Our first East Coast visitor

Almost five months after we left the Upper East Side and Harlem for the Pacific Northwest, we welcomed our first East Coast visitor, my college roommate, Ultimate teammate, and close friend, Krista.

(In the coming days and months, we’re expecting three more visitors from the opposite coast—Lindsay’s friend from grad school in a week, Kristin in April, and Myles in May. We are very much looking forward to showing our loved ones our new city.)

Krista arrived Saturday morning—wide-awake and cheerful (but really, when is she not?)—after a long trip from Philadelphia, where she is an oncology nurse at UPenn. After about an hour of hanging out and catching up, we decided to take on the day. And oh, did we take on the day!

Lindsay’s brother, DJ, joined us, and we walked over to NW 23^rd street to Lela’s Bistro to enjoy Bánh mi, or Vietnamese sandwiches, for lunch. I ordered the Grilled Portobello sandwich. The Portobello is cooked with a delicious ginger-garlic sesame-soy sauce and served on a super fresh baguette with a bunch of carrot and cilantro and some aioli. When we want a fresh, light, and delectable lunch, we always opt for Lela’s. I’ve never been disappointed!

After filling up, we walked down 23^rd Ave. to show Krista its renowned “cuteness.” Cafes, an array of restaurants, high-end boutiques, bars, most of which inhabit gorgeous Victorian homes. We wove through our neighborhood heading east to the Pearl district, which is far more urban, upscale, and city-like than our immediate neighborhood. After a few miles of wandering, we decided we had earned a delicious beverage, so we parked for a few hours at Bailey’s Taproom. (A truly great place to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon!)

Lindsay and I discovered this place only a few weeks ago, which is dangerous, because now we want to go all the time. Draft Magazine deemed Bailey’s as one of the 100 best beer bars in the country. And, if you ask me, I concur! The exposed brick, high ceilings, timber pillars, huge windows give the bar a much-welcomed coziness. It offers 20 constantly rotating taps, with a huge emphasis on Oregon breweries and a range of eclectic brews. (I’ve learned to always check the alcohol content of beers out here. Otherwise I could be seriously in for it.)

Over the next few hours, I enjoyed the cozy ambience, catching up, incessant laughing, and, of course, my two vastly different IPAs—one floral and hoppy, the other delightfully smooth and refreshing.

Giddy and giggly, we made our way to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients to make pizzas—a mango and asparagus pizza and a fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, tomato and basil pizza. Both were excellent! Krista's friend from childhood and her boyfriend joined us. While Krista dozed in and out of naps, we played darts and chatted.

Sunday morning, the four of us woke up bright and early (OK, not so early), to embark on a snowshoeing adventure on Mt. Hood. Before making the hour-long trek, however, we stopped at the Lovejoy Bakers for overpriced, yet delicious, breakfast sandwiches and Stumptown coffee.

On we went to take in the splendor of Mt. Hood. We couldn't have had a more perfect day for snowshoeing. Mid-30s. Blue sky. Light wind. Packed base of about 2-3 feet. Neither Krista nor DJ had ever snowshoed, but really, snowshoeing is pretty fool-proof. In my mind, if you can walk, you can snowshoe. We took on White River Canyon because we knew we'd face the mountain square on the entire time.

I've never felt so overpowered by the mountain's grandeur. There we were, the four of us and a lone backcountry skiier, seemingly alone on the snowy mountain, as if it were completely ours to explore and cherish.

A day of snowshoeing meant we were hungry and thirsty, so before we could think twice about the extra 45 minute drive, we were off to Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom in Hood River. Just thinking about their margarita pizza and refreshing India Red Ale had my mouth watering! Warm and full, we headed back to Portland, perfectly satisfied by a day of magnificent views, fresh mountain air, and delicious food and drink.

Overall, Krista's visit was outstanding. We explored some new breakfast places with her friend from Lancaster, wandered through the Japanese Garden and International Test Rose Garden, went for a muddy trail run in Forest Park, chuckled our way through the Blazer's loss to the Wizards.

We are very much looking forward to hosting future visitors. But seriously, how could you not want to visit after reading about what a ball we had--the entire time?