Quick Guide to A 3-Day trip to Portland, OR with Friends

Girls just wanna have fun, and that could never be more true than when you get a group of gals together to celebrate their friend who is about to get married. We tease, we gossip, we giggle. It’s all good fun. If we can do it in a rehabbed industrial city like Portland, Oregon then we know we are in for a festive time.

Portland serves up a colorful backdrop for a bachelorette party or a simple girls’ getaway. There is no question that there is great food, but did you know there is also shopping (tax-free in Oregon!), and spa treatments that can make you forget your cares for an hour or two.

It’s not easy to plan a large group girls’ weekend though. It takes extra thought, coordinating everyone’s likes and schedules, and above all, remaining flexible when plans (and moods) change. Hop along on the gal pal train as I dissect what goes into a great female-only escape to Seattle’s southern sister.

Tips

• If you have more than 2 friends traveling, put one person in charge. Everyone can have input, but one person can keep track and make sure all of the details are sorted before you leave.
• Know ahead of time if it is OK for everyone to wander off on her own, or in smaller groups, or if everyone should be sticking together.
• Plan for downtime, or the option for downtime. Some may want to sit in a coffee shop while others want to continue shopping or sightseeing

Apps for Planning and Sharing Expenses

• Tab (Free): Snap a picture of the bill and tag the items you ate/drank. Tax and tip are calculated for you. No more complicated math equations!
• Splitwise (Free): This app helps you figure out who paid for what and how much is owed to whom at the end of the weekend. You can add hotel bills, theater tickets, tips, etc. to the app and never have to “owe” your friends again.

Social Media Fun

If you have a group of gals who are totally plugged in why not create a hashtag that you all use so you can follow each other’s photos and share with more friends and your family back home? #PDXGirlsGetaway or #PortlandGirlsWeekend are long but get your point across.

POrtland Sample Itinerary

Friday

• Arrive in Portland
• Check into a hotel or rental house
• Late-night happy hour at Bartini

Saturday

• Coffee and pastries at a local bakery (Helen Bernhard was pretty delicious)
• Mid-morning spa appointments at Dosha Salon & Spa
• Saturday Market and tax-free shopping downtown
• Lunch at a food cart or Saturday Market
• Afternoon at the Chinese Garden, or ice cream at Salt & Straw
• Freshen up and hit the theater OR plan for dancing later in the evening
• Happy hour or dinner at Gracie’s in Hotel deLuxe
• Dancing or head back to your hotel for a chick flick movie fest

Sunday

• Time to get out of downtown and explore the neighborhoods
• Brunch at Mother’s Bistro
• Shop boutiques like Lark Press while you sip on a latte from Never Coffee
• Head down to the Sunnyside neighborhood for unique housewares, jewelry, and other trinkets you just can’t live without
• Drive to the airport or back to your home city

Where to Stay

Kimpton’s Hotel Vintage Park: Spring for a suite for you and your gals downtown. The funky décor, evening wine hour, morning coffee bar, and boutique atmosphere make it the perfect home base for your girls’ weekend. Great shops, restaurants, and entertainment are within walking distance.

What to Do

• Visit Dosha Salon and Spa, 3490 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214. This spa is continually voted the best in the city and is very reasonably priced.)
• International Rose Test Garden, 400 SW Kingston Ave, Portland, OR 97205
• Lan Su Chinese Garden, 239 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209
• Shop the boutiques in the neighborhoods of Portland
• Portland Saturday Market, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 2 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204
• Get lost in Powell’s Books (1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209)

Where to Eat

• Food carts: Have breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Portland Oregon’s renowned food carts where you can find something to please the whole gang.
• Breakfast and Coffee
  • Helen Bernhard Bakery, 1717 NE Broadway. Pick up an apple turnover. Your welcome.
  • Never Coffee, 537 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97205.

• Snacks
  • Salt & Straw, 2035 NE Alberta Street. Very unique flavors grace the boards of this sweet and savory ice cream shop (now found across the country, but this is where it all started).
  • Papa Haydn, 701 NW 23^rd Avenue. Decadent cakes, tarts, macarons, and ice cream topped with yummies will have you swooning for more.
• Drinks
  • Raven’s Manor, 235 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97204.
  • Scotch Lodge, 215 SE 9th Ave #102, Portland, OR 97214.
  • Dirty Pretty, 638 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214.
• Dinner
  • Oven and Shaker, 1134 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209. Don’t let the smaller menu scare you. This pizza joint serves up artisanal pies, small plates, and salads your whole party can enjoy.
  • Gracie’s, 729 SW 15th Avenue (in Hotel DeLuxe). Locally sourced produce and meats in a 50’s supper club atmosphere. Don’t forget to indulge in that second champagne cocktail. It’s worth the calories.
  • Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond Street. Order the beer sampler and anyone of the items on their starter and entrée menus. Our favorites were the French Onion Soup, Butter Leaf Salad, Grilled Washington Pear and Goat Cheese Flatbread, and Elk Burger. Don’t make the same mistake we did; save room for dessert!