It's been a while, but I'm back! My new job has allowed me to do a little bit of traveling, and I was able to explore 2 areas back in February: one I'd never been to before, and one I hadn't been to in a while. I spent some time in Portland, Oregon, and then took a few days returning to Las Vegas, Nevada. It's an odd combo, but hey, that's what travel is all about!
Portland, Oregon
Portland is one of the northernmost cities in Oregon, just a few miles shy of the Washington border. Being part of the Pacific Northwest, it is a wetter city, though not nearly as rainy and snowy as Washington. It is a beautiful city with many lush forests surrounding the area, with many high places where you can see the amazing Mount Hood in the distance. Its popularity surged with the TV series Portlandia and has a reputation as a hipster city.
Things to Do
With little time to explore, only a few hours at a time, I went to a Facebook group focusing on travel and lo and behold, one of the other members of this group asked for some info on things to do in Portland.
I saved this post and did some of my own research, and decided to start with my two defaults when it comes to traveling new cities: hiking or walking trails, and Irish pubs. This led me to looking into Forest Park, a park that has dozens of trails, and Washington Park. With the weather bringing snow, Washington Park was my best bet. I found several high-incline trails, a Holocaust Memorial and a rose garden. There was also a Japanese garden, but I sadly couldn't make time to go, despite it being one of the sites highly recommended in the Facebook post.
The post also had dozens of members saying that you can't experience Portland unless you check out the food trucks. One in particular mentioned the Hawthorne Asylum, which was a courtyard that had about 20 different food trucks. The trucks alternate on a regular basis and feature a variety of menus, from local flavors to international cuisine. There is also a fire pit in the center to help stave off the chilly weather.
Another venue that popped up prominently in the post was to check out Voodoo Donuts. There were several locations in Portland, and I visited the one downtown. They offered a wide variety of flavors, including multiple vegan types. There are other donut shops around the city worth visiting, and many independent coffee shops. Unfortunately, most of these coffee shops are closed on Mondays, which was of course was one of the days I had to really explore.
My hunt for an Irish pub also led me to breweries. Local breweries are popping up in big cities all across the nation and it's always fun to check them out, even if you're not a drinker. A good brewery will have at the very least a welcoming ambiance, and even better food if they offer a menu. I chose the Away Days Brewing Company and picked up a flight there, and a Guinness at Whelan's Irish Pub.
Now comes the other discovery that I would say in a unique experience in Portland: thrift store shopping. I had come to Portland under the impression that I would be transferred to Hawaii soon afterwards and had brought clothing for tropical weather. When it turned out we needed to stay in Portland longer, I had a serious problem in that I had almost no warm clothing!
At my first opportunity, I sought out thrift stores. There were plenty to choose from, so I opted for one near Away Days since it was only a few blocks away. Nothing could have prepared me for the clothing selection!
One of the fun things about thrift store shops is that if you find one in a more upscale part of town, you'll find extremely good quality and name brand clothing for dirt-cheap prices. Despite my not being in an upscale area, the selection was pretty amazing. I spent probably an hour there and was constantly unloading clothing with other pieces I liked better. The fittings rooms were still closed due to Covid restrictions, but I lucked out with my selections and every one of them fit perfectly. So this city is great for the thrift stores!
Things to Consider
Portland is COLD.
It snowed several times while I was up there, and the wind chill factor made even warmer days feel like a snowstorm was afoot. If you want to make your way around the city in non-summer seasons, it's best to bring a windbreaker and to layer up.
This also brings me to my next point: transportation. Like most big cities, there's a bus system and a train system, and a heavy emphasis on bikes. This is another reason to bring the windbreaker with you in case you need to wait on public transit or take a bike. Lime and Jump scooters are prevalent here too, and they make a good means of going about the city, but if you don't have a windbreaker, it'll be a chilly ride! If that's the case, Uber may be a better choice.
Then there's the other issue of note: homelessness. California has a bit of a homelessness problem, and I've seen lesser issues in other US cities and aboard. But the situation in Portland far outweighed what I've seen in any other area. In my travels, I'm confident enough to make it around unfamiliar cities without feeling unsafe. Portland was the first city I've been to in a while where I felt unsafe in the daytime.
My Thoughts on this Visit
Portland is an eclectic city with lots of culture to offer, but the homelessness situation dampens that feel. You'll see beautiful architecture and city views, but unfortunately, many of them will be obstructed by tent cities and massive piles of trash. If you are a solo traveler, I advise that carry pepper spray with you just in case.
However, it's still worth a visit for its uniqueness, and don't miss out on the food trucks!
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sin City, I'm back!
I used to have family in this area, so I was brought here a few times as a child and visited again as an adult. I no longer have family there, but I was able to meet up with friends this time around and had some time to myself for exploring. If there's anything I've observed about Vegas, it's that in the span of a few years, the entire city can update and look brand new all over again.
Things to Do
Besides gambling, drinking and strip clubs?
Well, here's the thing. Vegas has many, many attractions and things to do. There are aquariums, museums, zip lines, small amusement parks, singular rides, comedy clubs, theaters, and some incredibly fine dining, mostly along the strip and near Fremont Street. However, due to Covid restrictions, many of these attractions aren't always open. If there's something you want to do beforehand, like the Fremont Street Slotzilla zip line, you need to make sure that they are selling tickets for the day that you're there.
There are also some free attractions that are worth checking out. The casino Caesars Palace has the Fall of Atlantis Show 5 days a week, there's the infamous Mirage Volcano that goes off once per hour at night, the lovely Bellagio Fountains that also have showings once per hour at night, and there's a Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo casino that's fun for the whole family. And, of course, there's the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign, which is worth taking 5 minutes of your trip at.
This being a major city, however, outside of the strip and Fremont is just another average US city, with the exception of there being casinos and slot machines everywhere. There are some extremely sketchy areas outside of the popular regions, but there are also many residential areas and regular city features like parks, shopping malls, and golf courses.
The Fun Story
This is the first time I've been here when I've been able to go with friends. I wasn't able to meet them until midway through my second day there, so I did plenty of exploring, knocking out 13 miles and having lunch at another Irish pub, Rí Rá, before meeting with them. When I did meet up with them, we did some drinking and gambling at Binion's and The Golden Gate Casinos off of Fremont Street.
One of my friends wanted to keep gambling so he stayed behind while my other friend and I went back to the Strip to grab some sushi and check out the Bellagio Fountains. Since we also wanted to see the Mirage Volcano, I timed our walk to the Fountains, which was just shy of 10 minutes. It was near 11, and that was when the last show began, so we agreed to leave the Fountains before 10:50.
The Fountains show was going on when we showed up and we both enjoyed it, but it finished at exactly 10:50. Since we had to contend with several red lights that took forever to turn green, we lost about 2 minutes and needed to speed up. So, with us being directly in front of the enormous Caesars Palace courtyard, we started running! Luckily with it being so late there was hardly anyone on the streets, so we zipped up the street and made it to the Volcano right as the show began.
We must have looked pretty crazy running past Caesars Palace like that! And oddly, as someone who has asthma, I managed to make it without being short of breath!
Things to Consider
Before booking your trip here, consider signing up for a rewards program. The two main rewards programs offered in the city are My Vegas Rewards, and Caesars Rewards. If you book your hotel or activities using your rewards card, which is offered for free, you can rack up some serious perks while you're out here! By using your card at slots, table games, restaurants, gift shops, and booking tickets, you can earn freebies for your current or next trip depending on what you do! For more information regarding available rewards programs for Vegas, check out this site.
However, if you book at a big name hotel, there will be additional deposits and resort fees that will vary depending on the location and dates. On weekdays, you can find day rates for the cheapest room as low as $25 per night before all other fees added, and on weekends the same hotel will then have rates only going as low as $250 per night before fees. Most booking websites will have a calendar available for you to find the best rates. Many will also have breakfast buffets available which will have amazing culinary choices, but they aren't always open due to current Covid restrictions.
Booking hotels away from the popular areas can be a little risky. Check out the reviews for wherever you want to stay before booking because I read numerous accounts of guests having issues with drug dealers, homeless, and prostitutes at the place they booked. It may be more expensive, but booking at a bigger name hotel, not necessarily on the Strip or Fremont Street, may be the safer option if you're traveling alone. I stayed at the Excalibur Hotel and they had 24/7 security, and the key cards had to be used in order to make the elevators work. I felt safe at this hotel, despite having noisy neighbors.
In getting around, there isn't much in the way of public transit. There are few bus lines and shuttles, so most of the transport available is in taxis, Ubers and Lyfts, to the point where even the major hotels have designated drop-off points for these pickups. However, there are no bikes or scooters, but there are plenty of overhead walkways so that pedestrians can safely walk between casinos without having to wait on crosswalks. There is also a Monorail that links from one end of the Strip with the other, beginning at the MGM Grand and ending at the Sahara. You can purchase a day pass if you're planning to stay in this area for the day.
Walking is also an option, though the Strip is longer than it looks. The pedestrian walkways above the streets are convenient but often have homeless lingering about, and the street lights take forever to turn green, though sometimes you'll find showgirls and Elvis impersonators out there charging about $5 for pictures. I took pictures with Elvises!
Then there's the driving option. Many of the lots offer free self-parking, but make sure you double check before heading over as some will only have garages that charge, or valet parking. For example, if you wanted to visit the Aria casino but wanted to park for free, you could park at the Wynn or Treasure Island hotels and walk over.
Despite homeless people lingering in the pedestrian walkways, the City of Las Vegas does work to keep the issue from spreading. The Strip has much fewer homeless than I've seen in another major cities, and one of my helpful Uber drivers told me that the City does its best to keep the situation under control. Even when being transported across the city in areas not usually frequented by visitors, I didn't see as many camps or tents about.
The casinos also have ATMs for cash gambling but if you don't want to take out large increments, you can stop by a CVS or Walgreens for cashback. And if you do happen to win at gambling and have any change in coins, the cash out machines won't allow you have it, but you can donate it to charities working toward aiding the homeless population, battling sex trafficking, and helping the environment!
Despite this little tip, do try to be careful when gambling. Gambling addiction is a real condition, so try to pace yourself if you do plan to try some gaming.
Hazards for Solo Travelers
Vegas isn't called Sin City for nothing. Prostitution, porn, drugs, excessive drinking and scams are everywhere. Vegas is also a top city for sex trafficking. If you are traveling solo, be extra aware of your surroundings and try not to drink so much because that will leave you more vulnerable.
Another way of knowing you've been targeted is if you return to your car and see a zip tie attached to your windshield wiper. If you see this, DO NOT get into your car. Find security and report it right away. A zip tie on the windshield wiper indicates that this car has been marked and someone is waiting to snatch you. Or if you are walking through a parking lot or garage and see one on another car, report it right away.
It may seem like a bit of a drag, but just because there's much unique fun to be had out in Vegas, it can be extremely unsafe for the solo traveler. For more information on ways to stay safe, feel free to check out this link.
My Thoughts on the Visit
I enjoy coming to Vegas, it's a fun place to travel to. However, it's more fun to come to with other people. Despite the hazards, this city may be a little safer when it comes to solo travel, but having your friends with you makes the experience more memorable.
And truthfully? Traveling with friends can also help you stay out of trouble.
So, What's Next?
Both cities visited had their pros and cons, but both were worth checking out. I say that both cities are worth visiting for both Americans and visitors from other countries. Have fun, but proceed with caution, especially with Vegas.
So since I haven't had time to blog over the last few months, there are several upcoming blogs on the horizon. I've been working in Hawaii, but I'm also doing more traveling and will be blogging about those experiences as well. I'm going to do my best with what little time I do have and work on several posts at a time. Depending on how things pan out, the next one will be posted when whichever one I'm working on is finished first. It's vague, I know.
Anyways, thank you for tuning in, and keep your eyes out for that next post!
Pictures taken by me or with my device. Gifs courtesy of Giphy.
