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Astral and Duality

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Welcome to the ultimate hotspot of the week, where teamwork takes center stage! Picture this: Duality Brewing crafting sensational beer and playing host to natural wines, alongside Astral’s mastery of fresh, delectable small plates. We recently experienced this dynamic duo on a sun-soaked day, and let me tell you, the patio was an absolute paradise.

We started off with a glass of pinot gris, perfectly complementing the sunshine. The rice lager that we tried out next surprised us with its hoppy twist, and felt like a great balance of flavors.

Now, let’s talk about the food – on this visit we tried so many delicious dishes! The Dungeness crab tostada was outstanding, with a swath of avocado mousse, tons of fresh crab, and bursts of rainbow trout roe atop a blue corn tostada. It was sunshine on a plate, fitting for an Oregon spring day. Following suit, the dry-aged Kanpachi crudo was bright and fresh, served with an aguachile of carrot habanero, serrano oil, and shiso, with a rice crisp to scoop it up. For a heartier small plate, we added the nixtamalized sunchokes – rich, earthy, and accompanied by a green goddess dressing and bonito flakes that danced in the breeze. And oh, the grilled fish taco! A generous filet of striped bass, grilled to perfection on their tiny outdoor grill, was a testament to their dedication to freshness and quality.

Every bite and sip at Duality and Astral was a pure delight, heightened by the unbeatable patio setting on a beautiful Portland day. We’re already counting down the days until our next visit, eager to explore more of their menu or simply unwind with a refreshing drink.

You can find more info about Duality Here and Astral Here. Have you checked them out yet? Let us know in the comments!

Family Fun in Portland

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Portland, Oregon, is a treasure trove of activities that promise fun for the whole family. This green city delights with its unique blend of interactive learning environments, abundant natural beauty, and urban play areas that are perfect for visitors and residents alike. Let’s dive into some of the best family-friendly activities that Portland has to offer.

Science and Stars: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)

Kickstart your Portland adventure at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, affectionately known as OMSI. It’s where science comes alive through engaging exhibits and hands-on experiments that fascinate both the young and the young at heart. From exploring the stars in the planetarium to boarding a real submarine, OMSI provides a full day’s worth of discovery.

Wild Encounters: Oregon Zoo

Nestled within the lush Washington Park, the Oregon Zoo is a window into the world of wildlife, inviting families to come face to face with creatures from around the globe. The zoo’s commitment to conservation and education shines through its well-designed habitats and informative presentations. And for a magical evening adventure, don’t miss their dazzling ZooLights display during the holiday season.

Natural Splendor: Parks and Gardens

Washington Park

Washington Park is more than just green space; it’s an outdoor wonderland. With its world-famous International Rose Test Garden, you can stroll amongst colorful blooms and then let the kids loose in one of the park’s playgrounds. Hiking trails wind through the park, offering family-friendly walks with scenic views of the city.

Hoyt Arboretum

A living museum of trees, Hoyt Arboretum’s 12 miles of trails are perfect for families looking to learn about global flora or simply enjoy a peaceful hike. The arboretum offers educational programs for kids, making it a place where nature’s lessons are just waiting to be discovered.

Forest Park

As one of the country’s largest urban forests, Forest Park is a haven for hikers, bird watchers, and nature lovers. Its extensive network of trails, including the family-friendly Lower Macleay Trail, offers an escape into wilderness without ever leaving the city.

Peninsula Park

Peninsula Park is home to Portland’s first public rose garden and a historically designated bandstand, framed by a century-old fountain. Its well-maintained play area and splash pad are hits with the kids during summer months.

Westmoreland Park

A favorite among local families, Westmoreland Park features a duck pond, a large playground, and plenty of open space for picnics and frisbee games. It’s also known for its picturesque setting with mature trees.

Playful Splashes and Urban Escapes

Portland’s summers are perfectly complemented by the city’s interactive fountains and water features. Waterfront Park invites families to enjoy playful splashes with a picturesque view of the Willamette River. For a unique experience, visit Keller Fountain, an architectural marvel where water cascades over terraced stone, creating an urban waterfall playground. Over in the Pearl District, the gently cascading pool at Jamison Square Fountain is a hotspot for families to cool off and relax.

Creative Indoor Play: Play Cafes

When the Pacific Northwest weather turns rainy, Portland’s play cafes offer a warm refuge with a twist. Spaces like Nest, PlayDate PDX, and Rain or Shine Café provide creative and engaging indoor playgrounds that cater to children’s imaginations and offer a comfortable spot for parents to relax with a cup of coffee. These cafes are perfect for play dates, where kids can interact and parents can unwind.

Soaring Views: Portland Aerial Tram

For a bird’s-eye view of the city, take a ride on the Portland Aerial Tram. This unique mode of transportation isn’t just for commuters—it’s a sky-high adventure that kids adore. Soaring above the cityscape and offering panoramic views of Portland’s hills and skyline, it’s a must-do for families looking for a little elevation.

Taste-Testing Adventure: Food Carts

No family trip to Portland would be complete without sampling the city’s famous food carts. These culinary havens offer a taste of the world, with options that are sure to satisfy even the pickiest young eaters. It’s a casual and fun way to enjoy a meal together and experience Portland’s innovative food scene.

Cycle the City: Biking Adventures

With some of the best urban bike paths in the country, Portland is perfect for families who want to explore on two wheels. Safe, designated bike lanes lead you through neighborhoods and along the river, providing a fun and healthy way to see the sights.

Seasonal Fun: Farms and Mazes for Every Season

Portland’s surrounding countryside offers year-round agricultural delights that make for perfect family outings. Each season brings its own unique farm-based activities that are sure to create cherished family memories.

Spring Bloom

In spring, the fields come alive at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, where the Tulip Festival showcases a vibrant array of flowers. It’s a perfect backdrop for family photos and a great opportunity for kids to learn about different tulip varieties. You can also check out the Peony festival and the many wildflower farms.

Summer Harvest

Summer invites families to berry farms for u-pick adventures. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are ripe for the picking and offer a sweet taste of the region’s bounty. Sauvie Island Farms is a local favorite, with acres of berries and scenic picnic spots.

Autumn Harvest and Mazes

As the leaves begin to turn, pumpkin patches and corn mazes become the go-to. Bauman’s Farm and Garden hosts an annual harvest festival with a pumpkin patch, hayrides, and an impressive corn maze that’s fun for all ages.

Winter Greens

Even in winter, there’s farm fun to be had. Many local farms offer holiday-themed activities like wreath-making workshops using fresh evergreens. Tree farms open their fields for families to choose and cut their perfect Christmas tree, complete with hot cocoa and holiday cheer.

Conclusion

Portland’s family activities are as diverse and dynamic as the city itself. From educational experiences to outdoor excursions, there’s something here to entertain and inspire every member of the family. For more details and monthly event roundups, be sure to check out our website to help plan your family’s next Portland adventure.

The Houston Blacklight

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Clinton street just got some funky new flavor and it’s name is the The Houston Blacklight. We got to check out this rad new hangout during their opening week and let me tell you, we are obsessed! The entire place is a multisensory experience like no other, and we are very confident that it will be a Clinton street mainstay for many years to come.

One of my favorite things about the space is that the decor is not just decor, it is an immersive experience. From beaded curtains to run your hands along to a whole tasseled wall at the entrance to the color-shifting artwork in the bathrooms, there is always something incredible to look at or touch in The Houston Blacklight. As the name for the bar is taken from the company that produced the psychedelic blacklight posters of the 70’s, it is only appropriate that they would fully live up to that experience.

The cocktails at The Houston Blacklight are imaginative and delightful, with creative combinations that sound like they shouldn’t really work and then they really, really do. A great example of this is the Many Things Cannot Fly- a combo of blackberry gin, coconut rum, Jager and black sesame orgeat. I thought this would NOT be my thing and then I loved it! My personal favorite of the evening though was the Silence is Silly- an incredibly refreshing mix of gin, lime aperitif, Bitter Bianco, cucumber, and salted plum. I would drink these all day and all night if my liver would allow.

The Houston Blacklight shines in the food department as well. They take bar classics and comfort food staples and then put their signature Malaysian-ish twist (with a dabble of French) on them. The Grilled Roti stuffed with cheese is dipped into a spicy tomato curry for an outstanding twist on the classic. French onion ramen hits such a perfect note, it makes you wonder why it hasn’t been done before. My biggest regret of the night was that we shared the Bone Marrow Burger, rather than me just stuffing the entire juicy, rich, indulgent thing into my face alone.

Long story short, you are going to want to go this place. Eat all of the things. Drink all of the things. Play like you are a kid again or a slightly mind-altered adult. We certainly cannot wait to go back and do it all again.

Have you been to the Houston Blacklight yet? What did you think? Let us know in the comments or check them out Here.

Christmas Light Displays

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Yay! the holidays, the time of year where it is even more acceptable to snuggle up in a comfy pair of pajamas for the whole day. If you are feeling a bit sick of your house and you want to get out to see some beautiful twinkling lights, this year we have some great ideas for you! (You can decide if you want to take those comfy pajamas off or not). In no particular order, here are some great christmas light displays around Portland!

Zoo Lights

zoo light

Now – Jan 5th

  • Oregon Zoo
  • 4001 SW Canyon rd

5pm – 9pm advance tickets required.

  • $19-$24 for the walking experience
  • $65 for drive-thru
  • *members receive a 20% discount

Buy Tickets

Winter Wonderland

winter wonderland at PIR, Light

Now – Dec. 31st

  • Portland International Raceway
  • 1940 N victory Blvd
  • Mon – Thurs 5-10pm
  • Fri – Sun 4:30-11pm
  • advance tickets required. *wait times can be 50 min during peak days/times*

$43+ per car depending on the day

Buy Tickets

Christmas Ships

christmas ships light

Dec. 4th – Dec. 22nd

around downtown and north portland along the rivers

Varying days and times depending on the river, check the Willamette schedule and the Columbia schedule for specific times

$FREE

Festival of Lights

Now – Dec 30th

  • The Grotto
  • 8840 NE Skidmore

5pm – 9:30pm

  • $14 advance tickets
  • $18 for at the gate tickets

Buy Tickets

Peacock Lane

Dec 15th – Dec 31st

  • Peacock Lane
  • Between Belmont and Stark St.

6pm – 11pm

  • Walk or Drive is available every night

$Free

Holidays at The Belle

Weekends, starting December 3rd

  • The Victorian Belle Mansion
  • 1441 N McClellan st
  • 4 pm – 10 pm

$5 – $20 depending on the event

Buy Tickets

Christmas at the Campground

Nov 25th – Dec 31st

Corner of SE Duke and SE 52nd ave.

  • Dusk Til Dawn
  • *grounds are closed but lights can be seen from the public streets*

$Free

The Holiday Express

Now – Dec 18th

  • Rail Heritage Center
  • 2250 SE Water Ave

Rides are every 90 minutes, tickets must be purchased in advance as they sell out.

  • $28 adult
  • $23 child *2 and under are free*
  • $92 family
  • Buy Tickets

Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

Scotch Lodge

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Hot Spot of the week is sultry speakeasy-style lounge Scotch Lodge! We recently stepped through their somewhat hidden entrance to sample the wares and were thoroughly impressed!

The first thing to note about Scotch Lodge is that the entrance isn’t obvious. Other than the sandwich board on the corner, there isn’t much indication that you should be opening the barred doors nearby. Once you do give the doors a shot, you will find yourself descending a dim staircase. This leads down to a cool and moody vintage-vibe space. The manner of entrance along with all of the decor gives the whole space the feel of a speakeasy in another era and I am obsessed!

Decor

To start, we ordered cocktails from the creative and well-curated list. I tried the Loch Stock, a super rich and smoky blend of scotch, mezcal, and lapsang souchong – infused sweet vermouth with a touch of Ancho Reyes. My dining companion went with the Lotus Espirit with Japanese whisky, lotus orgeat, Genmaicha, and egg white. Both were delightful and went down a little too easily…

Cocktails

Everything on the menu sounded amazing, so we went with the time-proven technique of asking our bartender to guide us. We ended up with some very delicious food and two very full bellies. The Arancini were crispy on the outside and gooey inside, with a lovely avocado crema. The Stone Fruit salad was a perfectly refreshing moment and with the thinly sliced coppa, felt like an Italian summer day. The pappardelle was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the duck breast on top was crispy and rich, the seaweed butter providing an unexpected layer of flavor. The NY strip was a lovely way to round out the meal, cooked beautifully and accompanied by enoki mushrooms and anise.

The Food

In all, Scotch Lodge was a lovely experience and I cannot wait to go back. The combination of great food and cocktails with the sexy and moody decor make it a great spot for a date night or a treat-yourself dinner.

Have you been to Scotch Lodge yet? What should we try out the next time? Let us know in the comments below!

Portland’s Best Fountains

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Want a free activity to help you cool off? We thought so! Going to the beach or river for the day is always a good plan, but those can be sometimes be crowded. The summer is the perfect time to check out Portland’s Best Fountains! Temperatures are climbing and there’s nothing quite like running through a fountain to help you cool you down during these heatwaves.

Stark Street Island Park

  • Named the rose petal, this simple fountain is a fun one for kids.
  • SE 106th Avenue and SE Stark Street
  • Portland, OR 97216

Jamison Square

Cascading waterfalls meant to simulate shallow tidepools.

  • 810 NW 11th Ave
  • Portland OR 97209

Children’s Fountain

  • 2 side by side fountains with dancing jets of water.
  • 410 NE Second Ave
  • Gresham OR 97030

Dawson Park

  • This timed fountain allows for interactive movement that highlights the history of the neighborhood.
  • N Stanton Street and N Williams Avenue
  • Portland, OR 97227

Salmon Street Springs

  • This 3 phase fountain puts on a glorious display and is great for playing in.
  • 1000 SW Naito Pkwy
  • Portland, OR 97204

Keller Fountain

  • Arguably the most famous fountain, this was designed to represent the many waterfalls in the area.
  • SW 3rd Ave & SW Clay St
  • Portland, OR 97201

McCoy Park Fountain

  • First municipal fountain, designed to represent the moon’s phases.
  • N Trenton and N Newman Ave.
  • Portland, OR 97203

Have you been inspired to pack on the sunscreen and run through one of Portland’s Best Fountains? The season for all of these fountains runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so you’ll have plenty of time to check out one or all of these if you’d like. If fountains aren’t quite what you had in mind, we’ve also put together plenty of other great Portland activities to check out Here. Let us know if we’ve missed your favorite fountain!

Breweries

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With Portland beer week coming up we figured this was the perfect time to highlight our favorite breweries once again! There are so many breweries in portland it can be hard to know where to start. While we haven’t tried every brewery, we have tried many of them. These are the ones that stood out!

Baerlic

2239 SE 11th

Open Daily 11am -10pm

They brew the beers that they love to drink and in a way that imparts the history, art and craft of brewing. They offer five year-round beers and an ever-evolving list of seasonal, one-off and experimental beers.

Ruse

4784 se 17th Ave

Open M-F 3pm – 9pm and Sat-Sun 1pm -10pm

They brew small batch, flavorful, and thoughtfully-crafted beers. They work with local artists and musicians to design beers paired with their art for concept events and beer releases.

Little Beast

3412 se Division st

Open M-F 1:30pm -9pm and Sat-Sun 12pm -9pm

Inspired by the “little beasts” that transform water, barley and hops into beer, they specialize not only in mixed culture fermentation, fruited, wild and wood-aged beers, but also in mastering classic styles for a consistently enjoyable and always approachable experience.

Breakside

Multiple Locations – NW, NE, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego

Open Daily 12pm -9pm

The brewery is known for its broad portfolio of award-winning, innovative beers. In 2019, Breakside became one of only a handful of employee-owned breweries in the country.

Von Ebert

Multiple Locations, NW and NE

Open M-Sat 11:30am – 10pm and Sun 11:30am – 9pm

They push the limits with their beer and let the Pacific Northwest landscape, culture, and people inspire them to produce award-winning hop forward IPAs and ales, German-inspired and modern American lagers, and mixed-culture Heritage Beers.

10 Barrel

1411 NW Flanders

Open Daily, Hours vary

This may be a Bend brewery, but it is a Portland staple. With a rooftop bar, innovative beers, delicious sours, and food to match.

Great Notion

2204 NE Alberta st #101

Open Daily 12pm -9 pm

This brewery is famous for its fruit forward hazy IPAs and they often experiment with what ingredients to add to them. They also craft sours and stouts that are based off of “culinary” inspirations

Cascade Barrel House

939 SE Belmont

Hours Vary, Open W-Sun

Their distinctive sour beer blends feature fruit forward, barrel-aged ales with an emphasis on project year-to-year variation. These beers offer a complex array of flavors derived from the acid, the fruit and the residual flavors present in the barrels in which they age. 

Which of these breweries are your favorite? OR did we skip yours? Let us know in the comments!

Ripe Cooperative

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Hot Spot of the Week this week is OHSODELICIOUS market and bistro Ripe Cooperative. Naomi Pomeroy recently opened this adorable spot in the former location of epic dining destination Beast, and may I say I’m smitten?

We headed over to Ripe Cooperative for a ladies lunch recently. We were a little worried that there might be a long wait due to the small size plus the buzzworthy-ness, but they were actually able to get us in right away! They have a handful of small bistro tables indoors, plus covered and heated patio spots outside, so you are covered (haha) whatever your mood.

Upon walking in, the first things we noticed were the lovely wine selection and the smell of fresh focaccia. In addition to the bistro, Ripe Cooperative is also a marketplace. You can stop in and grab a well-curated bottle or a selection of delicious dishes to bring to your next dinner party. If you show up with Spinach and Dungeness Crab dip or Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs, I promise you will be everyone’s new best friend.

Once we were done ogling the 4 different focaccia varieties, we settled in and ordered a bottle of bubbles and some oysters to start. They had two different types of oysters, so we opted for a half dozen – 3 of each. They were super fresh and served with a champagne mignonette, the perfect pairing for the bubbles in our glasses.

Next, we moved on to lunch proper. As I mentioned, there were 4 focaccia options and they all sounded amazing. We ended up opting for the pesto, red onion, and gruyere. It was PERFECT. It was fluffy, with a wonderful bottom crust, and just the right amount of richness. We also tried out the chicories salad, which was tossed with walnuts, pancetta, parmesan, and aged balsamic. Delicious. The true star of lunch however, was the Dungeness Crab Roll. It was easily and by far the best crab roll I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. With all of the rest of the food, I was grateful that we had split it 3 ways, but someday soon I will return to hog one all to myself.

I am not overstating it by saying that I am newly obsessed. For one, I cannot wait to return for another dining experience. But I also really can’t wait to try out all of their market options. This is going to be one of my new ‘go to’ spots, for sure.

Have you been over to try Ripe Cooperative yet? What was your favorite thing on the menu? Let us know in the comments! If you have not been, I highly recommend checking them out Here.