A Ride on the Portland Aerial Tram and Dinner at Pine Street Market

While we were staying in Seaside we decided to drive to Portland for a few hours. The drive is very pretty and only an hour and a half. Portland offers many things to see and do. We've been there a lot, but there were still things we'd yet to do. The Portland Aerial Tram was on our list. My sons and I love a good gondola and tram ride, and we can't resist riding on them. The views always offer a perspective you can't see otherwise, so for me, the rides are always worth it. The price was inexpensive, too. Our boys were free since they're five and our tickets were only $4.90 each for a roundtrip ride. The ride is four minutes each way and a little bumpy, but it was fun. The views of Portland below were great and it also helped that the day was very clear. Our boys enjoyed seeing the cars, bridges, and buildings from above. Read more about the tram in the link above!

The day we visited Portland was really warm for late September and the temps were in the 80's. We were all dressed in pants and sweaters so we quickly got hot walking around. We wanted to show the boys Powell's Books, the largest independent book seller in the world. Then we walked to Pine Street Market to get some dinner.

Pine Street Market is an upscale food hall with local Portland eateries. Wiz Bang Bar is there, a soft-serve spot that's owned by the Salt & Straw people. But before dessert we needed some substance. We chose pizza slices at Checkerboard Pizza. The slices are supposedly the best in Portland and the style is New York and Italian style. The pizza was thin and foldable with a charred crust. My only regret was only getting one slice. I also had a glass of red wine to go with my pizza.

 I didn't eat much because I wanted to save room for ice cream. And I'm so glad I did. The ice cream cone I picked was huge and I came nowhere close to finishing it. I picked the Rocky Road Magic Cone. The waffle cone was chocolate and so was the ice cream. Then it was covered in chocolate sauce, marshmallows, nuts, and big brownie pieces. It was very rich and satisfying, so I could only have so much. The cone was Instagram worthy and I took it outside for some photos. My sons each had a cup of the Vanilla Custard covered with the Single Origin Chocolate coating. It reminded me of the magic shell we used to have as kids. Then we were full of pizza and ice cream and it was time to walk back to the car and drive back to Seaside. Thanks, Portland, for a fun few hours in your city!