by Michelle Sproule | Sure the Canadian dollar sucks, but if you’re wearing just the right shade of rose-coloured glasses and combine affordable accommodations with Dining Month and no sales tax, an awesome weekend away in Portland comes out as a delicious wash. We feasted across the city last weekend, and found ourselves a new cheap place to stay. Take a look…

EAT |  Portland Dining Month sees over 120 restaurants offering 3-course menus for $29. It’s their version of our annual Dine Out Festival. We hit as many as possible in the short time we were in town. Russian-inspired Kachka was a big hit (we stuffed our faces with dumplings and house-infused vodka cocktails), tasted our way through as many of Chef Gregory Gourdet’s recommendations as possible at Departure (delicious modern takes on Asian cuisine), hit Little Bird (sister restaurant to Le Pigeon) where we had Commons Farmhouse Ale, a cheese plate and an order of clams in the beautiful balcony section and nipped in to Maurice (not a Dining Month participant but so close to Powell’s Books!) where we had a late afternoon beer and oysters followed by black pepper cheesecake. Finally, on our way out of town, we lined our stomachs with a few fried chicken beauties at Pine State Biscuits and took 1/2 dozen biscuits for the road.

Kachka (720 NE Grand Ave.) | www.kachkapdx.com
Departure (15th Floor, 525 SW Morrison St.) | www.departureportland.com
Little Bird Bistro (219 SW 6th Ave.) www.littlebirdbistro.com
Imperial (410 S.W. Broadway) www.imperialpdx.com
Pine State Biscuits (1100 SE Division St.) | www.pinestatebiscuits.com
Maurice (921 SW Oak St) | www.mauricepdx.com

STAY | Restored with a modern / simple aesthetic that results in an Ace vibe at cheaper prices, The Society (203 NW 3rd Ave.) offers affordable accommodations, including custom hostel bunks (outfitted with private device charging and secure storage) as well as private rooms and suites. Bonus: sweet rooftop lounge boast killer views of the city. Located in Portland’s Chinatown, it’s slightly off the oft-beaten track but only blocks away from the Pearl and Downtown districts. Secure parking is close by and coffee, light food, and cocktails are available in the lobby. Rooms come with earplugs, FTW. $50-$150 range.

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