Portland, Oregon

Two weeks ago, I went to Portland with my oldest daughter. Big cities are definitely not my thing. If you're from Oregon, you know the difference between Portland and the rest of Oregon. If you're not from Oregon, throw everything you think you know about the state out the window.
First, Portland is an entity on its own. The city is crazy, busy, bustling, unique and all the other things you see on television. The rest of Oregon is forest, farms, quiet life, small towns, beautiful coastlines, grand mountains, dry deserts, an abundant rainfall and high pollen count.
The beautiful thing about living in Oregon is that the state has all of those things, AND a big, fun city or two to visit.
For our big city adventure, we took the Max line (a first for us), visited Powell's City of Books (also a first- I know, weird!), saw a play starring Silas Weir Mitchell from Grimm (and got lucky enough to meet him!), watched the Grand Floral Parade running through downtown, and shopped of course! And this was just in two days.
Even though my happy place is somewhere quiet (what can I say, I'm an introvert), I do enjoy branching out and exploring something new. I don't go to Portland often, but this trip was definitely one of the best I've had since I explored the Saturday Market with my mom years ago.
So, don't forget to be brave and daring every once in a while. We can't all be superheroes, but we can have super days. Explore. Do something outside your comfort zone. Take in a show. Try a new restaurant off the beaten path. This is a big, fun world!

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