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I love Portland--in fact, I moved here almost four years ago just because I love it--not because of a job, family or otherwise. However, the restaurant scene here is definitely lackluster. Sure, we can't really compare ourselves to more culinary-focused U.S. cities like Chicago, New York or San Francisco, but there are easy things Portland restauranteurs can and should fix to help elevate The Rose City to the next level. 1. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Pick something and do it really well. There are way too many restaurants that feel 'generic.' What I mean is that you can't figure out how to identify some of them by a specific cuisine--it's just boring old 'American.' Or some appear to one thing (e.g., Mexican), but their marketing refers to them as something else, e.g., 'West Coast Fare.' What the frick does that even mean? I typically avoid restaurants that offer boring, predictable menus or have an identity crisis. 2. Take onl...

I backpacked solo through London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam for two weeks in 2018 and bought quite a few items on Rick Steves’ website ahead of the trip. Very good quality products, helpful tips and more. And what I couldn’t find there, I (of course) found on Amazon. Below are my personal recommendations of what to do and what not to do. I’m not getting paid for this, BTW, just sharing the info. Enjoy! Here's what I loved and used from the Rick Steves site: Convertible carry on (larger bag pictured at left): LOVE THIS BAG!! So glad I didn't get a bag with wheels or use a traditional roller bag. All the steep, narrow stairs and going from city to city and around train stations would not have gone so well Civita day pack (smaller bag pictured at left): Leave your purse at home; plenty of space and good keep your bag on your front Hideaway tote: for shopping and laundry Universal European adapter: self explanatory Travel aid kit: Used it once, but glad I had it...