I just spent Labor Day in Portland, Oregon. Although I’ve lived in California for most of my life, I had never actually made it up to Portland. It was my loss. I’ll show you why.
Labor Day in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon is an amazing city. It’s like a mix of Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco all in one. The city is walkable and easy to navigate, has great food, and is surrounded by amazing natural beauty.
Things to Do on Labor Day Weekend in Portland
My boyfriend and I worked our way through the city over Labor Day weekend in Portland. After checking into our hotel, we visited the Pearl District, where we had amazing tea and scones for breakfast.
We went to the Portland Museum of Art, where we saw a Dutch painting exhibition from Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Afterwards we ate at Dan and Louis Oyster Bar, where we feasted on local oysters and good beer.
We hit up the NW area and ate great food at the likes of Papa Haydn, Moonstruck, RingSide Steakhouse, Tara Thai Northwest, Vivace, and other restaurants and cafes that were open over Labor Day in Portland.
Between meals we entertained ourselves by hiking up to Washington Park’s rose garden, making our way out to some beautiful waterfalls, and navigating through one of the city’s enormous parks.
Wine Tasting near Portland
On the Sunday before Labor Day in Portland we drove out to a Willamette Valley town called Carlton to do some wine tasting.
Oregon Pinot Noirs hold their own against our California wines, and it was great to walk into the tasting rooms and not have to wait for ten minutes just to get a pour.
Kennedy School in Portland
On our last day in Portland we met up with a friend I worked with in Paris at a spot called the Kennedy School. It may be the most unique place I’ve ever been to.
It’s an old elementary school that’s been preserved in form but completely overhauled in function. It’s now home to a restaurant, bar, movie theater, hotel, and many more things.
Labor Day Weekend in Portland, Oregon
I was sad to leave Portland after Labor Day, but I came home in time to hang out with a friend who was in town from Seattle. She and I studied together in Prague, and it was great to see her again.
We went to lunch at Boulettes Larder, my favorite restaurant at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Another friend from our program met us there and we had ourselves a little Prague study abroad reunion.
Seeing four friends in one week from my overseas experiences made me feel like my world keeps getting smaller and smaller. Hopefully that bodes well for my social life when I move to London!
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