Tour of Portland: Final Day

I first heard about Mother's from this fabulous blog, so I definitely wanted to check it out for brunch during our time in Portland. I enjoyed it every bit as much as I had hoped! The biscuits and gravy were delicious, creamy, not greasy, with a good flavor (and they even brought me a sample before I ordered!) The corn flake dipped french toast was a favorite as well. And the interior was even more lovely than the food.

We had an unexpected visitor, though, who interrupted our quiet breakfast with friends. He's sitting just between me and hubby. (Go ahead and enlarge if you need!) Do you recognize him?

Everyone else did! There were onlookers taking pictures through the windows (do you see them in the picture?), staff hustling and bustling around to prepare for his arrival, and secret service men on the prowl.

Don't forget to notice that gorgeous sparkly chandelier and soft white drapes. It was hard to capture pictures of the dining room that didn't include the man of the hour.

The Oregon primaries were just around the corner, so he and Chelsea were out campaigning for the wife. It honestly would have been much more exciting if I was a fan. Chelsea was every bit more likable than Bill. She stopped to chat and admire our friends' precious baby boy, as did the former president.

I did manage to snag a few highly desired (by me!) pictures of the wonderful cottage chic decor, but not without interruption. I have a hundred shots of blurry hostess heads buzzing through the picture. Thank goodness for digital cameras. And then there was the "Excuse me, Miss, are you with the press?" NO! I'm not with the press. I hardly care about his visit. I just want to snap some photos of this fabulous restaurant! So here they are...I worked hard for them!

(Any guesses at who the men in the dark suits are? I'll give you one hint. They were wearing little earpieces...)

I loved the clever coffee mugs. So did my mom!

Later that afternoon, we headed over for some sweet treats at the well known Saint Cupcake. It was my first visit to a cupcakery and I was very much looking forward to some sugary goodness. I was somewhat disappointed. The shop was cute, the umbrella tables out front even cuter, the cupcakes were eye-catching with their twirly icing and sprinkles, but the wow factor in my mouth was lacking. I've definitely had moister, richer cupcakes at home. But, even a mediocre cupcake is still a cupcake, so I didn't complain too loudly!

We spent a couple of hours at the Japanese Garden. It was pretty and peaceful, with interesting landscape design and water features. It was smaller than we expected, and you can easily tour the grounds in an hour or so. But, if you enjoy Asian inspired gardens or architecture, it is definitely worth a visit!

We also hit the Portland City Grill for a happy hour dinner. I explained the awesome Portland Happy Hour concept here. Portland City Grill is on the 30th floor and has some of the best views of the city. They also have a huge variety of tasty appetizers.

And we finally conclude the tour of Portland! I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of the city and our trip...despite the delays in my posts. Believe it or not, I didn't even share with you every stop we made in this fun city!

My family has been in town for the last week and a half, so I have lots of pictures and projects to share in the next week or so! I also hit a couple of fruitful tag sales last Saturday, so I have some finds to share as well.