Situated right on the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon, the Cannery Pier Hotel is one stay I just can't shake. I don't remember the last time a hotel had any kind of lasting effect on me - but our waterfront (really overwater) room actually helped me remember something very important to me; I simply love being on the water and seeing it just outside the window brings out my happiest self.
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While I would suggest you devote far more time to exploring the Oregon Coast - if you only have one day, TAKE IT! It's a journey of over 300 miles and if you start as early as you can possibly stand - you'll have time to briefly explore a whole lot of beautiful places.
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After almost thirty years of living on the west coast, I'm happy to finally say I've driven every mile of it's coast line in the continental United States - at least in terms of major road ways. So now that I've seen it all, I feel I can safely say that the Oregon Coast may just be the very best part. From the amazing views at Cape Perpetua to my new favorite coastal beach, Hug Point - there's a whole lot to see. Certainly enough to deserve more than the day we were able to give it.
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When I was planning our drive to Lake Tahoe this year - I did my best to find a route which we hadn't traveled on our first drive down from Seattle two years ago. Little did I know, as I navigated on the Google Map, I was plotting a course down the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway.
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My long weekend in Portland was filled with both amazing lessons learned at World Domination Summit as well as delicious new gluten free (and mostly vegan) food finds around the city. In a matter of four days, I managed to make it to six new to me eateries. However, I had to back to a few of my old favorites which to my delight had lots of new amazing things to offer. New Cascadia Traditional Bakery is now selling the absolute best gluten free bread I've ever had and it's in baguette form. This baguette is based on the Portland Sourdough they've been baking for years - but now it's light, fluffy, and has a fantastic crunch to the crust. It reminds me of that bread crunch scene in Ratatouille. Tula Gluten Free Bakery Cafe is offering their amazing salted chocolate chip cookies in the form of an ice cream sandwich using vanilla Coconut Bliss ice cream (my favorite!). Of course I also returned to Prasad and Andina - where I always feel so well taken care of and eat the most amazing food.
Now that I've covered the old, let's move on to the new!
Well, I'm super pumped because tomorrow I'm crossing off another item on my life list; attend World Domination Summit (WDS). This all got going several months ago when I applied to be an ambassador (volunteer) and was accepted - meaning in exchange for lending a helping hand during the event, I'd also get to attend. A pretty serious win considering the fantastic line up of speakers and the fact that the event is in one of the most gluten free friendly cities I've ever visited; Portland, Oregon. Seriously, I love the food in Portland - I may even love it more than New York City. Regardless of what your dietary needs might be, the eateries of greater Portland seem to be pros at catering to all sorts of dietary needs.
Since Portland has almost 3,000 people descending upon it to attend WDS and I'm positive I'm not the only gluten free one in the bunch, I thought I'd share some of the spots I keep returning to for great gluten free (and mostly vegan) eats throughout the city. I've also included a number of links to other resources for you to query for even more ideas.
Let's take this one step further as well, if you find a great gluten free friendly establishment during your weekend at WDS - share it on twitter with the hashtag; #WDS2013GF. Share the gluten free discovery goodness!
So far, Portland is my absolute favorite city to visit for amazing gluten free and vegan eats (no, I'm not vegan - but I have a preference for it, especially while on the road). There's just so many options and sometimes it feels like I'll never make it through my long list of places I still need to try there. Good thing I'm only 3 hours away, so a quick trip down to Portland is a realistic option.
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First I want to tell you all about a bakery started by one of the blog friends I met in real life at my first blogging conference last year. Geanna is funny and delightful in person and I'm always inspired by people who start their own businesses. A month or so ago, Geanna asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing her tasty treats from her bakery, Cinnamon, and I said of course. Generally, I don't do reviews but in the case of small businesses started by awesome blogging friends - I feel like an exception is appropriate.
Geanna sent me 3 varieties of her donuts; a plain one topped with cinnamon and sugar, a chocolate one, and two of the new seasonal lemon ones (my personal favorite). They were by far the best I've had since going gluten free and the fact that they're also free of the common allergens and vegan - total win. I love products that just ditch all the common allergens since that makes them friendlier for a greater number of people. Both my husband and I were truly impressed by the fluffy texture (none of that graininess that comes with a lot of gluten free treats) and how moist they were, especially after being shipped. These donuts were heads and shoulders above the other gluten free frozen ones I've found in grocery stores.
The Hawthorne and Corbett Fish Houses in the Portland area have been on my list to try for a good long while now. Both offer oodles of fish and other types of dishes that are all gluten free, with the exception of some gluten-full bread for those gluten eaters out there.