Portland In the Fall......

Portland! (http://www.travelportland.com)

What an amazing city!

Yes, I finally spa-trekked my way to the upper regions of the Pacific Northwest and had an absolute blast in Portland, thanks to my fantastic guide Lila Martin, the Regional Media Relations Coordinator for Travel Portland (the tourism organization). She packed so much great stuff in my week, it's hard to focus on "my favorite."

So I'll just say (and I'm not kidding) this was one of the most relaxing, fascinating trip I've experienced in some time. A long time.

It was a trip full of drama, dramatic vistas, amazing food, spa treatments that left me totally speechless (if you know me, this will come as a shock) and a vow to myself to return......as soon as possible.

Because of some unforseen health issues in my family (are they ever "foreseeable"?) I plan to delineate and detail the highlights in my next post but I wanted to let you know what to expect from some of the delightful places I was privy to experience.

Here goes (and check out the websites!):

After a (seemingly) endless trip from Tucson, which has apparently no direct flights to places you REALLY want to visit, Lila took me to a cool, casual vegan restaurant, The Blooming Lotus (http://blpdx.com), located in the famed Pearl District.

Now, I'm not a vegan, but border on quasi-vegetarian, since I prefer not to digest things that have faces. So this adorable, popular spot had just the right choices for a plane-weary, travel-bum such as I was. Yummy veggie-filled pasta bowl with great salads, and friendly neighbors (cute, too) who overheard us discussing something-or-other, and joined our conversation.

Which seems to happen quite often in this people-friendly (and bike-friendly) wee metropolis that satisfied my slight New York City-craving. People are simply friendly here. Laid-back friendly. Not in-your-face annoying, but just kind-hearted.

Something about the vibe? Or maybe the great tap water? Who knows. Maybe more people should live there and become kinder. Disregard that last sentence because I don't want the city to lose its charm with hordes of new residents. Rather, visit often and tell your friends what a great, family-friendly and ahem, spa-friendly place this is.

Then onto the charming Avalon Hotel & Spa (http://www.avalonhotelandspa.com) whose dedication to eco-sustainability inititatives, has earned an impressive Silver certification in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a term you should ask about when hotel-shopping, by the way. This is a good thing to add on your check-list. Right after the all-important question, "Is there a spa on site?

This luxury boutique property, positioned on the shores of the Willamette River (pronounced Will-AH-Met) was also the very first LEED-certified Oregon hotel,--pretty cool, right? The hotel features a Spa Chakra (more on that exquisite time later) and is the exclusive sales outlet for the Oregon-area Guerlain skincare line....very la-dee-dah. But we're worth it, of course.

Then onto the Dragontree Spa (http://thedragontree.com) the next day, which is home to Ayurvedic (my favorite) treatments and herbal consultations. According to reports, this is the only spa in the Portland metro area that offers traditional Ayurvedic treatments including the full-body Abhyanga and Fijan massages.

Lunch was provided by Saint Honore Boulangerie, (http://sainthonorebakery.com) an authentic French neighborhood bakery and cafe that brought me back to my Parisian days when finding a good baguette was all about checking out which bakery had the longest lines. This one had lines. Long lines. For good reason. Delicious explains why.

I shall now leave you salivating with anticipation of my next post, which is now interrupted by a doctor's appointment (hub's). Be back soon. Although with doctor's appointments.....

Same time, same website.