another (either walking distance or Uber if you’re across the bridge). Call me a weirdo, but upon entry I immediately thought of Beauty & the Beast. Remember when the Beast gives Belle his library and that’s when they fall in love? Multnomah Whiskey Library looks like the Beast’s library, but instead of books— WHISK{E}Y BOTTLES. Now THIS is the type of library this type of princess would swoon over - the bar ladders to the green library lights. Other than the décor, I loved the experience. My favorite thing about mixology is watching my bartender make my drink, but you don’t usually get to experience that unless you’re sitting at the bar. Not at Multnomah. The bartender brings the bar (cart) to your table and crafts your drinks right in front of you. With our whiskey, we enjoyed the meat board, which is not your typical charcuterie board. It came with bone marrow, pate, sausages, and pickled veggies.
DESCHUTES BREWERY: 210 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR. This brewery is huge! A modern sports bar feel. I’ve only had the Fresh Squeezed IPA, which I LOVE so I had to order it on tap. Tastes even better. Another favorite was the Passion Fruit IPA. Also delicious. Definitely worth a trip.
10 BARREL BREWING CO.: 1411 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR. 10 Barrel has a really cool rooftop, but it was wayyyy too packed. Us Californias, who are spoiled with great weather almost year round, decided to give up our rooftop space for the Portland peeps and headed downstairs. The indoor space is also very cool and lively. My favorite beer was the Pearl—it’s a double IPA with notes of pine & grapefruit. YUM! Chris really liked the London Calling English IPA, which had hints of caramel and grassy herbs (tastes better than it sounds, lol).