GETAWAY SERIES: Tiny House Livin'

I desperately needed to get out of town. Work and life were dragging me down, and I was getting a bit restless in my day-to-day routine. Andrew suggested we take a weekend getaway and it was exactly what I needed to refresh and recharge.

We didn’t want to fly anywhere ($$$), so we set our sights on places we could go that were far enough away from our normal responsibilities, but close enough that we could drive. We settled on Portland for its convenience and variety of activities we could fill our weekend with.

We were able to book the cutest tiny house for our stay. Tiny Digs Portland is a small plot of land just outside of downtown with eight tiny homes. Each one has a different theme and design, making them truly unique. Two of them are even pet friendly! We were able to book the Beach Tiny House, which made me even more excited for our getaway.

We arrived Friday evening after about a three hour drive and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Lardo before turning in and spending a relaxing evening in our tiny house. I was immediately enamored with the layout and design of our tiny house. We had a small kitchenette, including a sink, two-burner stove, mini fridge, foldable table and chairs, and cookware. There was a small couch and a bathroom that had all of the essentials: shower, toilet, large sink, decent lighting, and small storage space. The bed was in a lofted space above the kitchen area, accessible from a built in ladder. I was pleasantly surprised by the space in the loft as it didn’t feel squished or claustrophobic.

On Saturday, we started with a trip to the Portland Saturday Market. We wandered around and checked out the vendors, even buying some playing cards with drawings of Seattle parks on each card. We then walked over to Voodoo Doughnut, a Portland staple. Thankfully the line wasn’t that long and the rain held off while we waited. I decided to go for the Chuckles Donut (chocolate frosting dipped in hot chocolate powder, topped with peanuts, caramel, and chocolate drizzle) and Andrew opted for the Butterfingering (chocolate cake donut with vanilla frosting and Butterfinger crumbles). Our donuts were the perfect snack for our walk to Powell’s City of Books, the largest used and new bookstore in the world. The entire block was a bookstore and I was in complete heaven. Apparently Powell’s houses approximately one millions books which boggles my mind. I think it’s safe to say we spent a good couple of hours roaming around, and walked away each with a bag full of books (and a puzzle)!

After a quick lunch and relaxation break back at our tiny house, we went out to dinner at McMenamins, then headed next door to the Bagdad Theater for a showing of Onward. While I may be biased because my Disney/Pixar love runs deep, I have to say that Onward was amazing! 10/10 would recommend. We decided to end our evening at QuarterWorld Arcade, playing pinball, skeeball, and old-school arcade games.

Sunday was a fairly laid-back day. I had received a recommendation from a coworker about the Nob Hill neighborhood in Portland. The quaint district is full of boutique shops, cafes, and colorful houses a la San Francisco. We roamed around for a couple hours, popped into some shops, and of course, consumed more donuts.

Overall, it was the perfect little getaway. It was nice to get out of town to recharge our batteries and experience a city that neither one of us had spent much time in.

Any suggestions on where we should go for our next getaway?