Portland Places

St. John's Bridge and Cathedral Park

 

 
In North Portland there's a funny little neighborhood called St. John's.

A trip to St. John's is like a trip back in time. There's a quaint little street dotted with cafes, neat shops and even an old timey movie theater. But in my opinion, the best part of the St. John's neighborhood is its bridge and the gorgeous park beneath it.

The minty green St. John's Bridge is the pretty bridge in Portland and Cathedral park is a fun place to spend an afternoon. The bridge is large enough to make you feel small, but small enough to walk across without taking all day long.

The park's website can be found here.

St. John's Bridge and Cathedral Park

N Edison Street and Pittsburg Avenue

Open everyday 5am-Midnight

Pix Patisserie

 

 

 

Ok, ok-I'm going to be truthful here.

I was, at one time in my life, a Pix hater. I spent a year abroad in France which I admit-makes me a bit of a snob when it come to lovely baked goods like croissants and brioche. Eating bad brioche is somewhat of a shocking event and after an incident of stale brioche at Pix-I swore off going to the place forever.

But nobody is perfect, right? And there are so many good things about Pix that I just can't help but love it. First of all, I must advise you to get something sweet. Macaroons, chocolates or the Queen of Sheba Truffle cake. Seriously-that cake is where it's at-okay-skip everything else and get that!

And don't forget to linger. The NE location is so adorable, you might just want to order your treats and sit for an hour or two. And Pix always has such cute events going on; like Easter Egg hunts, Bastille Day celebrations or free movie nights.

You can check out their cute site here and be sure to check out their events page here.

Pix Patisserie

3901 N. Williams 503.282.6539

Mon-Thurs 8am-Midnight

Fri-Sat 8am-2am

Sun 9am-Midnight

Flutter Boutique

 

 

Flutter is a wonderful shop filled to the brim with pretty, pretty things. Flutter has gorgeous vintage dresses, beautiful Italian papers, quirky vintage toys, the oddest ephemera, breathtaking art pieces and some of the neatest jewelery I've ever seen. Even if you have nothing in particular to buy, the shop is worth a stop because it is a pure visual treat. And there are even some sweet birds that hang around in the store cooing to create the perfect atmosphere.

You can shop online at their website here and be sure to visit their blog over here.

Flutter Boutique

3948 North Mississippi 503.288.1649

Mon-Sat 11am-6pm

Sun 11am-5pm

Pittock Mansion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pittock Mansion was once the home of a prominent pioneer family and now serves as a museum of sorts. The mansion is built high up in Portland's West Hills and is not only beautiful inside and out, but provides visitors with a gorgeous view of Portland.

The grounds are filled with interesting plants and trees and are free to roam. Admission is charged if you 'd like to enter the house, and I definitely recommend it-especially if you are with kids. The house is set up as it once was and it is fun to roam through all of the rooms. I especially liked the kitchen.

During the year the mansion has different exhibits and events-so be sure to visit the website before you plan you trip. You can find that here.

Pittock Mansion

3229 NW Pittock Drive 503.823.3623

Feb. 1-June 30 11a.m.-4p.m. daily

July 1-August 31 10a.m.-4p.m. daily

Sept. 1-December 31 11a.m.-4p.m. daily

 

Byways Cafe

 

 

Byways is one of the most comfortable breakfast spots in town. Strangely located in the heart of the somewhat snobby Pearl District, Byways is filled with classic American diner food, vintage decor and good service. I love their collection of travel memorabilia that lines the walls and you must try their blue cornmeal cakes.

Byways Cafe

1212 NW Glisan  503.221.0011

Mon-Fri 7am-3pm

Sat & Sun 7:30am-2pm

Cargo

Cargo is one of those magical places that you stumble upon one day and wish you had hours and hours and boatloads of cash to spend there. It is a fun imports store choc full of interesting wares from around the world. Imagine Cost Plus-but waaay cooler. And locally owned *bonus points*...

Find their website here.

Cargo

380 NW 13th Ave 503.209.8346

Open 11am-6pm every day

Hoyt Arboretum

Hoyt Arboretum is a public space that covers 185 acres and is just a couple miles from downtown. It is easily accessible by light rail and is home to over 1,000 species of plants. There are several trails and walkways and interesting things to see. It is so crazy to feel like you are in the middle of a forest but so close to the city...

Find their website here and plan your visit

Hoyt Arboretum

4000 SW Fairview Blvd  503.865.3733

Ink & Peat

Ink & Peat is a flower shop, a place to find some beautiful hand made goods, the best vintage home goods store in town and just a generally happy place. The owner, Pam Zsori, has an amazing aesthetic sense and this store is always a treat for all of your senses. Plus it is in a cute little "up an coming" neighborhood with some neat places nearby. 

Find their website here and Pam's cool blog here

Ink & Peat

3808 North Williams Avenue Suite 126 503.282.6688

Tues-Sat 11am-6pm

Sunday 12pm-5pm

closed Mondays

Saint Cupcake

 

 

Okay, let's be honest. Cupcakes are really delicious. If a person claims to not like them-there's probably something deeply wrong with that individual. They are cute, yummy, perfectly portioned and at Saint Cupcake you'll enjoy some of the best! They are always fresh, have vegan options and are always so darn pretty. They even have two locations; one on each side of the river. They are smart people those cupcake saints...

Find their website here

Saint Cupcake Belmont (my preferred location as it is housed inside the awesome store Noun)

3300 SE Belmont  503.235.0078

Tues-Sat 10am-7pm

Sundays 10am-5pm

closed on Mondays

Saint Cupcake NW

407 NW 17th Avenue 503.473.8760

Monday 9am-6pm

Tues-Thurs 9am-8pm

Friday 9am-10pm

Saturday 10am-10pm

Sunday 10am-6pm