Portland for a Weekend (Fashion Blog Post. I think?)

 

Portland is smaller than Seattle.

But it's lovely still.

And like Seattle, it's very Pacific Northwest -- as in full of personality. People in Portland pride themselves on being quirky: they wear birds in their hair; they rip up stockings on purpose; they walk around in Star Wars costume in public; and they serve jalapenos in cosmos.

I mistook the jalapenos for strawberries. My tongue is still swollen.

 

Why did I visit Portland?

To see college friends. They've been to Seattle multiple times. This weekend was my turn.

Most friends don't keep in touch for this long. I'm lucky to have two who did.

Old friends keep us grounded, no matter how girlie our blogs become.

 

Apparently, there are two main sub-cultures in Portland: hipsters and makers.

I had no idea.

I'm probably explaining it wrong, but hipsters have a bad rap. Supposedly, they talk fast and they talk a lot -- mostly a whole lot of intellectual talk about nothing. But hey, it makes them look smart and, of course, hip.

They wear hip clothes: skinny jeans, tight tops, thick-rimmed glasses and newsboy cap. If not, then an equally stylish and expensive outfit.

They write in Helvetica. It's the font of God. They read The New Yorker, because every article sparks an intellectual conversation.

I don't know anything about that.

Hipsters are harmless. Most of them are grown-up nerds with new money. And when they drop the whole intellectual front, they are actually sweet, personable individuals.

If I were single, I wouldn't exclude the idea of dating a hipster. 

But I prefer "makers."

I married one. He makes things.

Free poems - a very hispter thing to do.

 

Neighborhoods in Portland

One weekend doesn't make me an expert, but I saw a few cool neighborhoods.

Again, Portland is alike Seattle, with quirky, niche-y neighborhoods that boast trendy restaurants and one-of-a-kind stores.

Friday night, we went to the Pearl District, where all the 20-somethings get their drinks on. Regrettably, I'm an overworked, 35-year-old mom, who fell asleep after half a drink.

Apparently one drink is all I can handle.

On Saturday, we drove to the Alphabet District for brunch at Papa Haydyn, which, according to my girlfriends, serves Portland's best desserts. But none of us left room for dessert after a splendid meal. What a shame! 

My salmon apple salad was delicious.

The Alphabet District is a walkable neighborhood, with fantastic coffee and shopping. After lunch, we browsed the local shops, including 3 Monkeys, a thrift store with jacked-up prices, a Salt and Chocolate store, and a pop-up shop.

By the way, Pop-up shops are retail spaces that rent to local businesses for testing. They set up shop for two months, see if a concept works, and if not, they stop. A genius idea if you ask me. 

 

Did you know salt block cooking is THE-THING? I had no clue.

This was a fun store. It sold skincare and makeup.

We ended the day at Hawthorne District, a chill but still walkable neighborhood a lot like Seattle's Ballard. We had a drink at a bar, went thrift-shopping, had another drink at another bar, then went thrift-shopping again.

Portland has a lot of bars and Thrift stores. 

 

Animal prints are still in.

But maybe not all over.

I'll do an owl wallet though. So cute.

It was sad ending a fun-filled, kid-less weekend, but I must come home.

 

I liked Portland, but I LOVE Seattle.

 

Have you visited Portland? I recommend you do.