Portland's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland weird." That might be part of the reason why I like that city so much. I love that Portland, or PDX as they refer to it, is such a fantastic food scene. Here are some places you should try to check out if you go.
 

Waffle Window: after you try this, you'll let go of those Eggos. Located on the corner of SE 36th Ave and Hawthorne, this window is open seven days a week, with a menu that changes on a whim. Order waffles at the window, and get it to go or take it inside to the shared restaurant space. The waffle's side of the room is the checkered tables. Farm Fusion was a terrific blend of salty and sweet. The bacon and cheese perfectly balanced the sweet of the waffle. You'll never look at waffles the same way again!

Pine State Biscuits, American diner style food with  - surprise - biscuits. Three "biscuit boys" started the operation in the Portland Farmers Market in 2006, which eventually expanded into a restaurant in 2008. This is the Pine State Fried Club: three grits covered with a fried green tomato, a fried chicken, and country ham. Sooo good.

Ten 01 in the Pearl District offers new American cuisine. The restaurant is extremely proud of its sustainable architecture, with sustainable sourcing and green principles of design. Oh, and then there's the food! Try the truffle fries.

Paley's Place won a James Beard award in 2005 for Best Chef Northwest and I can see why. I love that the regional cuisine draws largely on the bounty of the Northwest.

For dessert, make sure you go to Voodoo Doughnut, where "the magic is in the hole!" The original location is on 22 SW 3rd Avenue, and the signature is the bacon maple bar. With crazy, sexually loaded names, it reminds me of the doughnut version of Hawaii's Bubbies Ice Cream.

Winter in Portland is rainy and damp, so ducking into Alma Chocolate for a three ounce shot of the drinking chocolate is the perfect pick-me-up. It's not too sweet, but it's rich enough that a small amount is the right portion. The store has a wide assortment of fanciful designs, many with gold leaf.

ART GLASS

Bullseye Glass factory was founded by glass artisans - one of whom is married to a Punahou girl! - in the 70's. It is now one of the largest art glass suppliers in the nation, and the largest if you narrow that down to handmade art glass.

A rare tour the factory takes you past the large sand bins that eventually get melted into glass, and the various elements that give the glass its shades of color and its glitter. There are 16 furnaces, and once they turn one on, it never gets turned off until it needs repair.

To look on as athletic and nimble factory workers poured molten glass onto a slab and flattened it out under a roller, is impressive. The glass looks heavy, and it's very hot in the furnace room. How they stand so close to it, all day, without getting tired or injured, is admirable. Another worker then grabbed the whole sheet of glass and tossed that onto an assembly line for cutting and quality control checking. The rough ends of the glass are relegated to being smashed up into "frit" or crushed glass.

No photos are allowed in the factory because some of the technology is proprietary. They are in such a niche field, they have to make a lot of the equipment themselves.
 

PORTLAND FARMERS MARKET

The Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University, and the Open Market, can both be done in a morning. They are both great to visit. There are six farmers markets, but this is the biggest.

The farmers market is brimming with dozens of booths with locally grown produce, chocolates, baked goods, flowers, fish, butchery, eggs, dairy, and of course, ready-to-eat foods.

It reminds me of the farmers market at Kapiolani Community College at home. It's just fun to look at the kinds of products popular in other states. I am amazed at the beautiful veggies grown here- but then again, we have great products in Hawaii, too. Just different items.

If you're staying at a place with a kitchen, it might be even more fun to come here at the start of your trip, so you can buy and eat some of the great fresh produce.
 

PORTLAND SATURDAY MARKET

Open since 1974, it brings together more than 250 arts and crafts vendors in an outdoor forum. It spans several city blocks, and offers a wide range of handmade goods. I like supporting local vendors and I like supporting small businesses, so I was happy to do a lot of Christmas shopping here.

I prefer the two blocks nearest the waterfront; the last section is very granola and collegiate. (Bob Marley flags, water pipes, tie dye clothes, etc)

Here, you'll find a lot of jewelry (much of it glass), blown glass trinkets, hand-made hats and other crafts, art, soap, and much more. If you like to shop, plan for at least an hour. There are some food booths if you get hungry, but it's probably smarter to eat (and use the bathroom) somewhere else before coming here.

Also, this is really near the original Voodoo Doughnuts, so when you're done, you can buy a scary snack. The line, be warned, wrapped around the corner.