I went to Portland to visit family and pick up tax free merchandise. It has been awhile since I've flown directly to
Portland Airport. I flew up on
United Airlines and was glad to have been upgraded on the flights. Unfortunately, there were weather delays and I had to jump on an alternate flight on my first leg. My original flight was going to be delayed almost 3 hours and I didn't want to miss my connection. I was able to catch the next flight out by the skin of my teeth (I was the last person to get on the plane) and giving up the upgraded seat on my original flight. :(
The fares to the Northwest is really tight, I was surprised at the prices and fares. With that being the case, my trip to Portland amounted to one day given the timing and cheapest fare combination. To make the most of the day, I was able to have lunch with my cousins at Ha VL at
Wing Ming Market Centre, 2738 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland,
OR 97266. I hadn't had bun bo hue in a long time and the soup was good. They also make Vietnamese sandwiches and I tried the meatball special. Pretty tasty, the bread was the right texture of crisp and chewiness. The restaurant only serves two items per day and closes shop once they run out of the soup. Sandwiches are always available until the close. When I was at the restaurant, I heard the phone ring alot with people confirming that the restaurant was still open. I guess the locals all know.
 |
| Looks so tasty, looks can be deceiving |
 |
| They do have interesting flavor combinations |
Afterwards, wandered over to the Alphabet District and had ice cream at
Salt & Straw. Opted for the ice cream sampler which came in four flavors of your choosing. I had the strawberry coconut sorbet, the salted caramel ice cream, beast, and almond brittle ice cream. My favorite was the almond brittle and the strawberry/coconut sorbet. I also bought the peanut butter & berry donut. As appetizing as they look, stick with the ice cream.
 |
| Multnomah Falls |
Charged up with sugar, headed out to
Multnomah Falls which is about 45 minutes outside of Portland. Interestingly, the parking for the falls is in the middle of the highway with a pedestrian tunnel underneath to get you to the fall entrance. The falls has a visitor center/lodge and you can grab some food and souvenirs if you were so inclined. I also visited the
Crown Point Vista House on the way back to the city. The house was nice and the vista was pretty cool. If you were doing a road trip, it is a nice break to see the river and grab some snacks. The prices are pretty reasonable.
 |
| Vista at Crown Point |
At night, I was persuaded to attend a wedding reception dinner because one of my cousins didn't want to go. The reception was at HK Cafe at
4410 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland,
OR 97266. The food was good for a wedding and has become popular with the asians in the area. The one thing I liked about this reception was that there was a separate children room. The kids were entertained by a clown who could make balloon gear. It must be my age because I don't remember clowns make rocket packs or swords. I guess the days have past when making animals was considered cool.
 |
| Kids super excited to be super heroes |
Afterwards, grabbed dessert to go from
Random Order Coffeehouse & Bakery. I had seen this bakery listed on a F&W list of best pies and thought to try. I ordered the salted caramel apple pie and banana cream pie. Both were good, crust was excellent. I was tempted to get the strawberry rhubarb pie because I have a friend that lusts after this kind of pie but opted for the other two.
 |
| You should always throw your trash away and be kind to the person after you |
The next day, flew out of Portland at the crack of dawn. I have had a discussion with a friend about trash in planes. My habit is anything I'm not taking with me, I leave on the floor. My friend's argument is that it is better to leave it in the seat pocket so the crew has an easier time to grab it. I've responded that given the number of times I've been in plane, trash on the floor is always picked up but trash in the seat pocket can be missed. So in honor of that discussion, proof of my point above!
I had a long layover in San Francisco and opted to go into the city for lunch with my sibling. I went to
American Eatery in the Ferry Plaza because of a
BBE promo. The restaurant is part of a butcher shop and advertised organic meats. I ordered the green goddess burger and found the burger OK. Definitely pricey. I don't think I'd go back since I find other burger joints more appealing. I will say that I did have an issue with the bill, the cashier forgot to discount the food. Once I was able to find the twitter handle, they were pretty quick to respond! :)
On my way back to the airport, I noticed that United no longer flew into Oakland. It might have been announced earlier but it didn't hit me until this trip as I saw how much United has taken over SFO. I went through the international terminal security line because I found it shortest and couldn't find the express lines for frequent fliers. I also noticed that the puddle jumper flights out of SFO requires you to take a shuttle bus to another terminal that looks like an add on. I guess that is how they worked out the flights that were operated by regional jets because there is no jetway when getting on these flights.
Comments