This past weekend I went to Portland to celebrate my best friend, Melissa’s birthday.
10 years ago I met Melissa in Nor Cal while working for her as a USY Advisor. She was sweet, funny and we had a lot in common. Through out the years we grew even closer. She hosted my bridal shower and my sheva brachot (after wedding dinner). She always make time to see me and my family when she comes to LA. And she is the best person to call when you want to chat. To celebrate her 40th birthday she invited a few close group of friends to stay at her house.
DAY 1
After landing Thursday evening, Melissa took us to our first stop in Portland, Voodoo Doughnut. This eclectic shop has over 50 different kinds of doughnuts, is covered in pink paint and has super art throughout. We got the Old Dirty Bastard, Snickers Doughnut, and Portland Cream. Yum!!!We walked around for a bit, got pizza and checked out a few places.
DAY 2
We slept in a bit, ran some errands and then made our way out to lunch. After lunch we went to the Nike Employee Store. Melissa’s sister-in-law works for Nike so we checked out the store and bought some shoes. Our next stop was Melissa’s yogurt shop, Yo Zone. She recently bought the shop so going in everyday while we were in town was lot’s of fun. So proud of her! We concluded the evening with Shabbat dinner with her family and friends. DAY 3
We started the day with pomegranate mimosas and brunch at Cheryl’s in downtown Portland.This restaurant is known for their beignets before the meal. Sweets before a meal, I like the way they think! Cheers to the birthday girl!After brunch we walked around a bit. I loved the fresh air and crystal blue sky!Our next stop was the Pittock Mansion. The views were gorgeous and the trees were beautiful. I loved seeing all the moss everywhere. Since we were so high up we even got to see snow. Sarah and I were both very excited!The next stop might have been my favorite (shhh, don’t tell Melissa!). While looking for things to do in Portland, The Cullen House popped up! If you know me personally you know how much I was into the whole Twilight craze. My sister and I even went to the all premiers. See more here.We got out, took some pictures and then the owner came out and told us to leave! Ahhh! If you’re not familiar with this house here is what it looked like in the movie. After we picked up her friend from the airport we checked out the Rose Gardens. However there were no roses to be found. I still thought it was a beautiful area. We squeezed into her SUV and made our daily visit to Yo Zone.We all took a glorious nap and got ready for dinner. Melissa was so sweet and got us a limo for the evening.For dinner we went to SuBe for sushi. Before our next stop we took the limo around town. We stopped at the Columbia River.
We ended the night with some fun at the Barrel Room. I wasn’t so good about taking pictures. DAY 4
We woke up and had Melissa’s homemade bagels. Yum!!Our outing for the day was Powell’s Books. I could have stayed all day! I picked up a few gifts for the kiddos and was ready for my flight. Instead of eating lunch near the airport we deiced to check out the food carts.With multiple flights and times I got to the airport on the earlier side. While walking around I spotted a spa. I decided since I was still not on mom duty, Id’ end my trip with a little neck and shoulder massage. Ahhh! Thank you Melissa for inviting me and for all for the fun memories! Until next time…
Big shout out to my hubby for holding down the fort! This trip would have not have happened if it weren’t for his love and support. Not only did he take kids out on outings, he dressed and did Sarah’s hair for their first father daughter dance.
[…] This past winter break I took the kids on a trip to Portland, Oregon. My friend Melissa Lives there. I visited her a few years ago and blogged about it here. […]