My trip to Portland was for work – I work for British shoe brand Dr. Martens – and we had our SS18 Global Conference there. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have some spare town and explore the city of Portland while I was there. This was actually my first time in North America – it’s never appealed to me that much, as coming from England I assumed the cultures would be pretty similar and I like to be thrown into the unknown. But, doubts aside, I had a blast.

The famous Portland sign
Portland is small but perfectly formed and there’s definitely some cool little places to shop, eat and drink as well as fun activities. Here’s what I got up to…
EAT
Harlow
A cool vegan eatery in hip Hawthorne for when you want something healthy and nutritious.
Halsteins
Classic American burgers and out-of-this-world service.
Ruby Jewel
An amazing selection of ice creams – plus, they do a dairy-free version too.
Grassa
Pasta and salads in a cool and trendy canteen-style building.
Sizzle Pie Pizza
Some truly amazing and HUGE pizzas. A must-visit.


Andina
Traditional Peruvian fare. Try the ceviche, the SENSATIONAL lamb and their Pisco sours. Oh, and the live music is great too.
Bamboo Sushi
Cheap and tasty sushi. Try their 7 kinds of roe.
DRINK
White Owl Social Club
An authentic dive bar with great beers and live music.
10 Barrel
The only place I found with a rooftop.
Sassy’s Strip Club
The most fun ever. Fully nude, fully fun. You’ll see a great mix of people in here and tattooed naked ladies. This was my favourite place in Portland.
STAY
Residence Inn
Huge, apartment-like rooms with dishwashers, dressing rooms and desks and a great outdoor area.
Ace Hotel
You know what’s up. Great bar too.
SHOP
Dr. Martens shop
This is biased as I work for them, but the staff are so friendly. Just go in and chat.
Powells book store
The biggest and best bookshop I’ve ever seen. Just huge.
DO
Hire a Nike Bike
They’re orange and Nike-branded. Much better than London’s Santander ones.
Go record hunting at Jackpot records
A cute and quirky record shop. Hit the dollar bin for some bargains.
Have you been to Portland? What are your tips?
Love this post! Heading to Portland next week and have just added Powell’s to my itinerary, thanks to you! Which location did you visit?
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Sounds amazing. I’ve always though of Portland as a city with a country feel
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Yeah – If I go back I’d like to visit outside the town. It’s meant to have amazing hikes etc
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