There are many reasons to move and travel within Oregon. Between things to do in Portland, traveling to the coast, wine country, and much more. 

I moved to Oregon with my partner back in August of 2021. We moved from Chicago to the Mississippi District of Portland, Oregon. We fell in love with Portland restaurants, Oregon nature, and the laid-back lifestyle. 

Below you will find 8 reasons I love living in Oregon… SO FAR.  I stress SO FAR because it has been less than a year, and I know this list will multiply. You’ll also find that every single bit of my list are things I enjoy solo, with my partner, with friends (if I ever make them), or just with Hades, my pup (Oregon is extremely dog friendly)

Love # 1 Forest Park

Anyone who travels to Portland has heard of Forest Park (funny side-note – I used to live in Forest Park, IL, so I was very confused when I first got here). Forest Park, a gigantic park filled with hiking, biking, horse-riding, running, etc trails, sits on the northwest quadrant of Portland.

From my own apartment, it is a quick 15-minute drive to some of my favorite dog-friendly trails.

As a former Chicago native, I’m used to a hike being, at minimum, a 2-hour drive and it smelling like sewage. Forest Park smells like a fairy grove, is walkable for some people in the city, and its many trails cannot be covered in a week let alone a visit.

Plus, it is FLIPPING gorgeous. 

Love # 2 Silver Falls State Park

That being said – there are great hikes within 2 hours of Portland as well. Silver Falls State Park holds THE TRAIL OF TEN FALLS, a heavily traffics hike that walks you by… 10… waterfalls. Honestly, it is a very well-named hike.

 It would be extremely odd had they decided to name it the trail of 10 falls and then you get there and it is 1 waterfall. (That is something that would happen in Illinois).

These are also not little Illinois waterfalls, these are, “let me walk behind them, pretend I’m in a fantasy film, I need to speak up because the water rushes so hard” falls. The first time I went to this trail, I thought I was in Skyrim. I recommend it to anyone visiting. 

Love # 3 Portland Weather

Have I mentioned I’m from Chicago? 

Chicago gets cold, snowy, windy, hot as fuck, humid as well, you name it. In Portland, moderate temperatures are a win. (Now, as I did mention in a previous post, climate change did partially destroy last summer in the pacific northwest, but overall, it’s moderate as hell through the winter). 

I speak on the phone with my mother each morning, and this past winter, she looked at her weather, and I made her read me Chicago’s forecast while I put on my light jacket to go for a walk. It’s a thrilling way to start the day.

 Frankly, I’ll take the Portland version of winter. Meanwhile, my mom scrapes ice off her car and has to protect her face against -20 windchill.

If I want snow, I can drive to a mountain. (see #6).

Portland has all four seasons the way grade school taught me I’d see them. Now, in spring, I walk around and smell flowers start to bloom. 

Love # 4 Portland Restaurants

My partner’s biggest fear of moving to Portland was that he would hate the food. Portland, however, has amazing food. Their restaurants and food carts sprawl across the city and suburbs. 

With Covid, almost every restaurant near me added semi-permanent, HEATED, outdoor patios with covers year round. I can eat outside a brewery, sushi place, donut shop, or bar every night of the week and not even get halfway down my block.

Also, because it is Portland, they even developed a “local” door dash called KUTO which allows me to make sure more money goes directly to the restaurant. Many locations also started letting you order and pay from your phone at the outdoor tables to keep their staff safe during these times while still making sure they are able to seat multiple groups with a short staff.

Portland has many food tours, just walking around different neighborhoods, and each time I do one,  I find a new favorite locale.

Love # 5 Dog Friendly 

Possibly due to the whole outdoor nature of the world out in Oregon: dogs are everywhere. Every apartment building by mine is dog friendly, people bring their dogs everywhere, and I can’t walk across the street for a taco without petting 4 dogs. 

With numerous off-leash dog parks or off-leash sections of major parks (Laurelheart park, Mt. Tabor park, Irving Park…) Portland itself is extremely dog-friendly. One of the main benefits of all things to do in portland lists is that most are dog-friendly.

I’d expect that more and more in a city. Oregon, however, stays dog friendly everywhere. I’ve had no problems booking houses on the coast or in other parts of the state that allow dogs at little or no extra cost. 

Most people bring dogs to wineries and breweries in the country and suburbs as well, and I’ve never seen anyone get mad at a dog for just… being a dog. That means barking, nipping, crying, howling… people just embrace that doggy life.

Love #6 Mt. Hood

I can see Mt. Hood from my roof. I can see Mt. hood when walking my dog. 

I can see a fucking mountain every day (as long as the fog eases). 

To anyone who grew up in a place where hills existed or mountains were prevalent, you may not understand the beauty of this for a great plains transplant, but let me tell you, seeing a mountain (or even a fucking hill) is huge.

I grew up in a town where the only place to sled was a man-made hill. The first 2 days of my drive/move to Portland consisted of flatlands. The fact that when I look out the window of my apartment I can’t see past sprawling hills, and I can see two mountains on a clear day, just does not get old. 

I drink my tea (or wine), and I stare at the mountain and think “is this real?” It’s also great when you get up close to it, but just looking at it brings me a sense of peace I never had in Chicago.

Love # 7 Oregon Coast

I am not a beach person. 

I did not own a swimsuit for a decade (now I do because of hot tubs and one Christmas in Cancun). When people tell me in the summer that they want to lay on a beach, I just imagine all the places sand can get. That being said, I love going to the beach fully clothed and in coats, maybe dipping my toes in the water.

Oregon Coasts are the perfect places for that. They are chilly, the water is freezing, it doesn’t get so sunny that people are lying out at all times, and there are hills and crags like Haystack Rock to look at. The Oregon coast is beautiful. I’ve only been to two seaside cities, but I look forward to that list growing.

Love # 8 Wine

The Willamette Valley borders Portland metropolitan area, and wine fields fill every inch of it. (Hello Hyperbole). Pinot Noir is the grape of renown here, but wonderful roses, viogniers, and pinot gris show up everywhere. Travelers can take wine bus tours, you can rent a bike in wine country, or you can take a drive and do a tasting. 

Things to do in Portland? You ask — WINE.

One of my favorite wineries to visit is Abbey Road Farm. The farm/bnb/Vineyard houses multiple labels, beautiful animals, and scenery to die for. You can sip your wine tasting while reading a book, looking at goats who have their visages printed on bottles, or you can just sit and listen to other people’s discussions.

Want to know how much that wine tasting and show cost me? Nothing cause I’m a member, but if I wasn’t it would be 20 bucks.

More loves to come…and more things to do in Portland

Each day I find something new to love about Portland. I love the way the air sends the yeasty smells of the breweries by my windows, I love that sometimes dogs sit at tables, I love that I can ride a bike in the middle of January to Powells City of Books (A whole post about this to come) and come home with a new read 20 minutes later. 

I love that Portland accepts people of all types, and I love that my city is covered in “Black Lives Matter” posters.

I’m sure I’ll be writing new posts like this all the time, but just have to brag about Oregon for a bit. If you’ve visited, tell me about your favorite parts in the comments below.