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Greetings. I have returned from one of my new favorite cities, and here’s what I’m loving this week.

This week:

-NOLA! This city exceeded my expectations. So much to love… To be continued. (also, this falls under the category of last week).

- Fall leaves at Mt Tabor  – Saturday was crazy sunny and nice out… like SUMMER. It was fabulous to walk around on Mt Tabor in the sunshine and still be able to take pictures of fall leaves, and then I “found” a giant pumpkin at Sip Juice cart. So pretty. In other news, I wrote another I <3 fall post, this time about my favorite city — 87 Reasons to Love Fall in Portland.

- Bamboo Sushi - Finally got around to going to Bamboo Sushi, and I’m afraid that it’s going to be a costly new favorite restaurant. So. much. good. food.

- L’Orient Express sign – Sometimes I see travel signs or maps or globes and I get a little carried away. I found a vintage-y 5 foot tall Orient Express sign on Rue La La this weekend. Sold.

- If I’m reading an article online and there’s a page 2, I’ll usually opt for being done on page 1. This article about how Zooey Deschanel can stop pretending she’s a dork was hilarious though and I continued on to page 2. Nicely done.

- Rum Club – Planned a surprise birthday drinks meetup for boyfriend, and I must say Rum Club is the perfect place to randomly find seating for 10 people on a Monday night (ok, that task isn’t too difficult on a Monday, I know). Beaker & Flask, I approve. Also, planning surprises might possibly be more fun than getting surprises.

- Ice cream sandwiches – Birthday cakes… meh. I made ice cream sandwiches instead. Sans candles, but I don’t think 33 candles would have fit anyway.

- Meet, Plan, Go! Portland – Getting excited for Meet, Plan, Go! Portland at Ace Hotel next week. It’s an event we’ve been planning for what seems like ages, so I’m both super excited and a wee bit terrified to be speaking on the panel about solo female travel and career breaks. It’s going to be awesome, you should come.

Flatstock Poster Show is one of my favorite things about attending Bumbershoot in Seattle. I return home with dozens of pictures, a few business cards of my favorite designers, and usually just one print — this year, it was the Weapons of Mass Creation print.

Bikes are always a trendy theme at Flatstock, even more apparent after looking at all of my pictures last week. So here are my favorite bike prints from Flatstock designers. And if you’re in Portland or San Francisco, remember to check out ARTCRANK (a poster party for bike people) in October. I can’t wait!

1. The Sellwood series – Joy Ride by Dan Stiles

2. Unchain yourself by DKNG

3. Double bike by DKNG. They have this one as a free desktop download. Cute!

4. fishtucanopus by Nate Duval

5. Squirrel Critter print by GigArt

6. Joan of Arc by Land Land

7. Cycling Related Accidents and Corresponding Injuries by Lil Tuffy

8. Portland City Print by GigArt

9. Night Ride by The Bungaloo

10. Taco Cat Rides at Midnight by Two Rabbits Studios

11. The one I don’t remember! by ??? (any ideas?)


Any favorites?

This week:

-Beets! I had a strange cooking deja vu this week. After buying a ton of beets at the farm stand, I decided to make a recipe from a few years ago. I couldn’t remember where I’d found the recipe, so I Googled it, and thanks to Google+, apparently I blogged about it: Brazilian Black Beans & Rice.

-Finally had dinner at Nuestra Cocina. Fantastic.

- Dahlias. It’s dahlia season. One of my favorite flowers. I love using my Sprite bottle vase. Yes, kitteh likes flowers too.

-Cheese plates. I hadn’t been to The Observatory in a while, and went this week. One of my favorite cheese plates in Portland.

-TBA – We went to Time Based Art festival over the weekend, to see the dance truck. The side of the truck was cool…

-Peaches! I love the late harvest we’ve had this year. More farm stand finds, I had an abundance of peaches left over last week, so I made Peach Buckle (Everyday Food). Best [almost fall] breakfast ever.

-planning for my first trip to New Orleans. I love travel planning, even when it’s a short trip. :)

-I’ve been app-happy ever since I got my iPhone. So I wrote about my favorite must-have Portland iPhone apps over on WhyGo Portland last week.

This week we welcome another autumn into our lives. As a thoroughly predictable human being, every September I fight the changing season, and then start warming up to the idea after reminding myself of all the things to love about fall. I finally give in (short of relocating, what’s a Portlander to do?). This years autumnal equinox is September 23, so as the rains have arrived, I’ll be re-reading my annual fall list.

I started this proper list of things that I love about fall, last year, just to remind myself… So here’s the 2011 updated, with 77 things this year. Epic!

1. leather boots
2. crunchy leaves
3. scarves (a serious weakness)
4. cozy striped socks (and argyle! Of which, Target has $5 argyle over-the-knee socks right now. Amazing)
5. English tea w/milk
6. apple orchards
7. Hulu
8. rain boots (looking forward to wearing my Converse-style rainboots! & bees!)
9. coffee
10. Powell’s bookstore
11. reading
12. cooking over-elaborate meals (this 3 hour soup comes to mind)
13. snuggling (kittehs or boys)
14. hikes
15. tights & skirts (cable knit!)
16. live music/Doug Fir
17. soup
18. fall-ish tunes
19. change/fresh starts
20. duvets
21. yellow
22. baking
23. chai lattes
24. plaid
25. wine
26. shooting guns (Don’t judge. I’m from the country.)
27. movies/beer/pizza/Cajun tots at McMenamins (tasty!)
28. home goods stores
29. pretending to love shopping
30. argyle (see #4)
31. learning
32. pumpkin everything, (including pumpkin spice lattes)
33. apple sauce (planning a canning party. I’m so almost 30)
34. hoodies (cozy)
35. Thai food
36. cities
37. cinnamon
38. whiskey
39. planning winter trips (last year Iceland. This year??)
40. planning 1 winter escape (somewhere warm & cheap! February? March?)
41. skinny jeans tucked into boots
42. pretty maps (yet another serious weakness)
43. layering
44. dreaming of Barcelona
45. popcorn
46. the air
47. food carts with heated seating areas
48. baths
49. colors
50. crying to Sigur Ros or Beck’s Sea Change (no explanation. It’s not 2 hrs and 14 min/week worth though, clearly I need to listen to more Sigur Ros)
51. corduroy
52. massive breakfasts
53. geocaching
54. making out in the cold
55. trains
56. watching people be excited about college football
57. spin class
58. yurt camping
59. finding new music
60. yoga pants
61. long dinners
62. storms
63. writing
64. flannel sheets
65. indoor workouts (Bar Method!)
66. even more indoor time: a new cooking class
67. board games
68. mashed potatoes
69. lazy weekend mornings catching up on my Google Reader in bed
70. carbs
71. rocking sudoku
72. sucking at crosswords
73. seasonal ales
74. dark nail polish (OPI Over the Taupe)
75. museums
76. the words ‘crisp’ & ‘cozy’
77. sweaters…

photo set on flickr

What do you love about fall? Share in the comments!

The new restaurant quest continues. I visited 52 more new restaurants and bars since July. Most of them are Portland establishments, with a little help from Oregon wine country and Seattle. So without further ado, here are my likes and dislikes (with a few “meh” thrown in).

1. Viking Soul Food – tasty handmade lefse awaits at this Norwegian food cart. (they’re over at the Green Castle Food Court pod now on NE 19th/NE Everett)
2. Green Beans Coffee
3. The Burrito Bar
4. Pok Pok Noi – does a new Pok Pok location count? Yes. The grilled corn is one of my favorite things.
5. Extracto Coffeehouse
6. Fonda Rosa – I’ve walked past this place so many times. It exceeded my expectations.
7. Kesone Thai Lao Bistro
8. Little Bird Bistro – Le Pigeon’s little sister. It was tasty. They give you a mini-macaron with your bill.
9. Guadalajara Taco Shop – Seaside, Oregon This place was horrible. Anytime I drive through Seaside, I try to stop at The Stand (amazing!). Alas, The Stand was closed, so we decided to chance it on the Mexican place next door. Bad decision Sunday.
10. Dig a Pony – love it. (already wrote about Dig a Pony over here)
11. Kitchen Dances – best vegan food cart in Portland? Yes.
12. Tapalaya – great happy hour
13. Utopia Cafe
14. Navarre – Next time, I will order just the cheese board, bread, Spanish tortilla, and wine. Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
15. Someday Lounge
16. Aybla Mediterranean Cart at Good Food Here pod – yum
17. D’s bar - diiiiiiiiive
18. Spunky Monkey House of Coffee – great breakfast sandwiches
19. PBJs – got the Spicy Thai to go to take to Sauvi Island. Reminded me of the PBJ fries at Potato Champion. Good sandwich.
20. Rip City Grill – I got the Portabella mushroom ‘Bacon & blue’ burger. Way exceeded my expectations.
21. Sonny Bowl – DC Vegetarian is my go-to at the SW 3rd & Washington carts, but I finally tried Sonny Bowl — a good bowl option.
22. Hotel Oregon Rooftop Bar, McMinnville, Oregon – cajun tots! (& excellent views)
23. Crescent Cafe, McMinnville, Oregon – I think this might be the best breakfast place in McMinnville. Food and service was spectacular. Perfect for fueling up for biking wine country.
24. Bergstrom Wines
25. Brick House – such a cool winery
26. Penner-Ash – awesome view & picnic space
27. Nick’s Italian Cafe – Hostess:”Welcome, we’re all full, let me see if we can find a spot” *We look around, notice only three tables are filled. She returns* “It looks like some tables might be clearing up, let me put you on the [non-existent] wait list.” Seriously? I understand the whole wine country reputation, but as long as I can still see, don’t pretend there are invisible people dining. le sigh.
28. Community Plate – good light breakfast option, but appears to be yet another McMinnville restaurant with a service problem.
29. Anne Amie Vineyards – *Oprah voice* “Look under your seeeeat! Haaaaaaaamocks!”
30. Solena Grand Cru Estates – a quiet option
31. Sokol Blosser – lovely vineyard
32. Voicebox Karaoke – sake!
33. Arleta Library Cafe – this one has been on my breakfast to-do list for quite some time. Underwhelming.
34. Hopworks Bike Bar (N Williams) – finally checked out the new Hopworks on N Williams. Love the outdoor seating option in the front.
35. Let’s Eat Thai food cart
36. Happy Grillmore food cart – the Shooter McGavin was tasty (another great SW 3rd & Washington veg option)
37. Dixon’s Rib Pit – (part of Dishcrawl PDX) I can’t vouch for the ribs
38. Yogio – the bibimbap was good
39. Cafe Hibiscus – Swiss dressing was great!
40. Cruzroom – I was so full from Dishcrawl that I only had one taco at Cruzroom.
41. South Waterfront Farm Stand – It’s not a restaurant, but there’s a farm stand in the park now, and if you eat a carton of raspberries while there I think it should count as a new place.
42. Enso Winery – a Portland winery (part of PDX Urban Wineries). Very cool space
43. Cactus, Seattle, Washington – what appears to be a Seattle chain restaurant. Good margaritas.
44. French Bakery, Seattle, Washington
45. Serious Pie, Seattle, Washington – margherita pizza was fantastic
46. Katy’s Corner Cafe, Seattle, Washington – good smoothies and quiche
47. Noodle Nation, Seattle, Washington
48. Hi Spot Cafe, Seattle, Washington – typical weekend brunch wait, but worth it.
49. La Isla, Seattle, Washington – I don’t think I can claim to have had Puerto Rican food before. Reminded me a bit of Pambiche (Cuban) in Portland. Really good dinner.
50. Branx
51. The Big Egg – the Arbor Lodge was excellent, and the perfect option for weekends that you don’t want to wait in line for breakfast.
52. Dogfeather’s Coffee – juice!

How it all started: I had a goal to visit one new restaurant a week.
1-52: Go To 52 New Restaurants – 30 Before 30 List
53-103: 52 [More] New Restaurants
104-156: 156 New Portland Restaurants, Bars, Coffee Shops in 299 Days
157-208: 208 New Places in One Year
209-260: 52 More New Restaurants: Portland, San Juans & Vancouver, BC

What new places have you tried lately?

I’m refusing to acknowledge that fall is on its way. Vive la summer!

This week:

-Bumbershoot! My third year since since I first crossed it off my list: #50 Go to Bumbershoot in Seattle in 2009. The line-up wasn’t too great this year, but the weather was fantastic. Loved: Little Dragon (as usual), staying at the Heathman (snagged it on Jetsetter in May), the Trey McIntyre Project (modern dance set to The Shins’ Oh, Inverted World), Best of SIFF 2011 short films (North Atlantic was the most memorable for me), orchestra-ish music in the Experience Music Project, the SBUX Insider Lounge (ie. free coffee drinks all weekend), and playing tourist going up the Space Needle, which I hadn’t done since I was a 5-year-old.

-Seattle food. Seattle, land of my birth, you have excellent food. [ahem, Portland is still better] :)  I could have eaten two of the Margherita pizzas at Serious Pie. Also enjoyed the huevos a la Mexicana at Hi Spot Cafe, and the delicious Puerto Rican food at La Isla in Ballard.

-Flatstock I always try to reserve day 1 of Bumbershoot for taking pics and considering my options, and buy something day 2. This year, I bought the Weapons of Mass Creation poster for my kitchen.

-Movies in the Park – One of the final Movies in the Park this year was North by Northwest in Elizabeth Caruthers Park in South Waterfront. Banh mi takeout from Bambuza + a bottle of rosé + a pile of pillows and blankets + Cary Grant on the big screen = perfect summer evening.

-Musicfest NW – After spending three days at Bumbershoot, I wasn’t too excited for Musicfest NW. We did end up catching one show on Friday night — Glass Candy. There were giant balloons. I took of video of said balloons.

Listening: Little Dragon.

I fall in love with dozens of posters every year at Flatstock (the poster art show at Bumbershoot in Seattle, Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, SXSW etc). I try to only purchase one print per year, while having a specific place in mind, so as to not over-clutter my home. A good idea, yes, but it’s hard to turn away from so many glorious prints — espcially the bicycle prints!

This year, I had to have the Weapons of Mass Creation poster from Angry Blue.

An ode to baking. I’ll be hanging this one in my kitchen. Probably time for another IKEA framing project.

Happy almost 3-day weekend!

This week:

- Now that I’m an expert at laying about in an inner tube on the river, I decided to write a post about my new favorite past-time — Tubing in Portland with the best float options in town. :)

- Finally went up to check out the new Hopworks BikeBar on N Williams last weekend. I love the outdoor seating options out front so you can watch the world go by. And of course a visit within 2 blocks of Pix Patisserie requires a stop-in for a lemon tart. Nom.

- I also went to karaoke for the first time in Portland (I’d only ever been while traveling), at Voicebox. Watching other people sing is great entertainment, but yes, I did join in a few times (just not solo, because I’m ‘fraid!). Boyfriend also sang me a Guns N’ Roses song. Yep, I liked it. I shall now refer to him as Mr Patience. And if you’re into sake, Voicebox also has awesome options.

- I managed to snag a ticket to the Portland launch of dishcrawl on Twitter last weekend from Molly, and had a great time meeting more Portland foodies and trying out four new places in town.

- Listening: The Raveonettes keep popping up on one of my Pandora stations, which means I need to stop ‘thumbs up’-ing them. I know, I know, their new album has been out for a while now. Anyway, I’m really liking Ignite.

What are you up to this week?

A proper summer finally arrived! Oregon, how I love thee.

This week:

- We took at a mini vacation to Oregon wine country last weekend. It was lovely. Highlights were: biking 6 miles around the North Valley Rd area of Newberg near Bergstrom Winery, the coziness of Brick House Vineyards, the view (& picnicking at Penner-Ash), sunsets from the rooftop bar at Hotel Oregon, and hammocks (hammocks!) at Anne Amie Vineyard… A nice little break, indeed.

- I made Gingered Blackberry and Black Plum Shortcakes [recipe] with whipped cream for breakfast last week. Super quick and delicious.

- Finally went river floating on the Clackamas River on Sunday. After all the stores being out of tubes last weekend, we bought them all on Amazon (Amazon prime win!). Such a fun day. I’m hoping for another H-O-T hot day in August or September so we can head out to Estacada again. Hopefully by summer’s end the price-per-use of my innertube will be less than $18.

- Listening: Gorillaz (featuring Little Dragon) – To Binge. This song surprised me. Love Yukimi’s (from Little Dragon) voice.

What are you up to this week?

Aren’t things with wheels fun? Here are a few things [some with wheels!] that I enjoyed this week…

This week

- Watched the Portland Twilight Criterium bike race around the North Park blocks on Friday. More cowbell!

- Let’s talk about my container garden. It’s amazing… and so tasty. I made a tomato salad this weekend which included: tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and more tomatoes.

-We were going to go berry picking at Sauvie Island on Sunday, and ended up spending so long at the beach (no, not the nude beach!) that we missed the U-pick hours. So we ended up buying berries from the stand instead. Next time!

- I got a silly email from Gilt Groupe telling me “good news, your Hype Silk Naomi Strapless dress is now available”, meaning it had sold out ages ago, even though I really had no intentions of buying it. And I had a $20 off any order special coupon and so it ended up being $59 instead of ummmm… a $175 dress. Yay!

- Just started listening to Liam Finn’s new album FOMO. This video is ridiculous and kind of adorable. Those kiwis.

-Portland Soap Box Derby was also this weekend on Mt Tabor. We arrived kind of late, but it was still fun to sit on a blanket, and legally drink beer in the park. Also, there was a tank with some kind of potato gun cannon. Next year, I’m going to wear a derby hat.

What are you up to this week?