Touring Portland Oregon in June

I am really a complete homebody. Usually my ideal vacation is spending days off from work just sitting at home, organizing my closet and maybe reading a good book. But I do have many family and friends scattered about the United States, and I'm obliged to visit them ever so often. Late spring, early June, I had the opportunity to visit my brother who recently settled in Portland, Oregon. This is my second time visiting this city, and I must say, each time had been a positive experience. Actually, it was on this trip, that the idea of starting this purple-loving blog came to life! Thus, I snapped a bunch of purple thrills I encountered in Portland...

Powell's Books - I love the organized color-coded rooms at this place. With the store map in hand, self-help computer kiosks in each room and friendly staff, I was able to find the books on my wishlist quite easily in this massive place. I was jumping for joy when they had copies of Paul Gallico's Mrs. Arris Goes to Paris...and New York. For some reason, I have never been able to find these Gallico books at my local library or bookstore. Also, shopping is tax-free in Oregon. No guilt feelings with my purchases here. I enjoyed my experience so much at Powell's, I also bought myself a souvenir tee shirt (in purple of course! Can you spot it in my basket below?)

Pioneer Courthouse Square - this pretty urban park was holding their "Festival of Flowers" during the time I was there. Purple pansies are my favorite flowers. Every time I see these, I feel like it's a personal love message from God. This place is also across from Nordstrom (where I found those lavender sunglasses I mentioned in my introductory post). 

Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe - has quite the creative selections of chocolates. Do not try the tomato basil ones though (tastes literally like tomato basil sauce in chocolate, a weird combination). However, I favored their macarons. Usually, my purple selections are not the best-tasting, but this time, the purple marionberry with the chocolate filling was the best! 

International Rose Test Garden - of course I had to check out the roses since Portland is the "City of Roses." The blooming flowers and landscape was breathtaking. However, I was disappointed that I didn't see any purple-purple roses (maybe they don't exist yet). The closest to purple were these lilac-pink ones called "Love Story." My sister and I debated if they were more pink?

I did manage to find some elusive purple flowers (not roses) on the outskirts of the garden.

Annual Spring Rose Show at Lloyd Center - since they also had the Rose Festival going on (oy, early June is definitely the best time to visit Portland!) we also stopped by the Portland Rose Society Annual Rose Show to check out the winners. Once again, I failed to see any extreme purple roses. The closest was this "Blue Ribbon" variety which has a very similar hue to the "Love Story." Ironically, it did not win a ribbon. However, I thought it had the strongest scent. It brings me back to a time when my family rented a house in southern California where the neighborhood was known for their carnation and rose gardens. My parents had once noted that the pale dusty lilac roses in the neighborhood always emitted the most powerful perfume.  

Andina Restaurant in the Pearl District - this was my first time to a Peruvian restaurant, and I'm in love! I'm ever so grateful that my sister decided to drag me to this place during our adventures downtown. There are so many interesting restaurants in Portland, that it can be overwhelming. This place was definitely the highlight of my trip. Especially the tapas, and especially this Causa Morada...

PURPLE POTATOES, where have you been all my life? I was a bit skeptical about the taste of the Peruvian purple potato, thinking it'll be sweet and musky like the vibrant Filipino purple yam I've tried in the past, but this tastes like regular mashed potatoes. I love that this dish looks strikingly vibrant and exotic, but if you close your eyes, it's like simple homemade mashed potatoes with egg salad, yum! I want to go back to Andina! The desserts were also amazing...we had the crème brûlée, where once again, the local marionberry flavor (I now realized that marionberry is an Oregon thing) was the best. And it's purplish.

SE Division Restaurant Row - on one of the final days of my stay in Oregon, my brother took us to his favorite Pok Pok restaurant. I had my first refreshing Som drinking vinegar, and enjoyed walking down Division street, taking note of all the delightful eateries and food carts we want to try the 'next time' we visit Oregon (regrettably, we were too stuffed from Pok Pok and Salt & Straw to attempt more food in one evening). Can you spot me next to a purple vintage dress in the whimsical Lodekka double-decker bus?

Voodoo Doughnut - a trip to Portland, OR is not complete without a glimpse of the famous Voodoo doughnut shop. Unfortunately, there's always a long, 15-minute wait line. We didn't get the chance to stand in line while there, but I was excited by the purple sign and outdoor decor. I actually have tried their doughnuts before from a day-old box a friend shared from his visit in Portland. I may be biased, but I thought the purple "Grape Ape" was the best of the bunch.

I think Voodoo should consider changing their take-home boxes to purple instead of pink, haha! 

 

The one thing I was hoping to find in Oregon (but did not accomplish), was spotting the new Rogue Wasted Sea Star Purple Pale Ale that I read about in the Smithsonian Smart News prior to my trip. It may be too new to be stocked in the retail stores during my stay in early June though. 

Overall, I felt Portland was not just a "City of Roses" but also a city of creative foods and creative people...and a city for purple-lovers! I definitely left Portland with a bigger list of foods to try and places to see for the next time!