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 online feedback to heart (Yelp, Google, etc.). Sure, there are some douchebags on Yelp and other review sites, but there is also legitimate feedback that can be valuable in improving your food, service and atmosphere. Read and respond--even if it's negative. Of course, ignore the trolls, and don't 'feed' them. However, thank other reviewers and be professional. As a Yelp Elite (10 years and counting!), I always appreciate not only the responses I get, but seeing professionally written responses to others' reviews. When there are no responses at all, that tells me the owner/manager never reads the reviews, which  shows that they don't care. I also refuse to patron businesses where owners/managers have left retaliatory feedback. They don't deserve my money.

3. Remind your hosts/hostesses that they are not better than everyone. I've come across a lot of rude, snotty hosts and hostesses here in Portland, which really goes against what Portland is all about and why I moved here. Hosts/hostesses: If you don't like your job, find another one. Owners/Managers: If you see a consistent theme of people complaining about your hosts/hostesses online, do something about it. Remember, these people are a customer's first impression of your restaurant.

4. Don't water it down with "fusion." It's very hard to find specific kick ass cultural cuisine restaurants in Portland and I'm not sure why. Sure, we are (unfortunately) a city dominated by us boring white people, but this is (thankfully) changing. Enough with the Asian fusion restaurants! Stop homogenizing everything! I would love to find one stand out, awesome, (more) authentic Japanese or Chinese restaurant in this town.

5. Stop catering to hipsters. If you love and kick ass at making Mexican food, keep it simple, use quality ingredients, and make it delicious. Don't feel obligated to change things to make them trendy to appeal to tourists and hipsters. Give me a good quality carne asada burrito, not lavender-infused carne asada burrito with sea salt (you get the picture). Trends come and go, but if you keep it real, you'll develop a loyal customer base that will keep coming back for more!

Do’s and Don’ts: Travel Gear & Accessories for Europe

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. I am a Geocacher (anyone else??) and used the duct tape to access a hard to reach cache in Belgium
• Money belt (waist vs. neck style)

Bought elsewhere and highly recommend

• Packing cubes: great for separating out tops, bottoms and unmentionables
• Small cable locks: keep the pockets to your valuables safe by locking the zippers together; get a couple for your day pack and backpack

Didn't use, but will likely use at some point:

• Travel clothesline: Airbnbs where I stayed had hangers which I used to dry my clothes since European dryers suck. 

Also extremely helpful, Sarah Murdoch's packing light and right video!

Don't buy:

• Picnic kit: Never used the picnic kit I bought Rick Steves site. If I plan to picnic, it's likely going to be food I can eat with my hands anyway (sandwich); unnecessary weight for backpack
• Umbrella: Don't spend $20 on an RS umbrella you'll likely lose anyway. Get one at Target instead. If you lose it, there are plenty in Europe for cheap (I paid 5 Euros for one in Brussels).
• Guidebook page binder: Unless you want to destroy your hard copy book; get RS books on Kindle app and bookmark key pages
• Water bottle: Bought platypus water bottle on Amazon, was just awkward and didn't bring. Also bought a water bottle with a built in filter. Tried using right when I got to the airport en route to Europe and it didn't work properly. Ditched it--there was bottled water everywhere.
• Alarm clock:  Don't buy a travel alarm clock--your phone has an alarm and will always be set at the correct time, no matter where you travel. It’s also unnecessary weight.
• Toilet seat covers and camping toilet paper: Not sure what I was thinking as I wasn’t traveling to a third world country.

Misc. Tips & Recommendations:

• Contact lens wearers: You can get pretty much anything anywhere, but if you have contacts and use a certain kind/brand of cleaner, make sure you have plenty for the trip.
• Vacuum sealed bags: Not recommended; sure, it help makes space in your back, but remember, the more you pack, the heavier your bag!
• RFID sleeves: If you have RFID sleeves for your credit cards, remember to put these on the TSA belt before walking through the metal detector. I didn’t know this and couldn’t figure out why my money belt was setting off the alarm!
• Keep calm and carry on: Don’t check your bags: Pack light and keep your bags with you. This is not the time to roll the dice ‘hoping’ your bag will show up when you land in Europe.
• Laundry: I stayed at Airbnbs with washers last year and ended up buying and abandoning bottles of laundry detergent. They only make them so small and I didn’t want to carry them from city to city (weight and leak risk). If going Airbnb, be prepared to carry or leave behind leftover detergent. Or, just use a launderette, which typically have detergent. Plus, it’s a nice break if you have a jam-packed itinerary. Also, I washed everything in cold (20 degrees Celsius) to be safe and had zero issues with shrinking or fading. You just never know.
• Bring extra Ziploc baggies for who knows what
• Heated towel racks also make great dryers for reusing towels or laundry you’ve just washed. Just be sure to turn them off before you leave the room for the day.
• Shipping items home: Major PITA. In Paris, they had no cushioning and my package didn't arrive home intact. In Amsterdam, I had to buy the bubblewrap and box and package everything up myself. This was just too stressful (and expensive) and I won't do it again. If there's something I can't live without, I'll either try to carry it or buy it online when I get home.