First Day in Portland for the List

We are back from a whirlwind 4 days in Portland for the Portland VegFest and I am wiped and madly getting laundry done to get back to work tomorrow. And a little sad our fun trip is over. Can you believe I’ve never been to Portland? Maybe on a road trip as a kid, but never just visited the city. I’m not sure what took us – it was awesome! And I have a lot to get to which I will this week, but let’s start with the first day which started with a short afternoon flight from Sacramento to Portland where we grabbed veggie burritos for lunch first. The vegan options in terminal B of the Sacramento Airport are weak and I probably should have packed food instead. Oh well.

The flight was just over an hour and smooth with great views of Crater Lake and the Portland area.

We picked up our rental car and headed to the vegan shopping strip with The Herbivore Clothing Company store, Food Fight vegan grocery store, and Sweetpea Vegan Bakery. It was easy to find and parking was a bit of an adventure. I could not wait to check out Herbivore after seeing them at so many festivals and could have spent a lot of money there. I ended up with a new cardigan, candle, stickers, and a hat for hubby.

I really wanted to spend money at Food Fight with so many rare vegan grocery finds, but we could only carry so much back on the flight! We ended up with new hot sauces, vegan jerky, and cosmetics.

Then I had to check out Sweetpea, such a cute little bakery with a classy urban vibe.

We explored the area a bit taking in the turning fall trees and fun shops before heading back to the car to check into our hotel in Downtown Portland. Driving in downtown was an adventure too with so many one way streets taken up by public transportation. We had to circle a few blocks to get to the hotel parking garage and get checked in. And we didn’t feel like driving around more to find something to eat, but luckily there was a Veggie Grill across the street from the hotel! Oh I wish Sacramento area had one – soon I hope! I got the Far East Asian Bowl with vegan “chicken”, sweet curry sauce, brown rice, and lots of veggies. Hubby got the Beyond Burger and both dishes were awesome.

Also on the same block was Glowing Greens Blacklight Mini Golf located a couple of levels underground. We had to try that!

It was totally corny and immature, but fun and such a cool concept. And I suck at mini golf! After we explored the area on foot to take in the night life, check out shops and bars, and just loved how much cool stuff is in walking distance around downtown. And there were rental electric standing scooters everywhere people were buzzing around on.

We ended up back at the hotel and crashed after the long day, but it was such a fun intro to Portland and there will be lots more to share! But to the list for now:

Grok Nation on using less plastic in the bathroom.

Bill Gates’ plan for fighting climate change.

How to demand action for climate change.

Vegan Halloween candy.

Vegan fashion made from garbage.

Why rich countries are eating more vegan food – great read.

Guide to insecurities for everyone.