A Weekend In Portland

September is now here and I'm feeling all the fall vibes, even though summer is still very much trying to hang on a little while longer with its hot days. But it won't be long until autumn is in full swing and I'm counting down the days!!

Last year for our anniversary we took a trip to Portland, and Cannon Beach Oregon.

Ah the weather there was so perfect with it's crisp air, warm golden sun, and colorful leaves.

For some reason I thought Portland was going to be this cute and quaint smallish city, but as it turns out it's quite large and is divided into districts. I had tried to plan the perfect vacation, but once we were there, there was so much to do that we knew there was no way to experience it all in one trip.

We rented an air b&b in the Mississippi/Williams neighborhood. We loved the location, it was a quiet quaint neighborhood, with tons of restaurants and shops within walking distance.

The first night we were there we had dinner at the Storm Breaker Brewing Co. which was less than a half block away, and it was excellent!

Touring the Pittock Mansion was amazing, David and I both love history and old homes, and this place was so beautiful!!

Sometimes I think I should've been born back in the the era when homes were this beautiful and ornate. Just imagine how much more romantical a dinner party would be sitting around this table?

This is a view of the ceiling in the Gentleman's smoking room.

The study was so beautiful! Pictures don't quite do all the detail justice.

And my favorite part of the house was the stunningly gorgeous grand staircase.

Here's a view from the back of the house.

Always taking turns making portraits for each other since there's no one to take photos of us together, haha. Also I can't just let anyone try to use my expensive camera equipment!

Every weekend from March-December is the Portland Saturday Market. It's the largest ongoing open air arts and crafts market in the country. We spent hours and hours just walking around looking at all the arts and crafts, and local vendors while listening to all the different street musicians.

This guy was awesome!! He was just rocking out on his drum set of 5-gallon buckets while rapping about the people walking by. When we walked up he pointed at David's Allen Edmond boots and started rapping about them. Haha!

We loved the eclectic vibes of the city! Everyone seemed very friendly and it's certainly about the most interesting place I've ever been to people watch.

The market is in the old part of downtown by the river. We loved strolling the river walk and exploring.

For breakfast we went to Floyd's coffee shop, just a block away from the market. The coffee and breakfast burritos were so good, and the atmosphere was as eclectic as the market, with all the different types of people coming and going for their morning Joe.

We made sure to hit up several of the antique stores and markets while we there. We both absolutely love anything vintage, and could spend hours getting lost shopping around for all the unique treasures.

I found these awesome vintage Justin brand boots that I'm wearing, and David found some nice old knives.

One famous little spot we hit up was Salt & Straw Ice Cream. The line literally wraps all the way around the building and down the block each night. We probably waited for 45 min or so just for our ice cream. But it was totally worth it! BEST ice cream we have ever had. David got lavender honey, and I chose olive oil, I know it sounds weird but it was amazing and was all of my ice cream dreams coming true with each bite!

Our favorite dinner while there was at the Bridgeport Brewing Co. The atmosphere, food, and in house craft beers were outstanding! We love breweries because it gives you a taste of the local side of the city, and in my opinion they usually have some of the best food ever! I ordered the chicken pot pie, which is a dish I critique since I'm from the south, and gosh I have to say it was probably the best I've ever had in a restaurant.

And of course when you go to Portland you have to drink lots of coffee. This is at the Stumptown Coffee Roasters inside the Ace Hotel.

We relaxed and got our caffeine fix after getting exhausted from walking around Powell's Books which is the largest bookstore I've ever been to. It expands an entire block and is several stories tall!

Our absolute favorite day was when we drove out to Canon Beach!! After several busy days in the city we were totally ready to be out of town and get in nature.

Nature is where my soul comes alive the most!

Thankfully it wasn't very crowded, so we had most of the beach to ourselves.

The weather was such a perfect autumn day!

David just couldn't resist running out into the ocean and taking a dip! Even though it was a chilly day, the water was really cold, and when the sun was behind a cloud it was quite windy.

We had been to the east coast and seen it's rocky shoreline, so it was fun to now check off the west coastline off our list.

I've never considered myself to be that much of a beach girl even though I do love the ocean. But I found a new love for it with the rocky and rugged coastline.

It was quite challenging to get this photo!! The tripod kept sinking in the sand, and we had just enough time to set the timer and run out into position before the next wave came in to shore. But we were determined to get it because we made this same picture a year before on the east coast in Maine.

We worked up an appetite walking along the beach so we strolled into town and found this cozy little restaurant. Crabcakes are one of my favorite things to eat and I like to think of myself as a coneseiour since I try them every chance I get, especially when I'm near the ocean. And this place did not dissapoint!

The little town of Cannon Beach is one of my favorites towns out of all the places I've been to. We both loved the charm and the quaint, quiet coastal vibes it had. Everywhere you turned were pots of flowers in full bloom, and little nooks and pathways winding through the shops. Above is the lovely courtyard in front of the cutest coffee shop we found.

There were so many good boutiques and stores to check out.

This town was small enough to give you that homey feel, but had so much to offer and was just big enough to keep you busy window shopping for hours. I absolutely loved it and certainly want to go back!!!

There's so much to do and see in Portland! If you love unique and eclectic boutiques this is the place, not to mention the food scene! Another place we loved was a reastaurant called Gravy. It was in our neighborhood as well and was the best breakfast we've had. If you go make sure to try their gravy, there's a reason for the name!

We ate our last meal for the trip here at Deschutes Brewery. The atmosphere was so warm and welcoming and the perfect date night spot. We got their porterhouse steak which was plenty to share, and they had some really good brews as well. Overall every place we tried was some of the best food we've had anywhere.

We had a lovely time in Portland and certainly have plans to visit again! Next time we plan to rent bikes and bike around the city like all the locals do instead of driving everywhere. (because finding a place to park is quite the challenge sometimes)

I definitely recommend renting an air b&b in a neighborhood that's near the hub of it all, it's so much fun to be able to just walk out your front door and go to any of the dozen restaurants and shops right down the street. It really gives you a taste of local life in the city!

And if you're a foodie like me, you'll probably need to go with a specific budget just for food, haha!! :)