Portland

Like Seattle we had a quick stop off in Portland and like everybody else I know who’s gone to Portland we both fell in love with the city. Initially when we drove through downtown Portland, neither of us really understood the hype. It looked similar to most other cities in America except for the large amount of bushy trees that shaded the streets and the endless racks of Nike endorsed rental pushbikes.

I quickly did a Pinterest search for Portland as it often gives great advice on the places to see in a city when you’re on a tight time frame.

We decided to head to Mississippi Street to check out the local eateries and shopping. After managing to park Buddy in a parking spot that we didn’t have to pay for (winning!!) we strolled down Mississippi Street stopping at all the cool local shops. I think we both fell in love with the city even more so when we walked into a recycled co-op.

After wandering around the co-op we were able to find a bathroom vanity missing a tabletop, and we also found a sink for $20. Jake had to cut the vanity in half so it could fit into Buddy. Which gave us three draws and a two-door cupboard perfect for our kitchen. Whilst running back to the car with our new sink, so we could quickly pick up the vanity we somehow managed to lose the plug that came with the sink. While I doubled back to try and retrieve it Jake carried on to get Buddy. No sight of the plug and with our new kitchen in the van we both decided it was time for my/Jakes favourite rule “Stop at one local Bar for a drink with the locals”.

We also managed to find Jake a new hat which had been a long time coming. It wasn’t the cheapest trip into a city after the wine & beers we consumed, but who cares I’m now travelling with Bob Dylan.

In terms of advice for Portland theres only three points.

1. Head to Mississippi Street
2. Stay longer than we did.
3. Take more photos than we did.

J x