Go, go, go!

My feet are sore and my immune system is down after a long, fun-filled and very busy weekend with my mom. She flew into Portland on Thursday and we were on the go until she flew back to Orange County this afternoon. We did and saw so much while she was up...
On Thursday I took her up to our much-loved Rocky Butte to see a 360 degree view of Portland and the surrounding snow-topped mountains. Unfortunately Mt. Hood was covered in low clouds, but we could see pretty far out otherwise. After Rocky Butte I took her home and gave her the grand tour of our mansion. That night we ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Bastas, and then we headed next door to Blue Moon Tavern, aka the home of Nick's favorite beer (an Oatmeal Stout on Nitrogen). Blue Moon was pretty crowded, but then again it was St. Patty's day! In fact, while we were sipping our drinks a man in a kilt stopped in and played a few tunes on his bagpipes. Here's a little clip:

On Friday we took the advice of a fellow passenger my mom met on the plane and went to Nicholas Restaurant-- a quaint little Lebanese place with the most delicious food!

 Neither of us had ever experienced Lebanese food, so we weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into. But we were starving, and that combined with our adventurous, "seize the day" attitude made the experience even better. First off, the warm, fresh flat bread that they bring out (both as an appetizer and for the hummus dips that come later) was easily 2 feet in diameter.

For drinks, my mom ordered the turkish coffee (strong and surprisingly rich and tasty) and I had a peach smoothie. We decided to share the 2-person combo, despite the fact that we didn't know what it entailed. We were being adventurous, remember?! The food looked and tasted amazing-- and it didn't stop coming! Twice our server brought out more food and we both said,"Huh? You mean there's more?!"

This is about 1/4 of our meal. To give you an idea of size, this plate is bigger than my face :)

Unfortunately by the time the lamb kabobs got to the table, we were too full to enjoy them. We got a box for all our leftovers, and it was filled to the brim! I'd love to go back, although due to Nick's HATE for all things bean-related (or should I say complex? hehe), I think I'll have to go with someone else. Any takers?!
 Anyway, after filling up on exotic cuisine, we headed to the Lloyd Center-- a giant mall with an ice skating rink in the center. From there I took her to the Pearl District, which is an area near downtown with lots of fun shops. I learned quickly that I chose a bad day to wear high-heeled boots! Luckily we took a break for some very chocolatey mochas and our first-ever macaroons.

Macaroons not pictured because we devoured them immediately. They were yummy.

That night we walked over to Plew's Brews and enjoyed a few different micro-brewed beers. I was very happy to fill up our growler with my favorite beer, Over the Mountain Chocolate Stout. (For those still wondering about the growler, it is a half-gallon-sized jug that is filled with on-tap beer at Plew's for only $7. We bought the growler for $4 a while back and bring it back for a $7 refill when we want a treat.)
There was also live music and a big crowd at Plew's. Nick met an interesting man who turned out to be crazy and spoke lots of nonsense, but that's a story for another time. :)
Saturday morning I took my mom to a local antiques shop and then to downtown Portland.

 We went to the big downtown mall (the one with a 3-story H&M and 2-story Forever 21!) and then to Powell's bookstore-- the one that takes up an entire city block. We passed by Voodoo doughnuts, but the line out the door and around the corner was a bit of a turnoff. When we got home, we talked a bit with one of our neighbors who has a cute pup named Katie. She was heading to a nearby dog park and invited us to join her. I know so little about our area still, so I was happy to follow her through St. Johns with Toby and my mom in tow.
The fenced dog park is huge-- At least a few acres. There were lots of friendly dog owners to chat with, and a couple of them recommended a few local places to check out. We also ended up seeing another one of our neighbors there with her dog, Mac. Toby had a blast sniffing smells (and other dogs) and I'm sure that we'll frequent that place at least a couple times a week.
On Saturday night Nick, my mom and I walked down the popular Hawthorn St. in the Southeast district. We got frozen yogurt with some crazy-good toppings--I got carrot cake and peanut butter yogurts with peanut butter crunch cereal, coconut, strawberries and marshmallow cream. (Once again, eaten too quickly to take a picture...) Oh, the perks of by-the-ounce yogurt prices!
Anyway, this morning Nick and I drove my mom to the airport and then hung out at home for most of the day. I'm in the process of interviewing people for my thesis, which has been taking me longer than I expected. Coordinating phone interviews with strangers can be quite difficult!
It was so nice to have my mom up for the weekend and finally show her our new home and the surrounding area! I'm pretty sure Toby already misses her.

Next time she visits, I'm sure we'll have more things lined up to do and see. One thing about this city is that there is always something to do.

*pictures courtesy of my beloved madre*