PDX...better late than never!

ok, I'm so sorry. this post is so long over-due. Maybe it's work, the beautiful weather, or the handsome ginger who floats through my mind all day long that's been keeping me busy? All I know is that PDX is still on my mind...

It was a beautiful Friday morning when Megan and I began to anticipate our weekend away to Portland, Oregon. But before we could hit the open road, we stopped for our usual Ladro caffeine fix (she got decaf) and two delicious rasperry scones(actually, they're horrible. Don't go buy them. ever.). After admiring the sexy baristas, we were I-5 southbound! Our only stop along the way was to deliver a cappuccino to JSW while he was slaving away at his desk all day. I couldn't drive by without saying hello, now could I? After a quick chat and a kiss goodbye, we continued the rainy drive south with Kate Nash & Jenny Lewis as our musical guides.

A couple hours later we were crossing the Columbia River Bridge and exiting into the Pearl District, Portland's art district which is filled with sweet boutiques, cafes and beautiful, ivy-covered brick buildings. After dropping our bags at Megan's moms condo, we headed out to explore. After walking just a few blocks in a torrential downpour, my shoes were filled with water and the umbrellas obviously weren't doing their job, so we spotted the best rainy-hideout ever: Whole Foods Market! After a quick bite to eat, a chat with a lovely lady who was visiting from the East Coast for the first time, and a moment to compose ourselves, we headed back onto the rainy streets. I suppose the rain was a good excuse to pop into shops along the way. We stopped into Powell's Books, a knit shop, and a cute French-inspired boutique called The Bubble Boutique where I scored the most amazing party dress - on sale no less! It was the perfect way to start the weekend!

The afternoon escaped us and soon it was time to meet Megan's aunt Liz and brother DJ, for some happy hour sushi and sake bombs! Megan's brother couldn't of been sweeter and her aunt couldn't of been crazier. She kept us all laughing and incessantly made fun of me for being on my iphone too much. Sake was only the beginning of our first night of mayhem in Portland. We hopped onto The Max, Portland's lightrail train and made our way to The Bitter End pub. Much praise should go to PDX's public transportation system. We took the lightrail and the streetcar all around the city so easily. Seattle should get a clue from our southern neighbors. Anyways, back to the drinks and bars: at The Bitter End, we kept the jute box blasting hits all night and played some pool. From one bar to the next we went but our night was not complete until Megan's mom picked us up and took us to the McDonald's drive-thru!

Saturday was filled with exploring all of Portland's unique gems and every eclectic neighborhood we could find. From cappuccinos and pastries at St. Honore bakery, lunch at Elephant's Delicatessen, exploring the Saturday market under the Hawthorne bridge, a raining drive through the Hawthorne district, wine tasting at David Hill and Appeloni Vineyards in the country with Megan's mom and then a pint with Joel, Megan's other brother. It was a long, exhausting, exciting day, but there was no sign of slowing down as we went from one thing to the next and then finally had a moment to take in the memories from the day over one of the best meals I've ever had at a restaurant called Roux. The food was mouth watering, the wine was delicious, and our artistic, Spanish waiter was both. He was cute enough for Megan to slip him her phone number after he had suggested she visit his favorite street corner in NYC when she moves there one day. After dinner, there were more spots in the city to take in and drinks to be drank. We went to Oba and met Arsenio, a handsome bartender who kept our drinks full for the remainder of the evening. If we weren't surrounded by enough gorgeous Oregonians, Megan's mother's friends Bruce and Chris joined us and were comedic relief and homosexual eye-candy all night long. Eventually, we did have to stumble home, crawl into bed and rest up for our next and last day in PDX.

Before we said our goodbye to our weekend in Portland on Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at Rose's Delicatessen on 23rd street where DJ works. The food was yummy and the service was impeccable! ;) After filling our bellies we were back in the car and headed North on I-5, heading out of Oregon and leaving Portland's wonderful charm in the distance. Once again, it was only right that we stopped in again to see JSW, and with the hope of introducing Megan to the best hot dogs I've ever had at The Red Hot, sadly, it was closed for the day and we settled for nachos and beers at Masa. Unfortunately, we weren't entertaining enough, as PDX had sucked up all my energy, so our stay in the smelly city was shortened.

As we drove back into the city, rounding the corner on I-5 where you can spot the Seattle skyline in the distance, I remembered every memory that was made in Portland over the weekend and hope to return there again soon, possibly even to live one day.

The End!

PDX

I'm headed on a road trip to Portland, OR with Megan (Oregonian native extraordinaire) for the weekend!

Couldn't be more excited about this adventure! I'll post pictures and funny anecdotes of the journey when I return on Monday.

Until, have a good weekend & Happy St. Patty's Day!

jealous

my parents are *here right now:






*

she's "friendly"

new friends, old friends, close friends, distant friends, friends with benefits, friends with money, little friends, foreign friends, everyone's a friend!

This past week, I've been so incredibly blessed by my friends. I've celebrating the 27th year of birth for a friend (Kate), the arrival of a friend (Lo), the honesty of a friend (Megs) and so much more!

An ode to my friends:


happy day of birth to the hottest 27 year old momma I know!


must've been something good to make us all smile...


Brian...sex wax, sticky bum, comes into town to pay us rainy day kids a visit. welcome.


Lo and our new friend, who I think, resembles Jesus.


Janie makes being sick look like fun! Oh, and I've been elevated to "auntie" status! success!


every moment with my chum is photographic

Sunday rituals & drugs

Barnes & Noble is my drug-dealer and Vogue is my drug of choice.

Most Sunday mornings are spent sitting outside of Cafe Ladro on 15th with my chum (Megan). We sip our respective tea and double tall extra dry cappuccino as we watch the people walk by with their cute dogs, hipster threads, hungover stares, in search of the same end as us - caffeine.


After getting "our fix" we go to to the closest literary mecca (also the least "green" place in Seattle)...a book store. I could spend hours in a book store wandering up and down the aisles, searching for my newest addiction. Today was solely for the purpose of attaining Vogue. Vogue is one of the few magazines I continually buy and don't need/care about whether the content is good enough for a purchase. I've cut down on my magazine obsession over the years but Vogue will never be forsaken. I should have a subscription, but there's something refreshing about walking up to it sitting there on display and purchasing. Also, you never doubt the content in Vogue. The issue I bought today has Drew Barrymore on the cover (sold!), 660 pages of spring fashion must-haves (sold!) and it could double as a 10 lb weight for getting my daily exercise regimen completed (sold!). There's nothing better than Vogue on a sunny Sunday afternoon, if I do say so myself. After I purchase Vogue, there is no possible way I will be able to not rush home, curl up on the couch and begin reading. From the moment of purchase, it calls out to me. Yearning to be read and re-read... and re-read.

How do you read a magazine? Front to back? Back to front? Skim it first and then reread it in depth? I have a way of going about reading magazines that never fails me. First, I open it up and skim every single page, front to back. Then I go back and study the advertisements and look at the clothing, font, and colors that are full of inspiration. For the third and not even close to final time, I read every article from beginning to end. The art of reading Vogue can take a couple hours, which is why it's best to save it for a Sunday afternoon.