Exploring PORTLAND FLEA + FOOD

I decided to brave the heat this past Sunday so I could go out exploring. My friend Lisa and I wanted to check out the Portland Flea + Food event going on behind Rejuvenation on Southeast Salmon and Sixth Street. I have been to Portland Flea back when it did not include the Food part of its title and when it was held at Union/Pine, but this was my first time experiencing the expanded space and vendors. The event is held on the last Sunday of the month April through November. 

Our first stop was at the Pip's Original truck to grab some doughnuts to snack on. This was my first time having one of the highly praised Pip's doughnuts and they more than lived up to the hype. They are made fresh to order and are the perfect bite size (although you do have to order at least a half dozen. Fine, twist my arm). We went with three of the cinnamon sugar and three of the Nutella with sea salt. Both were to die for, but we agreed that the simplicity of the cinnamon sugar made them the best. 

After our quick pick me up we started checking out the adorable shops. Right away some treasures caught my eye. Mainly the necklaces from This Fine Day, the adorable cut out cactuses from Scout & Whistle and the wide assortment of products distributed at Made Here PDX.

After awhile our friend Wendy joined us with her adorable samoyed puppy, Yuri. While we grabbed food from Koi Fusion and Bunk Sandwiches we got to experience the crazy amount of people that squealed every time they saw Yuri and the four questions that everyone asked -  What type of dog is it? How old is it? What's his name? Can I pet him?

Yuri was desperate for shade so we went to check out the quaint little florist shop called Anna Mara, located on the loading dock of Rejuvenation. 

When we had thoroughly explored the event and were near heat exhaustion we left to find a place to grab a drink and some shade. 

It was so much fun checking out this Portland scene and I look forward to going a few more times this Summer (and maybe buying one of those funky little cactuses I saw).

Monthly Reads : May

Bestseller shelf at Powell's City of Books on Burnside

Reading is something that always comes in waves for me. I go through phases where I read obsessively and then forget all about reading for months on end. Recently I made a decision to get myself back into the habit of reading on a regular basis. I joined a book club that a friend started and this kicked off my new reading frenzy. 

I have a slight problem where I love to own the books that I read so I've been dumping a fair amount of dollars into purchasing books lately. I also like to buy my books locally so I've been spending many hours wandering the aisles of Powell's (more on my happy place another time). 

Because I have been jumping back on the reading bandwagon I went through quite a few books last month. Here is a quick review of my random assortment of literature. 

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

I've always been a fan of Chuck Palahniuk. For one thing he is a Portland native. For another he is an amazing author who really steps outside of the box. This book REALLY steps outside of the box. My book club read this as our May read and many people were not able to make it through it. I however found it slightly fascinating. It is dark and funny and full of descriptive gore. I would suggest you give it a read if you are not easily offended and you want to experience something peculiar. 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Oh John Green, how I love everything you do! He really can do no wrong. Whether you are a fan of Young Adult Fiction or not I suggest you read everything that he has written. This was a quick read which I started and finished during a 7 hour car ride.

Jewels of Allah by Nina Ansary

This was another book club choice and was a departure from my usual reading. It was incredibly educational and I now have a better understanding of the history of women in Iran. This was a slightly more difficult book for me to get through as it was fairly text bookish but I felt far more informed after finishing it. 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Another one from the YA category (a preference of mine). This was such a fun book to read. A little mystery, a little history, a little love story. I couldn't put it down. I have seen this book around for a long time but finally made the push to read it after finding out that it is being made into a movie directed by Tim Burton. This is the first in a series of three books and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next two. 

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

And finally, I'll Give You The Sun was recommended by my friend Sarah. She and I like to share book recommendations and often pass books back and forth. This is one of those books that seeps deep down into my core and pulls me into the story. I have a tendency to get book hangovers and this one required an Advil and a bloody mary once I reached the last page. I was utterly engrossed in this book and stayed up way too late too many nights in a row to finish it. I'll Give You The Sun was definitely my favorite read of the month and I look forward to reading more books by Jandy Nelson. 

Aisle at Powell's City of Books

I'm well into my June reading and I look forward to sharing my next set of favorites. I hope that I can keep up my pace and continue to choose reading before bed rather than watching television. We shall see how it goes. 

Where to Spend a Day Wine Tasting in the Willamette Valley

One great thing about living in Portland is the access to so many great adventures. Only 60 minutes to the mountain, 90 minutes to the beach and a wine lover's paradise is a quick 45 minute drive out of town. I typically end up in Dundee, Oregon a few times a year to celebrate a friend's birthday, have a girls' day, or just go pick up my wine club shipment from Sokol Blosser. The Willamette Valley offers some amazing wine tasting and fortunately for me, my palate has evolved to a point where I LOVE a good pinot noir (which is what we are known for in these parts).

This Spring I had the pleasure of heading out to a few vineyards on the super cool Double Decker bus for my friend Wendy's birthday. The bus was incredibly accommodating of our large group. They allowed us to bring food and drinks on the bus and be as rowdy as we could be. We had a great coordinator that made sure we were all happy and kept us on schedule, which can be tricky when dealing with 30 tipsy 30 somethings.  There was a great group of friends and acquaintances that made the trek out to Soléna Estate, Sokol Blosser and Stoller Family Estate for the day. 

Double Decker PDX

Friends

That's a lot of glasses

It was my first visit to Soléna Estate. The venue was absolutely beautiful. The tasting room was large and made you feel like you were in a mountain cabin. And the view from the deck was stunning, surrounded by trees and a pond in the distance. 

Soléna Estate

Our next stop was Sokol Blosser. This is one of my favorite wineries, which is why I am a member, and I love their wine. They have the absolute best rosé which I am completely obsessed with. Their sparkling is also very nice. They have two tasting rooms, the original building and their new building. I'm partial to the new building due to its openness, clean lines, and modern feel. 

Sokol Blosser

Our final stop was Stoller Family Estate. This was my first time visiting that vineyard as well, although I had heard a lot about it since it is a very popular place. The tasting room is a 4,000 square foot, environmentally sustainable, modern building with floor to ceiling glass garage doors. It sits on an amazing piece of grassy property. They have a ton of white Adirondak chairs to lounge in and in the distance is a large oak tree with a tire swing. It's a great place to take a picnic and spend the day. 

Stoller Family Estate

I love visiting old favorites as well as discovering new favorites. If you have any suggestions of where to go next time, let me know!

First time in NYC

I finally did it. I can check visiting New York off of my bucket list. Well, not really. The four days I spent exploring the city with dear friends was not nearly enough to quench my thirst for such a vibrant and exciting place. Even after cramming in as much as we could in the short trip I have an overwhelming feeling of missing out on so much. Aside from the typical tourist attractions that we couldn't make it to: Statue of Liberty, MOMA, Ellis Island, Radio City Music Hall, etc., I find I am longing for the opportunity to truly immerse myself in the city. I want to wander the streets from neighborhood to neighborhood with no agenda, stumbling upon hidden gems.
But, until this dream can become a reality I am relegated to browsing through my vacation photos reminiscing on the amazingness of my first taste of New York.

We arrived to our hotel at 9 o'clock on a Friday morning and hit the ground running. We decided to wander around the city and see where our feet would take us.

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Bellini at the Boathouse

Visiting Alice in Central Park

Exploring The MET

Champagne on a friend's balcony on the Upper East Side

Oysters at DBGB Kitchen

Private karaoke room at Nemo

Top of the Rock

Finding Neverland on Broadway

Sometimes your shoes are so uncomfortable that you have to impulse buy a new pair 

at JCrew and leave the old ones on a New York City street. 

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

Striking a pose

Deliciousness from Doughnut Plant

Touring the Tenement Museum

9/11 Memorial

Selfie on the Hudson River

Panoramic of the Hudson River

Savored every bite at Boqueria for my last New York meal

I'm looking forward to my next visit and all of the amazing adventures I will have.