Out and about: 3 days in Portland

Remember when I told you about The Hello Sessions? Well, the workshop for bloggers and creative entrepreneurs is tomorrow — which means I’m spending three days in Portland starting today!

This trip is super exciting not only because I’ll be hanging out with my best blogging pals, but because I’ll be able to check off two boxes on my travel bucket list:

Visit Portland
Stay at an Ace Hotel

The Ace Hotel Portland is located downtown, a block away from Powell’s Books, in an historic building. To save a couple bucks, Jeran of Oleander and Palm, MJ of Pars Caeli, and I are roughing it in a shared triple. And by “roughing it” I mean that we’re chilling in a 200 square foot room with three twin beds and no bathroom. But we have a sink! And a wall of band posters!

Think hip, expensive hostel, not hotel. It’s a good thing we all have a sense of humor.

When it came time to decide what to wear to The Hello Sessions, at the Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. pre-party, and while playing tourist around town, Jeran reminded us via group text message that Portland is “the opposite of uptight New York City.” So I packed my most laid-back clothing.

Birkenstocks. Cozy knits. Plaid. Black denim. A couple jumpsuits.

Yeah, I’m totally going to be a Portlandia stereotype.

Jeran, MJ and I also discussed how we want to make the most of our precious time away from our kids. When we aren’t getting our learning on at The Hello Sessions, our “momcation” goals can be summed up in three words: Fancy. Gourmet. Doughnuts.

In a recent New York Times “36 Hours” column that my mom clipped for me (she will always and forever be cutting out newspaper articles to share), Portland is described as “one of our national capitals of cool” thanks in part to its “thoroughly hyped food culture.” Among the recommended restaurants — including Ava Gene’s, Stammtisch, Lang Baan, and Screen Door — is Pip’s Original for tiny doughnuts and chai.

As for activities, the travel article suggests taking in Portland’s simple pleasures like the Freakybuttrue Peculiarium (great name) and Ping Pong’s Pint Size Puppet Museum.

Yeah . . . No.

However, I wouldn’t mind indulging my sweet tooth at Woodblock Chocolate or renting a picnic basket (and maybe a bike!) for an outdoor lunch from P’s & Q’s Market.

And while I’m probably more interested in exploring Portland’s coffee culture (to drink with my doughnuts, of course), Expatriate, Base Camp Brewing, and Angel Face all sound interesting for an adult beverage. Or two.

I’m sure there are many more places to hit that aren’t mentioned in the “36 Hours” article, so I’d love your recommendations. What restaurants, coffee shops, and bars should I try to check out during my three days in Portland? Which neighborhoods are worth a quick visit?

And, most importantly, where else can I find awesomely delicious gourmet doughnuts in Portland near the Ace Hotel?

(Illustrated map of Portland via Buy Olympia, Portland notebooks via Maptote)