When I first discovered I was pregnant with Quincy, one of the million thoughts wandering through my mind was how our once ambitious travel plans would be put on hiatus – at least for a few years, right? But I like to think that after 9 months of journeying to the most far away places, my travel bug rubbed off on our little munchkin. He’s been such an adaptable, patient and enjoyable traveling companion, on short and long trips alike – Abe and I just feel so grateful to be able to share in these memorable experiences with him. So when Bugaboo recently offered to send our family packing for The City of Roses, along with their new Bugaboo Bee³ stroller, we jumped at the opportunity. We had 48 hours to conquer the city. With a list of to-dos in hand, an eager toddler’s super chic and lightweight city stroller in tow, and a weekend of rare sunshine to greet us, we ate, we walked, we shopped, and we explored.

STAY at a Kid & Coe property. Ever since the vacation rental website launched a couple of years ago, I’ve been dying to stay at one of their sophisticated, family friendly properties. Because the house we stayed in had all the baby amenities we needed, there was no need to pack things like toys and books with us. It was so nice to come home in the afternoons to put Quincy down for a nap in a crib and let him just play before venturing out again. And I mean, how adorable was our home away from home?!

EAT everywhere. 48 hours is not nearly enough time to consume all that Portland has to offer. I will say we were able to squeeze in as much as we could: Blue Star is famous for their insanely decadent donuts like a creme brulée donut that is self-injected by a pipette filled with Cointreau syrup. Stumptown Coffee Roasters for a cup of brew to pair with those scrumptious donuts. Pine State Biscuits for a fried chicken, egg and gravy biscuit sandwich. You feelin’ the heartburn yet? Pok Pok for their mouth watering Thai food – you can’t miss their famous wings. Salt & Straw if you have the patience to stand in line for a scoop of sea salt and caramel ice cream. Yum. Have a seat at European style tavern Clyde Common, inside Portland’s original Ace Hotel, for a beautiful dinner.

SHOP at Halo Shoes, in the charming Pearl District, for a wonderfully curated selection of designer shoes – and hard to find shoes from Italy and the UK. Oblation Paper & Press for vintage typewriters and beautiful letterpress stationary. Adorable treasure chest Thea’s for reasonably priced (I know, SF & NY has my perception skewed) antiques and vintage housewares. Twist in Portland’s adorable Alphabet District for jewelry by Eva Fehren, Carolina Bucci and Finn. Powell’s City of Books is the world’s largest bookstore at over 1.6 acres of new and used books. Enough said.

DRINK beer. You can’t go to a craft beer-crazed city like Portland without visiting at least a few breweries. Have a pint or a sampler at Deschutes, Rogue Distillery and Public House, BridgePort BrewPub and Lucky Labrador Brew Pub.

DRIVE, or hike, up to Pittock Mansion for the most spectacular views of Portland and Mt. Hood. Tour the French Renaissance style château which was previously owned by The Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock. We didn’t have time to do this but there are about 80+ waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area, just east of the city. Next time, Portland. Next time. And big thanks to Bugaboo for the trip!

(images by HonestlyWTF)