I always heard about the lush green in Oregon, but I couldn’t believe my own eyes when I saw it.

Last summer I wanted to travel to at least 1 new state without breaking bank. I started to look at affordable plane tickets to every state/airport in the U.S. and Portland, OR showed probably the best option, so without thinking any further, I decided to purchase the tickets based on the price not the dates. This was also my first ever week long solo trip, so the excitement and the anxiousness were both there.

Since I am a foodie, checking out all the yummy restaurants or at least as much as possible was definitely on the list. Many of the photos here were taken with my iphone 6s, but the cloudy lighting everywhere worked like the perfect softbox. To be honest, I was pretty bummed out to see it raining first few days. I had to cancel my hiking plans because of the rain, and the ordeal with Hertz rental which I highly recommend you all stay away from made it 10 times harder. Now let’s focus on the fun parts of the trip.

It was really cool seeing how most places had umbrellas for people. Such a neat idea! This was at Tasty N Alder in Portland. My first experience with customer service (actually my second after my hotel) was really pleasant. It was hard deciding what to order since the menu looked so delicious, so I decided to go with Korean Friend Chicken. I still crave it. I am ready to go back to try this again.

After a delicious brunch I decided to check out Cannon Beach. I only see pictures before, so I was already excited. I don’t think my iphone and camera pictures are doing justice here. Cannon Beach is truly breathtaking. It’s on my bucket list now to shoot a wedding or an elopement out there. Anyone need a photographer? I AM RIGHT HERE!

Chocolate Cafe in Cannon Beach was a hidden gem. I am still not sure why the guy working there didn’t smile at all the whole time, but I was very happy with their truffles. This summer peach truffle was so unique that I ended up buying a big box which I was planning on sharing with everyone after coming back, but I am still not sure how I ended up eating them all.

Shipwrecks are everywhere in Oregon. This is the Peter Iredale shipwreck in Fort Stevens State Park. Now please don’t ask me all the history because I really don’t know. Oops.

The next day my hiking plans got canceled because of the rain. I am still bummed out. The next thing I could think of was trying more food. My friend recommended Maurice in downtown Portland. She was there before during their opening week. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with their customer service, and people say New Yorkers aren’t nice. Maurice wasn’t the only place that refused to let me sit where I wanted. I had the same issue at a couple of other restaurants there. I am NOT making this up. #truestory . The moment Portlanders hear a party of 1, they somehow don’t think of providing a good service. Anyway, this black pepper cheesecake was so unique and delicious. Who would’ve thought black pepper in a cheesecake can be so good! And I should add that after I started to be my usual self and started to joke around with the staff there, they eventually loosened up and was very nice. Maybe Portlanders need to hangout more with me…J/K 

Ok. Now don’t be shocked if I say I had both of these dishes for brunch all by myself. Yep, #truestory . The potato bravas with overeasy eggs and the tasty steak and cheddar eggs with cornmeal pancake and jalapeno butter at Tasty N Sons was just #DELISH . I think everyone could see it on my face that I was stuffed, but I was still eating. I am still glad I tried both.

I stumbled upon Pix Patisserie in Portland on my last day there. Even though I am not a sweet tooth, I decided to try more than one from their menu. The first one is called purple rain, and yes, it’s glittery and simply delicious. It’s pistachio mousse with strawberry meringue, mixed berry coulis and pistachio cake soaked in kirsch. I don’t know what all this mean, but this chocolate lover girl fell in love with something different. The second one is Un Fantome, Un Couteau, Une Nuit. No clue what the name means, but it’s chocolate mousse, amaretto creme brulee, raspberries top a chocolate sponge cake. I had to get something chocolaty.

The next one will give you an idea how gloomy it was there most of the time. It was taken at 2 pm. The lamb tagine at Swift and Union was another mouthwatering lunch. I almost asked for more lamb and more couscous pilaf.

A Northwest Pacific Coast roadtrip up there is on the bucket list now. Any recommendations for me?