Keep Portland Weird? I think so...

Spring break is here and I couldn't be more excited! I usually try and go somewhere for spring break every year and this year I decided to drive to Oregon. Oregon is one of the few west coast states that I have yet to visit and I figured this would be a great time to visit and knock it off the bucket list. I was originally supposed to begin my journey on Tuesday April 16th, but after doing some research and learning about things going on in Portland, I decided to leave around 11 pm on Monday night and the reason why was so I could make it to Portland in time to catch the Portland Trailblazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game which was Tuesday night. I drove until about 2 am and pulled into a truck stop somewhere in Redding, CA and decided to call it a night. I slept in my car that night to the sound of rain drizzling on my car. I woke up around 8 am and continued my drive to Oregon. After about 5 more hours of driving, I made it Eugene, Oregon. I decided to make a pit stop here and check out my "dream college", The University of Oregon. I've been a Ducks fan for quite a while and if they had a wrestling team, they would've been my first choice. I stopped by Autzen stadium and walked around campus before stumbling upon the team store. It was like walking into heaven. There was so much Ducks gear and accessories that I couldn't resist myself. I had to splurge and spent roughly $180 on Oregon Ducks gear (well worth it). By the time I left, my hands were full of bags and I was ready to continue my journey to Portland, Oregon.

About an hour and a half later, I finally made it to Portland. It was about 3:30 pm and the game started at 7:30 pm, so it was perfect timing. I checked into my hostel, HI Portland Northwest hostel, got settled in, took a shower, and then made the walk to the Moda center. When I arrived at the Moda center, the pregame party was at its peak. They had a stage set up with a live band, they had booths giving away prizes and team gear, there was a basketball court set up for people to shoot, and my favorite, Alpacas! Yes, they had Alpacas and of course I had to wait in line and get a picture with some Alpacas! (see picture below). My day was complete after this but I decided to head into the arena & watch what I paid to see. I could've cared less who won the game but since I was in Portland, I decided to root for the home team, and they won!

It ended up being a great 1st day in Portland, but that was just the beginning....

Day 2-

I decided to do a little sightseeing today and started the day by visiting the Rose garden, something Portland is known for. Unfortunately, in April, flowers are blooming yet, so there were only a handful of flowers that were actually full grown. Then I went & checked out the Japanese Garden. Although it was a soothing and relaxing place, I don't think it's worth the $17 price tag it takes to get in. So my advice would be to skip this on your visit to Portland. All this walking around made me build up quite an appetite and so I decided to head to Hopworks Urban Brewery for a bite to eat. I demolished a Hubernero burger (yes, I spelled that right) and a flight of their homemade beverages. I would definitively recommend the burger for sure. Afterwards, I decided to splurge a bit and try the famous "Salt & Straw" ice cream parlor. I'm not a big sweets guy but figured a small sundae wouldn't hurt. However, if you are looking for something unique and original, I would recommend getting the Cloudforest Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies & Cream ice cream! So good and it's homemade, of course. My next stop was Pittock Mansion. No idea what it is exactly, but I knew it was a cool spot to view the city from above. I made it just in time for sunset and snagged a few cool pics as well.

Day 3-

Today I woke up around 7 am to do a little hiking and to visit the one place that I've been wanting to visit for a long time. Essentially, it was the main purpose for this trip and that was to see Multnomah Falls. My friend, Amy, accompanied me on this hike called Angel's Rest. It was a 10 mile hike up and around the mountain until we reached the lookout. At the lookout, you could see the border of Portland and Washington as it is divided by the Colombia river. Really cool place and very relaxing, would recommend for sure. After the hike, we hopped in the car and made our way to the ever so popular Multnomah falls. The great thing about this place (and also the bad thing) is that you don't have to hike a ridiculous amount to get to the falls. You can literally drive right up to it, park, and then see it. The waterfall was humongous and beautiful! Even though it was packed with people, it wasn't hard to get a cool picture with no one in the background. Another cool picturesque waterfall is Wakeena falls, which is close by and definitely worth the visit if you are in the area.

After our long hike, Amy & I were literally starving and decided to go to the famous McMenamins for lunch. Now if you have heard of McMenamins, then you know there are a bunch of different & unique ones to visit. We went to the Power Station Theater & Pub and the place is massive! You could spend hours just walking around the grounds of this place, it's that big and cool. I had the hammerhead cheese steak with Cajun tater tots. Word to the wise; make sure you get the Cajun tater tots! They are bomb and on the "secret" menu.

After a long and tiring day, I was ready for a nap but because I only have so much time in Oregon, I decided to do something completely crazy after a long and exhausting hike. I wanted to go to Cannon Beach! It was already about 5 pm at this time and it is about an hour and a half drive from Portland to Cannon Beach, which means I would arrive just in time to watch the sunset. So I hopped in my car and jetted towards the coast. I made it just in time and luckily for me, it wasn't too crowded. I was able to snap a bunch of cool pictures & enjoy the view before the sun went down. I was probably there for less than an hour and then hopped back in my car and drove another hour an a half back to Portland! I know I'm crazy but that's how I operate when I travel. I just go-go-go-go. In the end, it was worth the drive and I'm glad I was able to visit of the best beaches in the world and it's also the place where they filmed the classic 1985 movies, The Goonies! A drive worth making if you are visiting Portland. After it was all said and done, I had walked 11.5 miles & hit 27,000 steps for the day. Needless to say, I was exhausted & ready for bed.

Day 4-

Today, I had no plans. I woke up at a decent time and decided to go grab some donuts. If you look up things to visit in Portland, Voodoo donuts is something that will automatically pop up. It's a place where they make really crazy & unique donuts. However, the line for that place is ridiculously long and it is a tourist trap (what the Portlanders say). So I avoided Voodoo donuts and instead went to the better tasting, Blue Star Donuts. I had the OG donut and a passionfruit donut. I would recommend the OG donut for sure and give the passionfruit donut an average score. I'm not a huge fan of fruity donuts, just thought I should try something different. Afterwards, I decided to do a little brew tour on my own, since that is something that Portland is known for as well. I went to so many places that it's hard to keep track but I'll get to that a little later. My second stop was at Von Ebert and it was here where I met Brad from Austin, Texas. We started talking and hit it off right away. Turns out he was on his own brew tour and so we decided to team up and do it together. All in all, I went to: Breaker, Von Ebert, Deschutes, Hair of the Dog, Cascade, Ex Novo, Great Notion, Ecliptic, Stormbreaker, & 10 Barrel. Pretty productive tour, if I do say myself. Later that night, we stopped in at Afuri for some spicy ramen, which was amazing and then made our way to Ground Kontrol, which is a cool little arcade type of place for adults. I then finished the night off by stopping at a lovely food truck and got some swarmha & rice. If you've never had swarmha, you are missing out. Anyways, day 4 was highly successful and super fun.

Day 5-

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Portland and what better way to spend my day than to walk around the streets of Portland. I hit up my buddy Brad and met up with him at the largest new & used bookstore in the United States, Powell's bookstore. The place is massive! You could literally spend all day in there and get totally lost in literature (literally). After, we took a stroll down to the Saturday market, which is located down by the river. Apparently it occurs every Saturday & Sundays from March till December, so if you are in Portland on the weekend, this is something that is definitely worth checking out. Super cool, hip, (and of course) weird little market that has everything a Portlander, or tourist, would want. At this point of the day, I was starving, so the only thing I bought from the market was a bomb.com gyro....Seriously, that's what it was called and it was indeed bomb. I also got to join a band while at the market. Some weird dude playing all these weird instruments was playing music for everyone and asked if I wanted to join in. Of course I say yes, duh! I grabbed the simplest maraca there was and I just killed it. Crowd gave me a standing ovation and a tip! Just kidding about that last part, but it was fun and definitely made my Portland experience even weirder than it has already been.

Next stop: Kennedy Elementary School.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why are you going to an elementary school? Well, this wasn't your ordinary elementary school. No, no no. This was another McMenamin's, the weird places that I talked about earlier. This abandoned elementary school was transformed into a hotel, restaurant, bar, movie theater, & brewery. It was one of the coolest things that I've been to in Portland. They transformed the classrooms into hotel rooms, the detention room into a bar, the cafeteria is the brewery, the gymnasium turned into a restaurant. It's just one of the coolest things I've seen. Once we finished up walking the halls of Kennedy Elementary, we decided to check out Ecliptic and Stormbreaker, since it was in the area before heading back to the crib for a much needed nap. Successful Saturday, if I do say myself.

Day 6-

It was my last day in Portland and Brad's as well. We decided to meet up for breakfast at Mother's Bistro & bar. Had myself a nice ham & eggs breakfast before my long 9 hour drive back to Sacramento. Enjoyed a nice conversation with my new buddy Brad and walked around town for a bit before saying our goodbyes. Every time I travel and meet cool people, saying goodbye is always the worst because you become so close in those short few days of meeting someone but you create a connection & bond that feels like you've known someone for years. For me, I always try & stay in contact with people that I've met because there's a chance that i'll go visit them. Some people I meet don't think like that and forget about the people they meet the moment they leave. I guess it all depends on the person and if you really feel like "friends", then you stay in contact with them, regardless of how far they live. Brad is someone who i'd definitely visit in Austin, Texas and since I've never been to Austin, there is a good chance that I make my way over there one day. Just hope my buddy Brad feels the same way. You're always welcome to visit Sac my dude, just let me know when! I would say my spring break was a successful one and a trip that I'm glad I was able to do. I only have 34 more states to go before hitting them all! #goals

Summer is just around the corner and I am excited for my next traventures. The first of which will take place in Havana, Cuba! Thanks for reading ya'll & stay tuned this summer for more.

Couldn't stay away from the Alpacas during the pregame!