(Adina has a very colorful decor)
We first headed to a neighborhood in Portland called the Pearl district. Full of fancy shops that carry antiuqes, home crafted gifts, extravagant bedding, and cafes all along the streets. Andina, a peruvian restaurant that was full of color in its decor and menu. The staff was wonderfully accomodating!
(Crab Stuffed Avocado Salad)
Reading about the rich history of Portland, and wanting a good brew we visited one of the many facilities Kennedy School that McMinnimon Brewery has renovated. You can walk the halls and have lunch or dinner in one of their many eateries. There were no reservations left for us to stay there, so I just asked if we could see one of the rooms, and they gladly took us on a tour. Chalk boards still grace the walls of the old school rooms, and maybe even the laughter of children haunt the many nook and crannies of this charming place.
I took many shots of the schools wonderful and creative (some renovations) architecture inside and out, but I will leave you something to want for.
(Restaurant- Beast...what seems to be chalkboard graffiti adorns even the bathroom)
Reading about the Executive Chef, Naomi Pomeroy, describing her menu as 'Ghetto French', and seeing featured on a food and wine magazine made us crave more. Communal seating, tacky writing on the walls, the menu chosen for you? Hey we did notice you can take your own bottle in with you if you decide not to get the wine pairing accompaniment.
(local grocery/deli has Thursday night open mic out front for locals)
Sometimes I am amused at what I get us into sometimes, being so friendly. This night even with our GPS in hand we got lost looking for a liquor store so I could have my night cap of chocolate and scotch. After urging him to stop and ask this group outside of a neighborhood grocer/deli, I made friends as usual and they treated us to good music and some great wine. Wish I could remember what it was???
Lets get down to the real wine drinking! We hit many wineries along the trail of Willamette Valley; it's subsection, Dundee Hills.
(My hubby tasting at Sokol Blosser)
The vineyards in September were glorious, and many had not covered the grapes yet with netting to keep the birds out the the photo opportunities were boundless.
(Porland's Saturday market is amazing compared to our tiny ones here in NJ)
Our trip along the Oregon trail led us to the Portland Zoo and Farmers Market, so I could see the wonderful black bear exhibit I was told about, but was closed. We also visited the aeronautics museum that holds the 'Spruce Goose'. A great place if you are into that sort of stuff!
(near a winery we noticed someone planted pumpkins near their drive; the ones closest to the gravel had bloomed and were growing rather fast to the other bare vines)
McMinnville was a neat town while vineyard hopping. We stayed in the Oregon Hotel, and that was an experience. The shared bathroom was fine, but our room was tiny! They have many dining options too (great oatmeal for breakfast), but we enjoyed the rooftop bar.
Once we finished polishing off a few bottles of tasting, packing our purchases away, we headed along the scenic coast to Astoria for a stop; then on to Port Angeles, a ferry ride away from Vancouver Island, BC. Breath taking views of wildlife, rivers, and oceanic waves thundering below us. We knew we had to come back here!
This was hard for me to pick only a few from the many pictures I took, but you can always see more I have downloaded on another one of my sites, just email me at elizabeth@cookappeal.com, and I will be glad to share!