Out and About

This past week and weekend, Justin and I did a little travelling.  Justin spent most of last week in New Orleans, LA and I took a short overnight trip to Portland, OR with my lady friends!

Justin took off last Tuesday to New Orleans, Louisiana to represent the company he works for at the Final Four Tournament.  

New Orleans holds a special place in my heart, I was able to travel there when I was 14 and fell in love with the architecture and history.  Unfortunately, many people are unable to get past "dirty" or the "smell" but under that is such a rich and unique culture that for me is truly awe inspiring.

Justin, loved it and wants to definitely go back (YAHOO)! Here are some pictures I received throughout the week:

Bourbon Street - Justin reported it got crazier as the days grew closer to the weekend.  He recommends grabbing a seat and people watching. =]

Cafe DuMonde - Home of the yummy Beignet, a yummy, deep-fried pastry topped with confectioner's sugar.

 Side view of the Saint Louis Cathedral

 Beautiful Garden District Homes

 Jackson Square

 Hotel Pool

NOLA Sunset

 Crawfish Dish

While he was there, a few of my girlfriends and I went down to Portland, Oregon and spent a day and night shopping, indulging and dancing!

We made our first stop at the Olympic Club in Chehalis, Washington.  This is a really cool place and I recommend it to anyone stopping in that area. If you do stop, order a Bloody Mary and the Pita Hummus Platter... SO GOOD.

McMenamins Pubs and Breweries purchases historical building and refurbishes them into Hotel/Pubs.  They are located mostly in and just outside of Portland and are SO cool.  Located right off of the train tracks, here is a little history excerpt from the website.

The hotel's 27 intimate, European-style rooms feature vintage furnishings, comfy chenille-covered beds and conveniently located common bathrooms. You may hear the lonely, soulful sound of the trains from your room as they roll through Centralia – but if you'd prefer not to, earplugs are provided. Each room here is named for the colorful and worthy cast of characters who have left their mark on this place – the internationally notorious "gentleman train robber" Roy Gardner who was captured at the hotel back in 1921; Gertrude Howell, the hotel's first female proprietor who also identified Gardner; and Jack Sciutto, the Oly Club's original proprietor who was crowned "King of Bootleggers."

As refined as the Olympic Club Hotel may have been portrayed, especially in its early years, the place has always possessed an element of the Old West with stories of train robbers and ladies of the evening who took up residency on the second floor. Known as a true "gentleman's resort" the opulent furnishings of mahogany paneling, Tiffany-style lights, ceramic-tiled floors and Belgian crystal lured a good many of the area's loggers, miners and railroad workers through the doors. 

The lounge area was so cool! I loved how big the skylights are and the fact that they hung plants right under them and all the fixtures looked almost original.

The bathroom sink is so cool! They attached a bunch of different faucets all around the sink!

The bathroom had gorgeous crystal chandeliers...

And a cute vintage dresser and chair.

In the center of the bar/restaurant they have a huge wood burner that is not only functional but makes a huge decorative statement!

We were greeted in Portland by rain and cold but were excited to check into our hotel and get shopping!

We stayed at Hotel Fifty which was in the perfect location.  It's right on the water which makes for beautiful views and is located right down the street from Pacific Place Shopping Center and China Town which has some of the best going out spots!

After shopping, we had dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery and headed back to our room to get ready for some Portland nightlife.

We tried our best to get a photo of all of us....

Waking up with sore legs and puffy eyes, we headed to the Doug Fir Lounge for some much needed sustenance.

The Doug Fir Lounge/Jupiter Hotel is one of the hotel revamps I have seen in a long time.  The owners bought an old motel and created a rustic/modern escape for guests.  The main structure remains the same but they added so many great features and design elements that really make for a unique lodging experience.

The Doug Fir Lounges interior is a log cabin theme.  The walls are wood, the tables are wood and stools are wood.  In addition to the rustic feel, they Incorporated sleek and contemporary styled chairs and did a modern take of antlers by using a moose head made out of glass.

The lobby area had low seating (and lighting obviously) and features log stools and brown cubed leather ottomans.  It's hard to see but there is a fireplace in the center along the window that puts out amazing heat, especially on a cold, rainy and puffy-eyed morning.

Breakfast was mighty tasty and their menu has lots of options and even offers vegetarian and vegan versions of some of the best breakfast meals.

The Jupiter Hotel is just as great! I stole this picture from the hotel's website, because I felt weird snapping a picture of a room with housekeeping staring right at me.

In addition to the updated rooms, the designers created a couple of very cool outdoor spaces.

This one had outdoor heaters, picnic tables, bistro tables and globe lighting.

This tented space was filled with greenery, mod seating and in my opinion would make a great smaller wedding venue.

Our last stop was Voodoo Doughnut where I parked in front of this little monster. =]

We're both happy to be home and are hoping some warmer, dryer spring weather so we can work on some curb appeal. 

There should be more upstairs progress to share with you this week also.  I will be better about posting so check back in!