Portland, Oregon

Portland, OR is a lovely getaway with its many botanical gardens, museums, and accessible and safe transportation. Tip: take a train from the airport into the city to save. Tap your phone or card more than twice, and you will have free rides for the rest of the day across trains, buses, and trolleys! There are tons of farmers markets such as the Portland Farmers Market or Portland Saturday Market on Saturdays or the OHSU Farmers Market on Tuesdays. For food, Voodoo Doughnuts is a must, as it was started in Portland – the menu is very unconventional and donuts look like a science experiment. Another donut spot I liked better was Blue Star which also had unconventional flavors that I preferred and the donuts looks more appetizing! To relax, visit one of three lovely gardens: the Portland International Rose Test Garden, Lan Su Chinese Garden, and Portland Japanese Garden. The Rose Garden is a testing ground for new species of roses. The Lan Su Chinese Garden offers free activities such as morning tai-chi. Finally, Portland is sister city to Sapporo, Japan, and some of the Japanese Garden’s architecture come directly from Sapporo! Finally, if you love animals, consider renting a car and going out to Oregon City for the Original Goat Yoga Experience! It is one I’ll never forget! I enjoyed Portland as a black, female, solo traveler!