Four days in Portland, Oregon: Food, coffee, and lots of art

Day two began in a downpour of cold, wet rain accompanied by a dreary gray sky. Should I have been surprised? Apparently this is Portland's norm nearly 200 days of the year. Which is why I'm happy to say we stumbled upon a cute and charming café. Overflowing with music by Feist and Florence and the Machine, it quickly found it's way into my heart. With a German name just as quirky sounding as the inside of the coffee house itself, Fehrenbacher Hof (seemingly referred to as simply The Hof) is nestled inside an old two story house and lined with antique toasters, egg beaters (which hang from the ceiling), and just about anything your grandma used in the kitchen.

The coffee was warm and tasty, and although I can't say the food itself was spectacular, the atmosphere alone was plenty enough to make me want to return again and again. This place reminded me very much of the coffee shop I worked at in my home town: cozy, old creaky floor boards, comfortable chairs of all sorts, and all ages alike mingling together over a steamy cup of coffee.

Our chilliness lead us to find our next best indoor option: The Portland Art Museum. I am a life long lover of museums. Some of my favorites being the Tate Modern in London, England and the Musée d'Orsay and Musée du quay Branly in Paris, France. I'm certainly no art history major, I just wander along, immersed in a sea of art, stopping and reading about the pieces that capture my attention. Hours later find myself in quite a good mood with no idea how the time passed so quickly. It's wonderful.

Here are the top reasons I think this Museum deserves to be wandered in:

• It's warm and dry inside.
• Discounted ticket rates for students.
• Current and upcoming exhibits include: Mark Rothko, Joseph Beuys, John Frame, and Manuel Izquierdo.
• As part of the museum's Masterworks|Portland program, you can currently see Titian's La Bella (Woman in a Blue Dress).
• The museum is surrounded by all sorts of great places for lunch. (Check out: Urban Farmer, South Park Seafood Grill and Wine Bar, or (for something on the less expensive side) Flying Elephants at Fox Tower.)
• If you fancy a coffee or cup of tea after exploring all the museum has to offer, you'll find a café hidden away in the back of the museum's gift shop.

While strolling along downtown Portland, you'll come across certain blocks that pass by in a blur of color with smells that will pull you right back to them against your will. The great part is, it won't really be against your will. The food carts in Portland are the number one reason I want to return in the summer, when it's warm and there's more potential for sun. The food carts line the street with delectables from seemingly every part of the world. At one point on day two, we stopped at one of the carts for some Thai food. We handed over $5 and were given a heaping box of hot, pad thai in return. The original plan was to take it with us back to the hotel. We made it about two more blocks before we sat on a bench in the rain, opened the box sending streaks of steam into the cold air, and filled our mouths with the best pad thai we had ever tasted until there wasn't a noodle left. It made me wonder for a moment how the restaurants around here stay in business.

http://www.foodcartsportland.com/ - Visit this website! It lists the food carts by type of food, location, and will give you all the information you need to spend your time in Portland with a full stomach.

Want to hear more?

Read about Portland on Day 1, Day 3, and Day 4!