OH YOU BEAUTIFUL PORTLAND. Let me start this blog by saying you at least need a week or more to explore Portland. So long story short, I will be visiting Portland for a longer duration and I will be posting an updated blog with all the places you must see. I believe to give you all some useful information about the places to visit, I wanted to be there myself and then write about it. 

        I had so many emotions while I was exploring this very laid back city. It feels you are one step closer to every part of nature, be it the ocean, the forest or the majestic mountains. I fell in love with the vibe of this hipster city which I could very closely associate myself to. The people in Portland are warm, very welcoming no matter what you look like. The streets are lined with beautiful trees and while I was driving around in the morning, the sun glistened through the trees casting such a vintage look to the city, I asked myself why I was so late to visit this place. If you get to know me more, you will understand that I never visit a place without a list, places to see, places to stay and most importantly where to eat. Since this was a very spontaneous road trip, I did not have any time to plan and I felt so crippled without my list. Having said that, even with the lack of planning, I must say I made some pretty good memories here. 

         Portland for me is all about nature.There are so many beautiful parks,gardens and hiking trails to choose from. One thing that I understood from my short trip is that you need to do a little bit of planning if you want to efficiently use your time to see as much as possible. I say that because, most of the trials that I wanted to explore needed me to spend anywhere between 2 to 6hrs and since I had very little time in hand, I had to trade them off to see another place. Believe it or not, the state of Oregon has at least 230 waterfalls and I was disappointed that I did not get to see Multnomah Falls, the largest of them all, which was on my bucket list. Okay, I think I made a clear point that you need more time in Portland. Now, if you’re like me, having just one day in this beautiful place where would you wanna go?

 

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

5801 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97202

I was pretty burnt out from the 11 hours drive from California and in the morning I wanted to go to a place where I don’t have to hike or spend too much energy. Crystal Springs is a beautiful garden with plenty of benches overlooking the lake. Be it the bright consummate flowers all around the walking path or the wide winged birds doing a headstand in the water and being so carefree and absorbed in their own world. This place is pet-friendly and my little fur baby watched the birds in awe! This place has an entrance fee of $5 per person and if you want to do a professional photoshoot or videos they charge upto $35 and they give you total privacy!

 

The Forest Park

4099 NW Thurman St, Forest Park, Portland, OR

The majestic 5200 acres park is one of the largest urban forests in the United States with over 70 miles of breathtaking trails. There is a wide variety of easy,medium and difficult loops that you can check out and that could be a little challenging to choose with so many options. Again I had less time and I decided to explore the much hyped Lower Macleay Trail to Stone House( or famously known as Witch’s castle). I was so intrigued by the name that I decided to check it out. You can either do the short half mile hike from the Upper Macleay or reach it via the Lower Macleay which is about a quarter of a mile. This is a very easy hike up and I was fascinated at the moss covered trees and the beautiful streams along the way. This trial is dog friendly(on leash) and did find it heavily trafficked. The stone house is a beauty in itself, lone and enthralling. Unfortunately, I was not about to shoot any videos or pictures there since there were a lot of people and I did not want to invade anyone’s privacy! If you are interested to know more about it, I’m linking the best article I found on this place by my favourite author Hailey.

https://www.americamybeautiful.com/witchs-castle-portland/

 

Washington Park:

4033 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221

You might want to spend more time here since it includes a Zoo, forestry museum, an Arboretum, Japanese and rose gardens, memorials, picnic areas and 15 mile hiking trails. Parking can be a bit of a problem since the spaces are limited especially in the evenings. Be prepared to walk a lot because all the places mentioned above are widely placed. I went there thinking I could park and walk into one of the Gardens but apparently I was wrong since it took some time to get there and they all close at 5pm except the picnic areas and the hiking trails.

Rocky Butte and James Woodhill Park

Address: 4099 NW Thurman St, Forest Park, Portland, OR

If you are in the mood for a nice evening stroll with a city’s skyline search no more. Rocky Butte offers a stunning view of the city and the mountains. It’s a unique caste structure lined with beautiful lanterns which makes a pretty sight in the evenings. The big long stairs make a popular place for taking cinematic pictures and it would also be a nice romantic place to take your date and steal a kiss!

Where to Stay in Portland:

Last but not least, the best decision I made was to stay at Georgina’s place (Airbnb). Her place itself is an escape from the outside world with beautiful trees all around and a pretty awesome deck where you can sit and take in the nature that is so serene. Her place was extremely clean, and I had everything I needed for a comfortable stay. There were so many things I loved about her place starting from her bookshelf, to the most comfortable bed I have slept in and to top it all you get to enjoy your own private sauna, that's right! I have linked her airbnb below ( they are pretty booked most of the time!)

 

Note:

Most of the places I have mentioned above are moderately to heavily trafficked so please make sure to wear a mask in all public places and practise social distancing. Stay safe!