My sweetie of a hubby took the boys camping this weekend in Leavenworth, and I took myself to Portland to visit one of my best friends, whom I have known since 1989!
OK, so before we go any further, I must tell you that I am a bit of a "foodie". I love all cuisines and trying new things. Lola and I share a similar taste of food, clothing, movies, etc, so she knew where to take me. We met up in the NW district, AKA "trendy-third" and had a delicious lunch at the Three Lions Bakery. Then, we walked and shopped until we stopped at Papa Haydn (she whispers reverentially…) I could not make up my mind, so I had the waiter decide for me. He said, "Boccone Dolce-
Swiss meringues drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate, layered with fresh fruit and chantilly cream."
OK!
Me and my Boccone Dolci (Sooo good)-left Lola and her Marjolaine-right
After our treat, we shopped some more, then went home for a light dinner of soup and bread, and a movie.
Saturday, we hiked at a nearby park in West Linn…
This is a little cove off of the Willamette River-
A Lola glamour shot in the woods..
Then, we went to the Portland neighborhood called Irvington. Lola intorduced me to a cafe called,
Costello’s Travel Caffe. This place was great! They have two flat screen TV’s that play silent travel videos. They have a chalkboard that let’s us know what is playing. While we were there, they showed The Columbia Gorge, Rothenberg, London, and Prague. They also have Foreign Language conversation nights. If I lived in Portland, I’d spend alot of time here!
After Costello’s, we walked and shopped this area. On a side street, we found a lovely B&B called the Lion and The Rose. We did not go in, but looked around their garden.
In need of a little treat, we stopped at the Cadillac Cafe and had a milkshake. This was a fun place that has a real Cadillac inside. ‘R’ would love it.
After our treat, we beat feet for the movie theater and watched ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 3’. It was a perfect way to escape the midday heat! (BTW, this movie was much better than the second one.)
After the movie, we drove to the ‘Pearl District’, an area full of galleries, high end boutiques, and fine dining. We decided to go to ‘Andina‘ for a special dinner. This is a fine Peruvian restaurant. We indulged in drink (the SACSAYHUAMÁN (pronounced ‘Saxy-woman’, a habanero pepper infused vodka shaken with passion fruit puree and cane sugar, served up with a sugar rim and a cilantro leaf garnish), Tapas (yuca rellena, causa morada (YUM!), and anticucho de pollo), and dessert (Flan de queso de carbra). This place a delicious, delightful, and all the other good descriptive words you can come up with.
It was getting late, but we drove to Willamette Falls to enjoy before it was too dark.
Back home to finish a movie we began the night before, then bed.
Sunday morning, Lola took us to the Southeast Hawthorne area. It is very funky and eclectic, with stores focusing on vintage, retro, grunge, etc. We had breakfast at Chez Machin. We had a delicious savory crepe and salad for a light brunch, then walked and shopped this area.
We also walked the neighborhood a bit, and enjoyed the lovely bungalow architecture and gardens.
And another treat later that day…(we really did a ton of walking to burn off all the calories!)
Late afternoon, we drove to the Rose Garden in Washington Park. It was a hot day and there were alot of people, but it did not feel crowded. The roses are gorgeous and there is no way you can capture their beauty on film.
So, um, Lola, what does the sign say, hmmm? 
View of downtown from the garden
This garden is an experimental garden. You will find many varieties that you will not find anywhere else. Here is something I had never seen before. Does this look like a bouquet of different roses to you? It is actually blooms from a single stalk! Incredible!!
We had an early dinner of some yummy Thai food, then I was on the road home. It was a fun weekend that I will always treasure with my buddy.
It looks like you had a great time. I used to go to Portland with my best friend a lot. It was fun!! It's a nice clean city.
Kristy
P.S. My dad lives in Leavenworth!
Edited by Kinley on June 5, 2007 at 12:15 AM
sounds like you had a spectacular weekend. I'm glad you had fun.
Leigh it sounds like you had a great time! The food shots are wonderful. The flowers were pretty nice too 🙂
Kathleen
Thanks for sharing! Such a beautiful time spent with a friend.
Thanks for emailing me – I can relate to your trouble to signing on to comment to me…I have a very hard time loading your blog. I think the only reason I was able to this night is because I am using my dh new laptop that does everything much better than my own p.c.
antoinette
Wow! That looks a lot of yummy fun. How wonderful it is that your hubbby would take both kiddos and let you have a weekend of your own. You are so blessed.
Lori