Spending a Day in Portland

I love my city. There is so much to do here, and when the sun is shining there is no place I would rather be. My all time love of the city is the food scene, but I love to combine that with some of the other great features of our city…Hiking, right in the city.

I was looking for a new place for brunch so we decided to hit Ned Ludd. This was such a cool restaurant inside, but what I loved even more was the great outdoor seating. Even though it was a beautiful day, we were alone outside making it feel even better. Food was incredible and hearty, which is just what we needed since we were headed to Forest Park for a hike all the way to Pittock Mansion.

We drove to MacCleay Park and started at the trailhead there.  Grab a map or check out this site for the route as there are a few places you will need to make a decision on which path to take. Although the trail is well labeled you won’t see any signs pointing towards Pittock Mansion, instead you will see them pointing to trail names.  What I love about this trailhead is that it’s really close to the ever popular NW 23rd. You park your car and immediately you are in the forest, hiking on a trail that feels like it could be in the gorge.

You will come upon Stone House and many cool bridges. Since Pittock Mansion is at the top of a hill, you will climb some.

The reward when you get to the top is worth all the effort. Unfortunately the day we were up there it was cloudy enough you couldn’t see Mt. Hood, but the views of the city are still great. You can see many of Portland ionic bridges from up there too. Plus Pittock Mansion is pretty impressive. We did not go in, instead we just wandered the grounds and enjoyed that. If you are local or have friends or family in town, have them get free passes from the library to save money on the entrance fee.

After a short rest we made our way back down to our car. The trail is about 5 miles round trip. You will pass over creeks and walk through some huge trees. The whole hike is a very enjoyable.

After we had finished I figured I deserved a beer and at that point I did need some more food.  Our hope was to hit a new food cart pod (that also has a beer cart) on Division and 28th, but not many were open. We instead headed to Hawthorne and 28th and ate at Carte Blanche and Fried Egg I’m in Love. Fried Egg is now serving beer, so I got my beer. Another great place to head to on a Sunday is NE Alberta and 23rd to a cute pod there with good seating and live funky music every Sunday afternoon. This pod, with it’s 4 carts, also has a beer cart with about 6 taps.

If you have a few hours in Portland and you want to take in the outdoorsy side of Portland, definitely check out Forest Park.  Here are 7 Free Things to do when in Portland in case you are looking for more options, it’s always nice to have options.

What is your favorite way to enjoy Portland?