Tag: Mark Spencer Hotel

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Eating My Way Through Portland Again

Beef rib feast at Clyde Common could easily serve 5-6 people.
Beef rib feast at Clyde Common could easily serve 5-6 people.

Portland is a great city for cycling, for book shopping, but it is probably most famous in the moment for its food culture. Even though the Mark Spencer Hotel offers a free breakfast, we ate out almost every meal. Staying in the Pearl District is great for walking to great restaurants.

About 18 months ago, I decided to give my adult children experiences instead of things. This weekend Sarah Harriet, Marcos and I were in Portland for the World Domination Summit. We kicked off our visit with dinner at Clyde Common with friends Lisa and Meg. We ended the evening at the fabulous Ruby Jewel ice cream shoppe.

Blue Star buttermilk donuts!
Blue Star buttermilk donuts!

The next morning we sought out the highly recommended Barista for coffee and second breakfast. The coffee was good but the baristas were aloof and the everyone there was so hip.

Frittata at Tasty n Alder
Frittata at Tasty n Alder

We intended to go to Lardo for Friday lunch but when we looked at the menu we changed our minds. We ended up at Cha!Cha!Cha! for Mexican food. Sarah and I shared some greasy nachos and we both got upset tummies. We drove to dinner at Bamboo and enjoyed a terrific meal with really good service.

On Saturday we were determined to get to the opening session of #WDS2015 early and be at Blue Star Donuts at the 8 a.m. opening time. First we went to Stumptown and got some coffee. Marcos liked the Nitro Cold Brew best. We hung out for a few minutes in the Ace Hotel lobby and Sarah and Marcos used the photo booth.

We were so excited and hungry we almost forgot to take a picture.
We were so excited and hungry we almost forgot to take a picture.

There was a line when we got to Blue Star, but not too long by Portland standards and it moved quickly once the shop opened. Lisa said Blue Star would fundamentally change our relationship to donuts–especially the buttermilk donut. They are truly amazing and I loved watching the Blue Star team working together. Skip the line at Voodoo and go to Blue Star! When we got to the Summit many of the Portland based ambassadors gave us thumbs up for the Blue Star box.

Quin is a small store front and features hand made candies and original recipes.
Quin is a small store front and features hand made candies and original recipes.

Sarah and Marcos grabbed Jimmie Johns sandwiches for a hike in the Columbia Gorge. (They highly recommend the hike to Punchbowl falls although watch the parking markers to avoid tickets and towing.) I went to Tasty n Alder for a wonderful frittata. We met up again for dinner at Cheryl’s because it was close and we were looking for a burger. The place was empty at 6:30 p.m. and while the food was solid, the service was rubbish.

On Sunday we went to Heart for coffee and a muffin. Sarah also ordered the sandwich but then could not eat it because of the relish and the ham was more like uncooked bacon. Sarah and Marcos liked their coffee the best and found the baristas super friendly. Lunch was a challenge because Zeke’s deli had a tremendous line and we were really hungry. We went down the street to Zeus Cafe. The food was good and we felt that good feeling that refueling gives.

Heart foam art on latte from Heart.
Heart foam art on latte from Heart.

Oh yeah, and somewhere in the midst of all of this activity I went a half block to the candy shoppe Quin and bought some caramels. Yum.

It was a dash to the finish of the conference and to the airport. So much good food in a few blocks. We will be back.

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Cycling Along the Portland Riverfront

I love Portland. I have visited almost once a year for many years. I returned with Sarah Harriet and Marcos to attend the World Domination Summit and enjoy the city. I drove my Mini and packed my Brompton bike.

The Springwater Park Trail is very busy on weekends.
The Springwater Corridor Trail is very busy on weekends.

I still need to get some miles in before RAGBRAI but I felt under the weather. Finally on Sunday I was able to go across the street to West End Bikes and add some air to my tires and get directions to the Springwater Corridor Trail.

Springwater bike and pedestrian trailIt was a quick downhill glide on Stark Street to the parkway. My plan was to ride across the Steel bridge then east to the Hawthorne bridge and return, then do a time check and see if I had time to do another loop.

I turned right because the Farmers Market on my left blocked my view of the Steel bridge. The weather was in the 80s and there was no breeze so it felt warm. It felt great to be on my bike so I kept meandering down the path looking for a bike-friendly bridge to cross. People and bikes share a wide path so now is not the time to ride fast.

new bridge?I missed the Hawthorne bridge and rode to a new light rail and bike/ped bridge that is not open yet. I followed a couple of other cyclists to the Hawthorne bridge and crossed to the other side.

There was less congestion and I was able to enjoy my ride. I was so relaxed I missed the jog toward the river on to the ramps and trail right on the river.

he view from the Hawthorne bridge across the Columbia River is refreshing.
The view from the Hawthorne bridge across the Columbia River is refreshing.

This led me directly to the Steel bridge. I enjoyed riding across the river and back toward the Farmer’s Market. I did a time check and decided to head back to the Mark Spencer Hotel in the Pearl District. Portland is often listed as one of the top bicycle cities in the USA. They have dedicated bike lanes in bright green and traffic controls with special bicycle signals.

I am glad I got on my bike in Portland.