portland inspiration

here's the run down of the highlights:

*Stumptown Coffee (OMG)



*the Southeast Clinton neighborhood:

*Limbo Inc. (wall of herbs)

*Press Club Cafe (lunch - prosciutto, egg and brie croissandwich)

*Broder Cafe (breakfast - aebelskiver!)




*Savoy Tavern & Bistro (dinner) - same owner as Cafe Broder

*Detour Cafe (brunch - cardamom french toast!)




*the Pearl District (Downtown)

*Ace Hotel (lobby hang out)

*Clyde Common (Ace Hotel restaurant - lunch!)


must do on my next trip:

*Selby (antique district)

*Living Room Lounge Cinema (have your cocktail or coffee in the theater tableside)

*Stay at the Ace Hotel


great finds:

*Eat Shop Guides (awesomely presented little books on the most important information one needs to know when traveling: food and shopping!)

polaroid mania

more pics from my walk in Portland! finally, I figured out how to use this super rad polaroid image maker and I am obsessed (thanks again Jamila for your awesome tips)! not to mention that I am about to venture off to Downey (where I was born), to pick up a Vintage 1974 (year I was born!) Polaroid SX-70 SLR, the same model that Jenifer Altman uses to create her dreamy shots. for now, here are simulated versions. once I learn how to use the real deal, I'll get down to business...

in limbo

my first moments in Portland were incredible, starting with the amazing lunch I had at the Press Club Cafe - a simple croissant that was way too perfectly flaky and golden and crispy on the outside and pure buttery goodness on the inside, with a perfectly fried egg, prosciutto di parma and brie. who would've thought brie with that combo would work? it did, and it was heavenly. the egg yolk was just runny enough to make you want to die and go to heaven and the whole sandwich held together magically. i love breakfast sandwiches, any time of day. this one must be one of the best I've EVER had. plus, the ambiance, selection of magazines to chose from and the beats were sublime. it's located at 2621 SE Clinton St., fyi.



the next adventure was to the "wall of herbs' at a place called Limbo. but first, the walk there was enough to hold me in limbo - I was transported to another plane as I walked the neighborhood streets and stopped at almost every house to be completely enchanted by the landscaping, the color schemes, the wind chimes. it was pure bliss. every moment was perfect. I was completely mesmerized.



the park on the way. you could see and feel the trees breathing. splendid.




kissing cars








flower power












feng shui








color theory








herbal heaven

land of portals

I got back a little over a week ago from my journey to the Pacific Northwest and it has taken me this long to process what I saw, felt, and lived. So much was compressed into a few days in sensory stimulation that I need to break up my experiences into different topics with so many photos to share! It seems as though the theme of the trip was stepping through portals, and what a better place to start than "Portland"....