[see.lai]

Booked our hotel at LaQuinta by the airport

- Next time I'll look to book at downtown Portland, then I don't have to drive back and forth all the time.
- It wasn't shady at all (close to airport). 7/11 is nearby.
- Around $180-$200 USD including breakfast (breakfast wasn't that great though, save your stomach for something else)
- Awesome staff (helped us out quite a bit)
- I'd rate it 3-3.5 stars. Wish I had something more luxurious, though.

Noraneko

- We arrived at 12:30 AM and we were really hungry. Nobody felt like grabbing bar food or mexican food.. So we decided for Ramen.
- This meal is not special at all. Not to be racist, I don't think I'm ever gonna eat ramen unless it's made by a japanese person.
- Waiter kept boasting about the chicken karrage and chashu (tasted like bbqpork)
- For $18, It sucked big time. Just got the job done.


Day 1

Breakfast at ScreenDoor

- Worth the hype, no wait at all. Street Parking in a nice neighborhood.
- Got the Fried Chicken Breast with Biscuits and Gravy. I had my doubts because - it's chicken breast and I expected it to be dry BUT it wasn't. Plenty
of flavour and wasn't too salty. Friends got the waffles with chicken but they over ordered (2 fried chicken breasts, 1 is enough)
- Around $15 each person not including tip

WoodBurne Outlets

- Probably the best outlet in Portland. Managed to grab a few reasonable deals at Nike and adidas. Not much selection on shoes though.

Food Trucks


Nong's Khao Man Gai

- Haianese Chicken with Rice. I actually didn't know they had a restaurant.. Would've went there instead.
- Really flavourful chicken. I actually like Vancouver's chicken more, but I guess this is more for the experience of eating on the streets.

The Dump Truck
- Don't even bother with this one. I'd rather go to T&T and make my own dumplings than try these. Again - it's more for the experience.

Washington Square

- Your average mall. Good for finding some selections of clothing. But no deals because it's a mall. Not much to say here.

Pioneer Square

- I ended up buying shoes at the Nike store here, (4 floors) . Don't expect deals - I ended up buying at full price - which still saves me a bit of money from buying it in Vancouver.

Nordstrom / Nordstrom Rack

- No deals, not much selections.


Pok Pok

- 1 hour 30 minute wait. Decided to walk around the neighborhood.
- Food is alright, not your typical thai food.
- Their fish sauce wings that they rave about were really salty. Also got some curry dish, pork skewers, and shrimp clay pot with noodles. Nothing too special here.
- Overhyped.

Day 2

Brunch Box

- One of the best breakfast sandwiches that I've ever had. Worth the hype. No wait. I got the lumberjack sandwich (french toast sandwich glazed in maple syrup , bacon, eggs, sausage patty, caramelized onions, and some cheese) . Felt like I was eating a McGriddle but better.
- Only $9 . In the downtown area.
- I think this place is known for its burgers too, but I wasn't feeling that for breakfast. Probably the best I've had so far.

Multnomah Falls

- 40 mins away from Portland .
- Another tourist attraction if you don't know what to do. You can also hike the whole thing, but we weren't prepared.
- Don't bother going to the Columbia Gorge Outlet ( on the way to the waterfalls)

Kenny & Zuke's Delicattesen

- Judging from the photos, it looks like they special in Pastrami
- Got a beef Pastrami Sandwich and soup combo - $20 . It was really filling, I would order half a sandwich. I got bored of it when I was finishing my second half.
- Don't know what the hype is about, nonetheless, it was good..

Luc Lac

- We weren't feeling burgers or western food. So we decided for this vietnamese place. (30-40minute wait) It was busy so it had to be a decent place, right?
- Order at the counter , wait for 30 minutes at the bar until we have a table. (unique experience. I guess it's so people can buy drinks while they wait)
- Got the combination dish (pork, chicken , spring rolls, rice). Probably comparable to the Vietnamese places in Vancouver, except the spring roll wasn't crunchy after 20 minutes.
- Don't grab the pho here. Heavy in flavour (MSG?) . Really salty. It's ok if you're craving it, I guess. But don't expect too much.
- Awesome atmosphere.

Voodoo Doughnuts had a 50 minute wait, so we didn't bother.
Departures had a rooftop bar where you can see the downtown of Portland. Decided not to go because we weren't dressed properly. (high-end)
Didn't get to try any of the bars here because I had to drive back to our hotel.

Ground Kontrol
- Near all the clubs in Downtown Portland. Supposedly a highly rated arcade / toursist attraction.
- Don't bother. Not worth your $2 cover to play with some stupid pinball machines while waiting for street fighter etc.. You can drink there, though.

Day 3

Make sure you leave early, 9am. You will get home by 11 pm.

We decided to just grab McDonalds so we could hit up Cannon Beach. 1 hour 30 minute drive.
- This is actually a nice beach (tourist attraction).
- Very fun route driving back (6km bridge, scenic drives) ALTHOUGH, it'll be a long drive until you reach I-5 again.

Seaside Outlets
- Again, went to the nike store, probably the only good thing here.
- The only store with tech-fleece pants, hoodies, shorts, etc. But not the colorway that I wanted. I guess we were lucky to find something here.

Bellevue Square
- Cannon Beach - - - Bellevue Square - 12pm - 6pm. Traffic, washroom breaks, Mcdonalds...
- They have Uniqlo here !

Got back at 11pm. Wish I had more time. Not bad for a first experience.