Portland’s Famous Gardens: Rose, Japanese, and Lan Su Chinese

Roses are my favorite flowers and there’s no other place in the United States that you will see so many varieties than in Portland, Oregon (better known as the Rose City). The best way to experience these elegant flowers in all their glory is to take a trip to the International Test Rose Garden. Other famous gardens in Portland include the Portland Japanese Garden and Lan Su Chinese Garden, all which offer great, natural beauty for outdoor photography.

The International Rose Test Garden is the most famous garden in Portland and the best part is it’s free. The garden is located in Washington Park and has approximately 550 varieties of roses. The classic, elegant beauty of the rose comes alive as you take a stroll in this fragrant garden right outside of Portland city. The International Test Rose Garden is also a photographer’s delight with rows and rows of roses of all colors planted in different patterns.

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Portland’s West Side Eats and Trail Blazers

Portland, Oregon’s West Side has many eateries within walking distance of each other. You can grab bite-size gourmet burgers for lunch from the Pearl District, walk over to Downtown and get a mini rice bowl snack and then head over to Mi Mero Mole for authentic Mexican food in Chinatown. The West Side is also home to several hotels, restaurants, microbreweries, and street food trucks all within a short walk of each other. 

Portland Microbreweries: Hair of the Dog, Commons, and Fat Head

Portland, Oregon is well-known for its over 70 microbreweries and you can find them just about anywhere in the city. Some of the more popular and unique ones can be found in the Industrial District (east side) and Pearl District (west side). Although I’m a craft beer enthusiast and would’ve loved to try almost every one of them, I was only in town for a few days. So, I picked three breweries: a famous brewery, a not-so famous farmhouse ale style beer brewery, and an award-winning IPA brewery to do my beer tastings.

Portland’s Flower and Liquor Infused Desserts

Desserts galore and many infused with either liquor or flowers. That pretty much sums up what anyone with a sweet tooth wants to know about Portland, Oregon’s sugary treats. We picked some of the more unique dessert shops and not necessarily the more popular ones to honor the uniqueness of the city of Portland.

Portland’s Street Food Truck Paradise

One of my main reasons for visiting the green city of Portland, Oregon was to try some of their legendary street food. Portland is home to over 600 food trucks and is truly a street food lover’s paradise. These food trucks offer a great way to sample multi-cultural food for a fraction of the cost that you would get at restaurants. Many chefs including those from all over the world come to Portland to introduce their culture and flavors to the masses that gather at these food trucks for a bite into something out of the ordinary. The choices are endless from nostalgic adult grilled cheese to exotic dholl poori, a popular street food from the African island of Mauritius.