Sep 222014
 

What a great day. We started our day with a relaxing breakfast at our hotel…it was such a short drive to our first stop that we were able to take our time. We hopped on the I-5 and before we knew it, we arrived at Woodburn Outlet Mall. This has got to be the best outlet mall that I have ever gone to.

We both have our go-to stores that we visit each trip. Columbia Sportswear and Shutterbug are usually my first two stops, while Mum heads to Lane Bryant and Jockey. This trip wasn’t much different except we didn’t split up as much as long as we normally do…Mum went looking for shoes and I popped into Shutterbug quickly before heading to Columbia. I was unimpressed by Columbia’s styles for shoes this year, but I still found a shoe that had good tread (kinda bummed it isn’t red though). We then headed to a few stores to search for pants for Mum…I also perused the racks while she was shopping and decided that I needed to get some new work clothes. We went into Dressbarn and I became a shopping fool…it was actually fun trying clothes on (probably because they fit for a change). I got a bunch of sweaters and tops and think I should have enough to carry me through tax season now. After my marathon shop, I helped Mum pick out a pair of shoes and we decided that we were shopped out. Three hours of shopping will do that to a person.

Since it was almost two, we decided to forego Shirley’s Tippycanoe in Troutdale and just head to our hotel. I am very glad we did that as the drive in from Troutdale at rush hour is hellishly slow. We decided to relax at the hotel for a while and ended up watching WarGames before walking to dinner.

Dinner was at Frank’s Noodle House which was featured on Diner’s, Drive-Ins & Dives. We started by sharing an order of spring rolls as an appetizer. Mum chose the Shrimp Noodle Dish and I had the Cashew Chicken with a side of steamed rice. Not only do they pull their own noodles, but they give you an option of spiciness (1 to 4). Mum had her noodles at a 3 spicy and I, of course, had the 4. I also had a Sapporo as it seemed appropriate – especially with the heat level. It was an absolutely delicious dinner, and I am so glad that we had leftovers to bring back to the hotel.

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That brings us back to the hotel and the end of another day. Tomorrow we will be exploring Portland on the first of our two days here.

Thank you for reading and talk to you soon.

L

Sep 222014
 
Salem, OR to Portland, OR

Salem, OR to Portland, OR

After breakfast at the hotel, we will be heading up the I-5 towards Woodburn Outlet Mall where we will spend at least two hours doing our tax-free shopping. My mum intends do do her Christmas shopping on this trip – I just want a new pair of runners (and maybe a dash cam).

After shopping we will head towards Troutdale where we will be having lunch at Shirley’s Tippy Canoe. This will be our 8th Food Network stop…Shirley’s was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. We may stop at the Troutdale Outlet Mall before heading into Portland, but that will depend on how well we made out in Woodburn.

I am not sure where we will be having dinner. I have three dinner restaurants on my list for Portland. Frank’s Noodle House, as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives; Fire on the Mountain Wings, as seen on Outrageous Food (and is a guaranteed stop for us in Portland); or Thai Seasons, which is rated the #1 Thai restaurant in Portland on Trip Advisor.

I’m excited to going back to Portland…this city has got to be my favourite US city; not only for it’s food, but also the city itself. This trip I hope to take the Aerial Tram (while Mum does something closer to ground level), and also visit the Japanese Gardens. There is so much to fit into our precious few days here.

Talk to you soon.

L