Thank you for joining the August 2023 Ultimate Coffee Date. Deborah and I enjoy hosting this monthly link up to foster friendship and camaraderie. Pour yourself a cup, pull up a chair, and let us know what is going on in your life. This month I’m flying in from a long weekend in Portland, and can’t wait to tell you all about it.
You know how this works—grab the badge, link your post, and comment on the other blogs in the link-up.
You also may be joining the Fit Five Friday Link-Up with Darlene, Michelle, Renée, Jenn, and Zenaida.
Flying In For The August Ultimate Coffee Date
If we were having coffee, I would tell you all about my long weekend in Portland (Oregon) with my daughter. We did lots of hiking and checked out all the vegan restaurants. I know she enjoyed being able to order anything on the menu without worrying how it was made.
The welcome sign at Vertical Diner.
We had bagel sandwiches at Ben and Esther’s, and tacos and burritos at Mis Tacones. Lucky for me, she knew Voodoo Doughnut has vegan option, but we both preferred the goodies at Shoofly Bakery.
Of course, you can’t have donuts without coffee, but if we were having coffee, it might shock you that I went off-brand and tried local coffee.
But then I would tell you that as much as I like supporting local businesses, I just didn’t like it as much as my Starbucks Americano, so the other days I walked a few blocks further to get to Starbucks. 😉
If we were having coffee, I would want to share so many pictures, but I’d pick a few and focus on the highlights.
Our big hike was the Multnomah-Wahkeena Falls loop, a 5-ish mile hike that took us past five gorgeous waterfalls. Multnomah Falls was the grandest, but we liked that we could get closer to Fairy Falls (below).
I was just as impressed by the views of the Columbia River Gorge.
We did a lot of climbing to get up this high!
We took it easy the next day, and visited the Lan-Su Chinese Garden in the city. In addition to lovely gardens, it had cultural displays and demonstrations.
We also saw the Barbie movie—what else could we see on a mother-daughter weekend?
On our last day, we took the tram out to Washington Park which is an amazing place! We spent a few hours hiking through Hoyt Arboretum, but barely made a dent in its 12 miles of trails. After lunch, we toured the Japanese Garden and the tremendous rose garden.
A more curated waterfall at the Japanese Garden.
They were all so beautiful!
The Japanese Garden had an entry fee, but the arboretum and rose garden were free. There’s also a zoo, a children’s museum, an archery range, and a big playground in Washington Park—all a short, $2.50 tram ride from downtown.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you that the one downside of my trip was that it took ALL DAY to get home on Monday. Literally. We left the hotel at 6 am, and I got home at 8:30 pm. I could have taken a direct flight, but I opted to fly through Denver, so my daughter and I could be on the same plane from there. At least I had a good book to read, and could use the in-flight wi-fi to start triaging work emails!
Now that I’ve talked your ear off, what would you tell me over coffee?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
What a great trip, and time with your daughter 🙂 With so many things to see and do, was it hard to choose which ones? All that hiking sounds fun!
My daughter did all the research and planning — an extra treat!
Thanks for sharing those beautiful shots of Portland. I haven’t been there except for Hood to Coast in a while. I love the gardens and parks there. Looks like a great mix of exploring and enjoying the food, etc.
(I’m surprised they even have Starbucks – LOL!)
Washington Park was really amazing!
This brings back so many memories of when I was in Portland for Hood to Coast, and again when my older daughter did her internship at Nike. Glad you enjoyed some quality time with your daughter!
I thought of you (and her) with all the Nike stuff!
Sounds like you had a fabulous time with your daughter. It is hard having them so far away isn’t it!? I have some daughter travel scheduled soon too. Portland sound like a fun place to visit this time of the year
It is tough! Hopefully we will see her again in December.
It looks like such a great trip! Yes, getting to the West Coast can be a wee bit tiring — and that’s if things go right!
I’ve only ever spent a day in OR, so thanks for sharing what you did. We had plans that the Pandemic crushed. 🙁
Maybe you can figure them out again!
I’ve never been to OR but now I really want to.
Your trip sounded amazing! (except the long plane ride)
I’m a Starbucks fan too.
Between the waterfalls and flowers, I was thinking you’d really enjoy it!
That all sounds amazing!!!! I’ve never been to Portland but I want to go. Strangely, the vegan options aren’t as plentiful in Waco 🙄 but I’m managing to eat. I’m glad you had such a nice time with your daughter! By contrast, my daughter won’t see the Barbie movie with me- probably because she’s afraid someone she knows will see her. I can’t wait for the phase where she’s embarrassed to be seen in public with me ends!
LOL, we endured that phase for sure! It does pass though. 😉
What an amazing trip (homecoming aside). There are some gardens I want to visit, but it’s currently so hot, I just can’t make it happen. Ugh.
Sometimes, I like local better, and sometimes I like Starbucks more. It really just depends.
Welcome home!
I could tell it was “good” coffee, I just didn’t like it as much. Just like I prefer farm-raised salmon to the good stuff. 😉
What a wonderful trip! I am glad you had a great time with your daughter. I love the name of the restaurant, Mis Tacones. I would like to support local businesses for coffee but there aren’t that many around me. So, Starbucks and DD are the way to go.
What an amazing trip to Portland! I haven’t been there yet but I need to add it to my bucket list of places to visit! So funny that the local coffee didn’t cut it for you, haha!