My friend, Callan, and I had been talking about driving down to Portland since we became friends. Throughout our first winter in Seattle, the weather kept us indoors for the most part. Then, summer had a lot of other plans in store for us like camping at Rialto Beach and me going back to the east coast. The week before the long Labor Day weekend, Callan called one evening and very enthusiastically asked if the boyfriend and I wanted to take the train to Portland for the day.
After a quick planning session on Wednesday, we determined the train wasn't the best option due to the schedule. I offered to drive, then asked if everyone would be up for a detour down the coast to Cannon Beach.
We left around 12:30 on Saturday. Thanks to the seemingly constant traffic to Tacoma, we arrived in Cannon Beach just in time for dinner at Public Coast Brewing before catching a beautiful sunset over Haystack Rock. We managed to turn this pit stop into a three-hour excursion full of group photos and splashing in the freezing water.
It was around 10 PM when we arrived at Jupiter Hotel for the night. Leading up to the trip, we had grand plans for getting drinks and checking out new bars. We were so exhausted when we arrived that we just settled for a single drink (the boyfriend had two, but they were amazingly delicious) at the hotel bar - Doug Fir.
This was our first time staying at the Jupiter Hotel. The boyfriend and I usually opt for an AirBnB, but the last minute plans and long weekend didn't leave us with many options. I had booked a room with two queen beds on the "chill side" of the property. When we located our room, we found a living room area and king bed on the side of the property nearest the Doug Fir. Once we clarified with the front desk that we were placed in the Dream Suite because the other queen rooms were booked, additional linens were dropped off for the huge convertible sofa, and we settled in for a surprisingly peaceful night of sleep.
We got a moderately early start on Sunday morning. The front desk person recommended Screen Door for brunch, but the line was around the block. We opted for Hunnymilk that was just a couple streets away instead. The boyfriend and I had breakfast there the last time we visited Portland, so we knew we were in for some amazing food.
Hunnymilk is a pop-up restaurant that has a pretty cool menu concept. There is a flat fee that includes a drink, savory option, and sweet option. There are additional side dishes and boozy options you can order for extra, as well. We waited for nearly an hour before getting our table - there was a miscommunication regarding the waiting list. The food was totally worth it, though! I ordered orange juice (fresh squeezed!), a peach pie crepe, and buttermilk biscuits with chorizo gravy. The biscuits were fluffy and yummy on their own. The chorizo gravy was a little spicy and covered with a light layer of spicy maple syrup that added a nice, unexpected sweetness. I notice a few mushrooms swimming around in the gravy, so if you're not a fan - like me - be on the lookout for those. I finished off brunch with the crepe that was covered and filled with delicious, fresh peaches.
From there, we walked around Downtown and The Pearl District - hitting up Powell's Books and Tender Loving Empire. Both are a can't miss when you're in Portland! We had some time to kill before our next activity, so we went to Rouge Public House. We each had a flight and enjoyed the AC before heading to our final adventure of the day.
The only activity we had actually planned for was a trip to DIY Bar. We had seen an ad on Facebook and decided to give it a try. This place seemed way more fun than your usual painting and wine outing! We had reserved a block of time beforehand, so all we had to do was check in and pick our DIY project. There was a good mix of easy to time-consuming to boyfriend friendly projects to pick from.
Between the three of us, we made a cat scratcher, concrete coasters, and a leather passport holder. The instructions were easy to follow and great for the not-so-crafty. We enjoyed beer and sangria while we worked. Most other tables were chatting throughout their time there, but we got so involved in our creations we kept pretty quiet. The quiet time was worth it though, as we were all pretty pleased with our final products!
Lastly, any trip to Portland wouldn't be complete without a stop at doughnut mecca - Voodoo Doughnut. We had a relatively short wait in line before retrieving a glorious pink box of cereal, cookie, and bacon covered pastries. I will never not order Oh Captain, My Captain - a Captain Crunch covered doughnut.
Although it was just quick overnight trip, we managed to pack a lot of fun in before returning to Seattle! We got back late Sunday evening with just enough time for Adam and me to pack for our next overnight adventure in the San Juan Islands. Be sure to check that post out next week!
How did you spend your Labor Day Weekend? What was your last short getaway?