I'm from Los Angeles. A bunch of Portland businesses have recently cropped up in the area (I live walking distance to Stumptown, Salt & Straw, and Pok Pok).  I thought it would be funny to only go to these places while I was in Portland, but alas, my boyfriend wasn't so thrilled by that concept.

I made it work though. Our first stop? Wiz Bang Bar -- Salt & Straw's soft-serve shop (a Portland-exclusive, and also a really fun sequence of words)

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I ordered their Beer Float, made with oatmeal stout and vanilla soft-serve. Ice cream + beer? Count me in! Unfortunately, beer floats don't actually taste as good as they sound. The bitterness doesn't complement the creamy soft-serve, as I had hoped.  However, that shouldn't deter you from Wiz Bang Bar's overall greatness. Their soft-serve is probably the best-tasting I've ever had.  They also have "Chocolate Tacolates" -- Choco Tacos, if you will, that looked absolutely beautiful. I will go back to Portland just to try one of those.

Next on the agenda was Whiskey Soda Lounge, Pok Pok's "drinking food" joint. This one was kind of a mistake.  We tried to go to the actual Pok Pok, but the wait was too long (pro-tip: there's never a wait at the LA location and it is AH-MAZING). We landed at this bar because whiskey sodas are the best and the overall aesthetic of the place is right up my alley. I only learned after being seated that it was an off-shoot of Pok Pok.

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Here, you're going to want to order Lao Saparot, a shot of pineapple-infused whiskey that comes in an adorable tiny cup and tastes delicious. Food wise, you can't really go wrong -- the place is self-described as "drinking food," afterall.

Portland is also home to the largest independent new and used bookstore in world, Powell's City of Books. 

Source: Unpacking the Bookstore

If you've ever wondered what it was like to get lost in a bookstore, this is the place for you.  They truly have something for everyone. It's worth it to visit just to see the scale of it, but chances are you won't leave empty handed.

The one thing I can't stress enough, is that if you go anywhere in the Pacific North West, you need to go out into nature. Multnomah Falls isn't far from the city. We rented a car for the day, but it's not too bad of an Uber/Lyft ride.

Source: Portland Runner

The views are stunning and the hikes are well-worth the trek.  If I were to go back to Portland, I think I would rather rent a cabin in the middle of nature, rather than staying in the city itself.

I never made it to Stumptown, but I did (more-or-less) get to knock out Salt & Straw and Pok Pok during my stay.  Overall, I enjoyed Portland. As promised, it rained, I ate well, and the nature was beautiful. Could I live there? No, but I'd go back.