Thingsaroundpdx

Food

Tao of Tea - Fee required to enter the Lan Su Chinese Garden where the tea house is located ... for a full flight of tea plan on 2-3 hours.

Batter Up - Tastiest Waffles in the world. This is John and Terri's favourite food truck!

Pepper Box Cafe In Portland you can not find good Mexican food .. but you can find good New Mexican food.

Santeria - Not great Mexican but still pretty good if you're having a hankering for it, need late night food downtown (open until 2 AM) or you're looking for reasonably priced eats with seating vs. a food truck. Lots of options for vegetarians and vegans. Located at SW Ankeny right across from Bailey's Taproom. They deliver to Bailey's, too, if you are in the mood for beer and tacos.

Salt & Straw - Everyone's going to tell you tales about donuts, but the actually delicious weird Portland food is ice cream!

Podnah's Pit - Incredible barbecue. Get the Pit Boss and share with a friend. The Texas Caviar is also excellent.

Mother's Bistro - Terrific breakfasts and nice comfort food dinners. Reservations recommended.

John Street Cafe - If you're out for the day to look at the St. John's Bridge and Cathedral Park, stop in at the John Street Cafe for brunch. When you're ready for coffee, head to Anna Banana's, the local place, for a great cup of joe. The food and the view from the park are well worth the drive.

Little Bird - New French cuisine with more reasonable prices than its sister restaurant Le Pigeon. Reservations needed and available via OpenTable.

Pok Pok - Everyone will tell you to head here for the wings. They're right, but the whole menu is filled with lovely pan-South Asian fusion cuisine. Reservations only available for parties of 6+ and definitely needed.

Screen Door - The French Toast for this place is legendary. Expect a line. No reservations. If you're interested in a memorable brunch, well worth the wait.

Tin Shed Garden Cafe - Mellow breakfast place with outdoor patio. Pooches welcome to dine with you if they are well behaved. Lots of options for vegetarians and vegans, too. Stroll along Alberta after breakfast for fun boutiques, record stores and tons of independent cafes serving home made baked goods.

Woodlawn Coffee - The coffee is fantastic but the treats are even better. The gluten free coffee cake is simply not to be missed, especially during berry season. You can work here from your laptop for hours and no one will mind.

Breakside Brewery - Right next door to Woodlawn Coffee, this brewpub features creative and tasty microbrews, including their Aztec with peppers and cinammon. Even more enticing for the deep fried pickles.

Entertainment

Darcelle XV Showplace - Darcelle XV & Company have been entertaining audiences in all walks of life for over 37 years with Las Vegas-style cabaret revues of Glitz, Glamour and Comedy. Stop by when you are in Portland and you will be glad that you did!

Outdoors

Columbia gorge & Multnomah falls - Beautiful scenic area with many short hikes, as well as scenic viewpoints and waterfalls visible directly from the road. Terri particularly likes the super short walk to Latourell falls

Seaside, OR and Cannon Beach, OR - a couple of nearby beaches if you'd like to see the coast. They're about 1.5h from Hillsboro. The water is very chilly, but the beach sand is warm. Great places to relax and fly a kite.

Forest Park - a huge natural area in Portland filled with trails (not unlike Ottawa's greenbelt, for the Canadians!). The trails are mostly free, but there is a charge for parking.

• The lovely Japanese garden is a great spot for photos, but costs $9.50 for adults.
• Perhaps the most popular garden is the International Rose Test Garden, which is free and on a clear day, you can get a nice view of Mount Hood.
• Looking for a short trail that's a bit less crowded? The Audobon trail has a little pond and a wild bird care centre.
• Pittock mansion has great views of the mountains around Portland: Mount Hood and Mount St. Helen's are the close ones, with Mount Rainier and Mount Adams further out. I've never been in the museum but I hear it's neat!

Shopping

Powell's - Portland's giant independent bookstore has a few locations, but if you want the full experience check out the city-block-o-books downtown. And don't forget, no sales tax in Oregon!