but we did find time for a getaway to portland, oregon, one of our favorite cities anywhere.
we made the ace hotel downtown our headquarters. imagine a vintage northwestern hunting lodge run by hip librarians. the decor was industrial flophouse chic meets readymade magazine. staying there made us feel kind of like characters in a gus van sant movie.
our agenda for the trip was pretty simple.
number one: drink good coffee.
number two: eat good food.
potato and spinach quiche from half & half. their scones were also crowdpleasers.
the great wall of bread at saint honore.
we had dinner one night at a great little restaurant called le pigeon. we were celebrating something special (see below). i went all vintage julia child and ordered the beef bourguignon; ben ate bunny rabbit. hoppy easter!
number three: experience some nature to work off the aforementioned buttery baked goods.
portland has two beautiful public gardens that sit on a hillside overlooking the city. the rose garden was still hibernating but was lovely nonetheless. the japanese garden was amazing. little pavilions, waterfalls, koi, mossy rocks. ben got so zenned out by the atmosphere, he felt compelled to strike a yoga pose.
number four: drink more coffee.
and number five, the best of all: get engaged!
