- Ben Thornton
- Jan 29, 2022
- 3 min read
Sometimes you meet people, become great friends, only to have them move away to a different city. I have been this person. I made a great group of friends in Charlotte either through work or a backpacking meetup I joined, which ultimately I left to pursue my life in Seattle.
I used to think this was a negative thing. Something to look at through the lens of nostalgia. But I have come to realize that having friends in different places is actually an asset. Not only do you have places to visit, but you get a local’s perspective into wherever you are.
Josh and I are familiar with Portland, as several of our good friends live in the area. We have experienced on multiple occasions just how great of a “food town” Portland is. Whether its having a quick bite at a food cart, savoring a bowl of next-level noodles, or even adventuring into uncharted culinary territory, a trip to Portland would not be complete without eating as much as possible while there.
This past Thursday, I hopped on a train and set off for Portland. I worked from my friend‘s house on Friday and at lunch we were able to wander out and pretend we were living in a pre-pandemic world. My friend and I used to venture out at lunch during our workweek to sample the best of Seattle—but with the pandemic and her moving away this pretty much came to a halt. We walked a couple of blocks and ate at an outdoor food court comprised of several tempting food carts. When someone says, “this place has good BBQ”, I am willing to take them up on that and see for myself. I tried the NC style pulled pork sandwich and the queso mac and cheese, my friend ordered the ribs. Both came out looking so delicious I had to snap a picture. The sandwich was very good and a valiant effort to recreate what I grew up knowing first hand. Nothing will ever come close to a true bbq sandwich in a small, unsuspecting metal building off the beaten path somewhere in a random NC town—but the folks at Matts BBQ did well. There was even a tomato vinegar dip which I was pleased with.
Dinner was even more decadent with Spanish-style tapas. Again, Portland is a foodie‘s playground.
The next morning we set off for Mt. Hood to enjoy an afternoon of cross country skiing. The weather was perfect and at times even slightly warmish with all the winter layers on. We skied two laps of the beginner level routes that totaled to a 4-mile loop we completed twice. So, a nice and active winter day. Mt. Hood was gorgeous and I only managed to fall a couple times, of which one was while standing still talking and the other walking to the car.
On Sunday we had lunch at a great little Mexican spot, Republica, where they made their own tortillas in house. I had the pozole which was a nice treat on an overcast winter day.
Before heading back home we walked up to the Portland Japanese Gardens. This was my first time visiting, but I know it will most be not be my last. I absolutely love Japanese landscape design and was really inspired by the gardens. I was, afterall, the kid who installed a Zen garden on the side of his house (which my mom called the neighborhood litter box because of the sand I used to fill it in).
We ended up having a relaxing cup of matcha tea and assorted sweets before heading to the train station. If you are looking for something to do in Portland, the Japanese gardens are certainly worth a visit.
To wrap this post up, it was a great trip. Lots of incredible food, sights and adventures. There’s always something new to discover in Portland and I can’t wait for my next trip down.
