Pearls, perches and Portland, oh my!

Thanksgiving took me to Utah to visit family. I flew out of Portland, which is approximately three hours from Newport, my new home for about a month. When I returned from Utah, I stayed overnight in Portland to check out the area a little. During my travels, people have raved about Portland so I’ve been anxious to learn more.

I lunched at Ten01, a Zagat-rated restaurant in the Pearl District downtown. The service was superb, and the cauliflower soup nearly brought me to tears. Highly recommended if you’re ever in the area!

A stop through Lake Oswego was charming and delightful, and an overnight stay in Happy Valley was…well, happy. The B&B where I stayed was perched on a hill overlooking 30+ acres of pristine forest. The backyard was home to raccoons, deer and chickens. The innkeepers greeted me with delicious homemade bread and tea, which was a rare and special treat.

On the way back from Portland, I decided to go to the top of the state (Astoria) and drive back down the coast to Newport. As I said in a previous post, the Oregon coast is simply breathtaking, sprinkled with little towns and lots of charm.