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My weekend getaway

I went on my first bike trip over Memorial Day weekend! It didn’t involve camping or biking for several days continuously, but I’m still referring to it as a bike trip, since we arrived by bike on the ferry and did a 20 miles round trip ride from Friday Harbor out to Roche Harbor.

ferry to the San Juans… I love the Washington State ferries, takes me back to my giddy 5 year old self.

my bike’s first ferry ride

Boat shopping in Friday Harbor

Bike parking in Roche Harbor

Lime Kiln Cafe – my recommendation may be slightly skewed by hunger after our 9.5 mile ride, but yummm!

post-brekkie bocce ball



It’s a hard life…

Rode past this camel on the way home. Camels on islands… hmmm…

Not gonna lie, I was coveting everyone’s road bikes on the way home. Hoo-rah for finally reaching Friday Harbor Town Limits!



Much deserved post-ride dinner at Downriggers – blackened salmon sandwich with sweet potato fries

Last ferry of the day arriving at Friday Harbor

Morning walk with carrot apple ginger juice

Farewell Friday Harbor! I’ll be back.

San Juan Islands 2-night trip costs:
Gas – $20
Parking – $13
Ferry ticket – $15
2 nights cottage rental in Friday Harbor- $60 (split between 6 people)
Food – too much! Probably $100ish?
Entertainment: free!
Total: $200ish

Have you been to the San Juans?

I usually spend a few minutes flipping through pictures on my iPhone for my Things that Make Me Happy posts, and the month of April has left me with a feeling of gratefulness. April was fantastic! So here are 10 things that make me happy…

1. Maui! Maui! Maui! I finally managed to get back to lovely Hawaii. Even though it’s so cheap to get to Hawaii from the west coast, my first trip was in 2007, when I went to Oahu for 5 days, so I was excited to visit another island. I’ve only ever heard amazing things about Maui, well other than the prices. After months of dreary Portland, I was more than ready for 10 days of sunshine — especially when I realized, upon arrival at Kahului, that I had forgotten what warm air feels like. Snorkeling, swimming, laying out, driving around the island, hiking, finding an “infinity” pool to swim in while hiking, stand up paddleboarding, Foodspotting up a storm from amazing restaurants… le sigh… I think I need to winter in Maui next year. Hawaii $795.43

2. Oregon Coast Essa drove us home from the coast a few weeks ago. No Zipcars were harmed in this photo.

3. Airbnb So I tested out the Airbnb waters while I was on vacation — both offering my place up as a host and trying as a traveler. How’d it go? Hosting turned out great! I had 2 guests and my place was filled 8 of the 10 days I was on vacation. The best part? It paid for 1/2 my trip! I’ll definitely be renting out my space whenever I go on vacation now. <3 Airbnb! The bad news? After finding a lovely[looking] Airbnb place in hippy-tastic Paia, we decided to go with the flow and pay when we arrived instead of booking on Airbnb. And turns out this place is riddled with Cane spiders (Google it, I’ll wait). Ewwwww, right? So after returning “home” after one of my favorite days — driving the Hana Highway — the spiders descended upon the house. I’m being only slightly dramatic… after a killing spree of 6 cane spiders, and several bloodcurdling screams by one BFF, we all decided it was time to go elsewhere. Yes, I get that they’re harmless, but I’m not thinking about the harmful part, when I find a 5 inch spider in my bed. Unfortunately since we didn’t book through Airbnb or pay by credit card, we have no recourse to post a negative review on Airbnb, which is upsetting. Onward! Airbnb

4. Bike date to Fenouil Let’s talk about my bike more! I went on my very first bike date in March, and I’ve decided biking is the best way to go on a date. The plan was to double date at Fenouil, and we just happened to catch it on their last weekend. As I mentioned in my last new restaurants post, I just discovered Fenouil, and their fabulous happy hour in March, so I’m sad to see it closed! Anyway, since I was meeting everyone there, I rode along Waterfront Park, and under the Steel Bridge, before happening upon the most lovely bike ride going the opposite direction. I forgot it was Portland’s bi-annual Tweed Ride and was tempted to turn around and go a-riding with them, especially with their waves and calls of “Come with us!” Needless to say I was the last to arrive at Fenouil. BFF and I had the cheese tart and cheese plate and well… everything on the menu with cheese, while the guys had burgers and pot au feu. After dinner, handsome boyfriend (yes, still trying to decide what to refer to him as on my blog) and I rode through the Pearl district, up Waterfront Park and stopped to take pictures of the cherry blossoms and my new bike and the river and then rode over the Steel bridge to the East side. Riding my bike reminds me how much I love my city. Fenouil $12ish

5. Hanami! After thinking the cherry blossoms would never arrive, they finally came! I enjoyed seeing them in pockets of downtown, Waterfront park, visiting the Japanese Gardens, and happening upon the surprise hidden streets covered on both sides with cherry trees… where you ride down the street and say “oooooh! so pretty!” the entire time. Waterfront Park $free!

6. Star Noodle in Maui I fell in love with a restaurant while in Maui. Hello Vietnamese crepe! And the pad thai, and the malasadas… Brilliant. We loved this place so much that we came back for lunch a few days later. Star Noodle $20-ish

7. Biking around the Willamette Hey let’s talk about biking again! A couple weekends ago, we biked down the Eastbank Esplanade to Sellwood, had gelato at Staccato Gelato in Sellwood, rode over the Sellwood Bridge, along the river and back to downtown. Almost a complete circle, and such a nice day for a ride. Staccato Gelato $3.50

8. Make it Pop @ Ace Hotel Cleaners Handsome boyfriend took me to the PDX Pop Now! benefit at the Ace Hotel. Good music and tasty food — asparagus soup and amazing deviled eggs from Beast (how many deviled eggs I ate = a secret!), ice cream from Fifty Licks, and cupcakes from somewhere. Yes, the music was good too. PDX Pop Now! $35

9. Portland Cheers to Belgium Beers After a morning of lazing around at the Farmer’s Market (tasty macaron alert!), we headed over to the Portland Cheers to Belgium Beers Festival. I’m fairly certain 95% of the people there arrived by bike. Thankfully, they allowed bike parking in the fenced in area, and we were able to find a spot to lock our bikes together by the row of Honey Buckets :) Anyway, I’m not the biggest Belgium Beer fan, but it was fun trying different ones (and I’m a little more tolerant of Belgian beer now — I found a few less sweet ones, but I’m still firmly rooted in the IPA camp). It’s always fun to spend a day in the sunshine with friends! PCTBB $15

10. Red flats & skinny jeans Loving my new Seychelles coral red flats and H&M dark skinny jeans. I went shopping for the first time in ages. Lie. Shopping occurred sometime in January or February, but it’s been too cold to wear them, so I’m finally getting to enjoy those red flats I found at Nordstrom Rack. Rack $25

What are you happy about?

I received a comment on my first Forkover Friday post, about Northstar Animal Rescue, a 501(c)3 non-profit, who was in charge of 1,000 rats that had been given up by hoarders… yeah apparently there’s even a TV show called “Hoarders” [sidenote: I don't keep up on these things, as I don't have cable, but while on vacation, I stumbled across a show called Extreme Couponers, that seems to have the same concept of hoarding. It. was. horrific.]… and these rat people were on that show! Yikes. Anyway, the comment from Jack & Jill caught my attention since I’m such an animal person.

Forkover Friday Week

Who it helps: animals!
What non-profit/project: Northstar Animal Rescue
Where: San Francisco area

Where should I give next week?

Guess what? I didn’t go kiteboarding! Ever since my windsurfing class in Naxos, Greece, I’ve been wanting to try kiteboarding. I’ve tried all the board sports I can think of [and loved them all!], except kiteboarding and stand up paddle boarding. I figured I would have the opportunity to try out kiteboarding this spring during my “escape from weather hell” vacation. After deciding on Hawaii, I started looking at paddle boarding instead. So after researching Maui stand up paddle boarding (SUP!) options, we ended up renting two at the beach and sharing. So. Much. Fun! Honestly, I thought it would be a little harder — the balancing part, I didn’t go catch waves or anything though. Next time. :)

We started from the beach, put the board in the water, hopped on (kneeling), and paddled out over the tiny waves breaking and then it was fairly smooth sailing from there. Apparently you’re supposed to be “light in your legs” and use your core. Definitely a core workout. My BFF and I paddled around for a good amount of time and then took turns holding paddles to jump into the water, followed up with a bit of downward facing dog. Success! :)

Not sure I’ll be paddling down the Willamette on a paddleboard, but I’d love to try it again somewhere warm and try catching waves on one. That would be brilliant. But it really made me want to go surfing again.

I’m a little sad that I have no photographic evidence that I went paddleboarding, but it was on the above pictured beach. C’est la vie.

Have you been paddleboarding?

I’ve really enjoyed the inspiration [and excuse] to spend time on my home, making it a place I love to be — ever since I first read the Apartment Therapy book five years ago. The first year of this blog, in 2007, things were a little AT heavy around here, as I completed my first “home cure” and joined the AT community.

Although I’ve been pretty quiet in the Apartment Therapy community the last year or two, I entered my place in the Small Cool 2011 contest last weekend. The contest has been running all month, and voting ends this week, so I’m a little late to the game, but it’s still really fun to see my place listed. :)

At 600 square feet, my place falls into the “Little” category, which is fairly massive compared to “Teeny-tiny” and “Tiny”. Makes me want to downsize!

Do you Apartment Therapy too?

Last month, I was beyond ready for spring to show up, and now I can’t wait for summer to arrive. So as April is quickly passing, it’s high time I do another 10 Things That Make Me Happy post. So without further ado, here are 10 things that put a smile on my face…

1. Portland Farmers Market opening – It’s been a long winter, so March 19 was like Christmas morning! I’m excited to have the PSU Farmer’s Market back open — it’s one of my favorite Saturday morning routines during the summer. While there wasn’t as much produce available as later in the season, I still ended up spending all my cash, and headed home with: jonagold apples, carrots, havarti from Willamette Valley Cheese Co (a fav!), ciabatta from Pearl Bakery, a honey stick, and Dave’s killer bread. And the chard was the most beautiful colors! We followed our Farmer’s Market visit with a drive up to Council Crest, which turned into an impromptu hike to OHSU, took the tram down to the South Waterfront Zipcar, drove to Council Crest to get the car, dropped off the Zipcar and then filled up on my favorite sandwich at Bunk Bar. Phew! portland farmers market



2. My new bike! – I’ve already rambled on and on about my lovely new bike. Swoon. bikesdirect $349



3. Bar Method – I’ve tried Bar Method a few times at Lululemon and once at their studio. It’s a brilliant workout and a lot of fun, but the drop-in prices aren’t something I want to add to my budget (example: at $22 a class, that’s like buying 15 classes instead of my previously mentioned lovely bicycle). So I was excited to that they were at Lululemon 1x/week for the month of March. I couldn’t ask for a better price :) bar method $free
4. The Oatmeal at Powells – The Oatmeal comics are a major part of my lol folder in Google Reader. It was fun to catch his quick talk at Powell’s while he was on his way through town promoting his new book, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth. Fun to hear the backstory on a few of the comics, his inspiration, and random silliness. powell’s $free
5. Dandy Warhols at University Chapel – I snagged tickets to all three of Hotpot PDX’s Best Ever Shows series, and made it to two. The Dandy’s tickets were by far the most elusive, but such a fun show and a really chill space (nothing like listening to ‘Heroin is So Passe’ in an old church). That Courtney Taylor-Taylor… so naughty.
6. Happy hour at Ping – After being sick off and on for a few weeks, it was fun to finally be out of “recovery” mode and spend a lazy Saturday, happy hour-ing at Ping with coworker Jessica and recent Portland transplants Kate, Patty, Ryan (but minus Doniree & Chris who got sidetracked with a Zipcar and the Oregon coast… something I’m a little too familiar with!).  ping $15-ish
7. Foodportunity – I won two passes to Foodportunity from Eater PDX last month. It was a nice diversion to stop by, chat to local chefs, and snag some tasty bites. A fav was the white bean radicchio with octopus from Beaker & Flask. foodportunity $free to me :)



8. Mini dinner party for 4 – I’ve been in my new place for almost a year now and had yet to cook for more than 2 people! So I made my favorite lentil soup, and served it with bread and Brie. Success!
9. Liam Finn @ Doug Fir – I don’t remember when I first starting listening to Liam Finn… probably off Pandora, but I love his sound, so when I saw on the Doug Fir list that he was going to be here in March, I got a little giddy and put it on my calendar. Those kiwis. :) I took a few short videos with my iPhone, but this one is the whole song, Second Chance. doug fir $12
10. IKEA kitchen cart thing – I love, love, love my kitchen, but if I could change one thing, I would request more counter space. When I’m cooking more than one thing at a time, I start precariously stacking things everywhere: counter, cupboards, table… this combined with my love for kitchen gadgets, and I run out of space quick. So I decided to add to my disturbingly large IKEA collection with the super cheap BEKVÄM kitchen cart. ikea $60

What’s been making you happy lately?

I let #20 on my 30 Before List be a little vague… Get a car, scooter or new bicycle. Oh the options!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been car-less for three years now. Granted, the first year I was traveling, but when I returned to Portland I kept putting it off, and oddly enough I’m still car-free. The streetcar, bus, MAX, and hitching rides (with friends, people, with friends!) takes me almost everywhere I want to go. When do I miss having a car? In the evening, on the weekends, or if it’s pouring outside. Zipcar helps with the weather problem, but it’s still not a good option when you want open-ended meandering. So as summer is approaching, I decided a new bike would be the most economical — and fun — option. I downgraded my Zipcar membership to the pay-as-you-go option to save a bit… for the bicycle I just bought. Oh, hello! Here’s my new bike… and bike mechanic kitteh.

After over a month of research, learning about bikes, test riding (yes, I’m the Foursquare mayor of a few local bike shops now, oops), scouring Craigslist and bike blogs, I’m speaking a whole new bike language that I had no idea existed two months ago. And my apologies to the folks I spend a lot time with. I have a tendency to obsess over things sometimes… and I’ve been a little bike crazy lately. Who wants to go to breakfast and listen to my yammer on about bicycles? “I think I’ve finally decided on a mixte!” <<one of those words I learned.

The bike I initially wanted was the Public D3, but after taking the D8 for a test spin at Clever Cycles, I realized it was just a tad too big for me. To make a long story short, I briefly fell in love with a 2009 Fuji Touring bike — it had drop bars, rear rack/fenders, and such an awesome (& spendy!) ride, but wasn’t tipping the cute scales for me. I tried a few road bikes, hybrids, cruisers, and city bikes, and then test rode the Linus Mixte back at Clever Cycles again. I liked that it was cheaper than the Public bikes, but the smallest frame size was 49cm and they were out of stock a few days after I was in. Then I test rode a mixte off Craigslist that needed $200 worth of work, and was already $300! So I ended up ordering a cheaper bike online, and having it “re-assembled” by the awesome guys at A Better Cycle. I’ve always known Portland is a bike town, but once you’re actually looking for a bike, it’s a little frustrating trying to find one! All the bikes shops around town were amazingly helpful and friendly, but I still had a hard time finding a bike that was both a small frame and in my price range, which is why I ended up getting it online.

Now I want white-washed tires, so my bike will be a Creamsicle. CUTE!

What should I name my bike?

I saw this video on swissmiss earlier this week, and love the idea of this project. Brilliant. So this week’s Forkover Friday is for a project that makes me feel joyful, a needed change.

Forkover Friday Week
Who it helps: the making of a documentary film, The Bicycle City by Greg Sucharew. Donate or share the video!
What non-profit/project: about the non-profit Pedals for Progress
Where: Nicaragua

Where should I give next week?

Like the rest of the world, I woke up Friday morning in utter shock of what had/was happening in Japan. I don’t really have much to say for this week’s Forkover Friday. It’s devastating. Text REDCROSS to 90999.

I love Japan. Three years ago, I was on a bullet train from Hiroshima headed to Tokyo — three weeks into my round the world trip. The picture of cherry blossoms was from a park in Tokyo, as flowers were just starting to bloom as I was leaving Japan. Anyway, I’ve been following Makiko Itoh‘s (from Just Bento) local news updates on twitter.

Forkover Friday Week
Who it helps: Japan relief efforts
What non-profit: text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Japan earthquake & Pacific tsunami relief
Where: Japan
Why: earthquake and tsunami

Hey remember that time I said I was going to try and go to more restaurants around Portland, instead of just the same ones over and over again? Well, I did that, twice, and I have to say, after you start focusing on trying new places, it’s harder to go back to favorites because there’s always something new around the corner. A good problem to have in Portland. So now that I’ve been to 156 new restaurants, bars, coffee shops in the last 10-ish months, here’s my third installment of “Go To 52 New Restaurants!”

1. Secret Society – I’d been wanting to go here for ages! Ended up watching a blue grass band, snazzy dancers, and drinking a Moscow Mule while waiting for a spot next door at Toro Bravo.
2. Toro Bravo – and there were rumors… ok I tried the fois gras (tasty!) and the bacon-wrapped dates (meh, I’ll take the dates, hold the bacon, hopefully I don’t get assassinated on the streets of this porkelicious city). Spanish tortilla was excellent. Loved it all.
3. Laurelthirst Public House
4. Beulahland – oh look, another Portland dive bar.
5. Thai PK – mediocre Thai food in SW
6. Floyd’s Coffee – good coffee shop to work from
7. Heart Coffee – <3 a recent fav, I’ll be the mayor yet!
8. Tasty N Sons – tapas for breakfast? yeah, it’s kinda like that. I was a little nervous that I would feel anxious while I was eating, since a lot of the items are for sharing, but I did A-OK. Heard the wait has gotten a little out of hand, lately, but will definitely be back.
9. Laurelhurst Theater & Pub – wine + old movies = fun
10. Santa Fe Taqueria – I had a Groupon to here. It was a 3.5 star on Yelp when I bought the Groupon (my minimum for buying). I won’t be back.
11. Living Room Theatre – Living Room is one of those places for me that I pass on a regular basis and always meant to stop in, so I finally did — on a cheap Tuesday — and it was again, a fun movie/wine spot.
12. Little Big Burger – I love that Little Big Burger opened in this spot. It’s hard to find anywhere cheap to eat (or even open) in the evenings in the Powell’s Books neighborhood.
13. Crema Bakery & Cafe – love! Too crowded on weekends, but understandably so.
14. Olive or Twist – cool little spot in NW
15. Slabtown – Portland’s dive-iest dive bar? Perhaps.
16. Bailey’s Taproom – Seems like a cool place, but for some reason the atmosphere just hit me wrong. I’d give it another shot though.
17. Violetta – I love that Director’s Park has this. I’ll be back in the summer.
18. The Woods
19. Bakery Bar – like!
20. APEX – cool little place beside my fav, Taqueria Los Gorditos
21. Taqueria Los Gorditos (new location, not truck) – love the soy rizo veggie burrito
22. Mississippi Pizza & Pub – I got pizza and beer, surprised?
23. Meat Cheese Bread – Love the name, brekkie burritos not too substantial, but their sandwiches are mighty fine.
24. Gruner – happy hour! I had the Gruyer grilled cheese, pumpkin seeds (nom), and a few other tasty things that were clearly so tasty that I don’t remember what they were. Very cool spot though, will be back.
25. Flavourspot – Finally used my Groupon to here, which they were super cool about extending into January, when I contacted them on The Twitter. Tasty waffly goodness with Morningstar Farms veggie sausage and syrup.
26. Bunk Sandwiches – I got the Tillamook grilled cheese & tomato soup. Don’t make the same mistake. I mistakenly thought I would be getting fancy bread, nope, plain white. Error noted. Bunk Bar has the roasted squash with Gruyere & arugula sandwich, which is stellar!
27. Spirit of ’77 – I LOVE this place. First went to watch Portlandia on the big screen, since I’m sans TV, and then ended up watching the Super Bowl here too. It’s like a sports bar for people who don’t like sports bars.
28. Hungry Tiger Too – saw Guantanamo Baywatch here and had drinks, so I have no idea what their food is like.
29. Autentica – this place has such good reviews! Sadly, I wasn’t impressed. Maybe I would like it better in summer? Overall, it was way to spendy for what I got. And I like to save my splurge meals for restaurants that leave me super happy.
30. Asia Express (foodcart)
31. Biwa – one of my new favorite places! The udon is tasty and the Sapporo spritzer is like a shandy that I can’t wait to sit outside and drink in the summer. And I love how close it is to the Doug Fir Lounge!
32. Thatch Tiki Bar
33. Red Room
34. Sweatpea Baking Company – it’s vegan. Them: “Is soymilk ok?” Me: “Uhhh… isn’t that the only option?” Them: “Yes”.
35. Miss Delta – loved the veggie options here. It’s hard to find restaurants that do both “comfort food” and vegetarian well.
36. Liberty Glass – I’m in your house, drinking yo drinks. Or something like that.
37. DC Vegetarian (food cart) – my new favorite lunch spot. Veggie bacon cheeseburger with cheddar and avocado, please!
38. Produce Row Cafe – I like.
39. Genie’s Cafe – long wait, but still a tasty breakfast.
40. The Matador – tachos! My first encounter with the tater tot nachos. Yes!
41. Jam – An ode to Jam. I love this place. Went 2 weekends in a row, kind of my new fav brekkie spot.
    
42. Wonder Ballroom – I won tickets to the Gang of Four show from the lovely Monqui on The Twitter. Fun times.
43. Upright Brewing – not a good place to spend a sunny day, but a really cool little brewery nonetheless.
44. Holecene – happy hour with free popcorn? I’m there.
45. Zell’s Cafe – rhubarb is one of my favorite things. Zell’s has rhubarb. My only complaint is the coffee mugs are clear and lightweight. I’m finicky with my coffee mugs, I like them solid.
46. Osburn’s Espresso – Cannon Beach, Oregon
47. Oui Presse – Cute little minimalist space. Would be nice if the cool magazine selection was browse-able while drinking coffee, but there’s always the Willamette Week & Mercury to read for freeees.
48. Bunk Bar – Good decision: the squash sammich.
49. Oaks Park Skating Rink – $2 nachos that took me back to 1993. Yes, my first time at Oaks Park, thanks to those clever Google Hotpot folks, who hosted a free rollerskating show with The Thermals! Very fun.
50. Whiskey Soda Lounge – While I’ve been in here before, our table was ready over at Pok Pok so fast that it didn’t count! Came to snag tickets to the Dandy’s, which I didn’t get, and stayed for a drink — was disappointed that young coconut drink was in a can instead of the real thing. Hey Andy Ricker: Fubon is only 2.9 miles in an easterly direction. :)
51. Fenouil – happy prices during happy hour: 50% off! Score! I had the cheese plate and caramelized onion tart with whipped Brie. Tasty! If you’re a meat eater, I’d suggest the burger though. GIANT for $5.
52. Sizzle Pie – new-ish pizza place on East Burnside. Open late. Cheap. Tasty. The End.

What new restaurants have you checked out lately?