My Portland Coffee Tour - Part 10

December's a lovely month to hit up coffee shops. Everyone's getting all cozied up with a hot beverage and working on their laptops or catching up with friends. I like to people watch while pretending to read emails, and also actually read emails and scroll through Facebook and Instagram. 

This might be the last coffee post of the year, but that doesn't mean it's the last coffee post for this blog. Absolutely not. I love coffee and I adore doing these posts, but I'll be bringing them to you from my travels as well. There's a coffee shop in Vegas called Illumilatte, and with it's punny name, I'll definitely be checking it out to tell you if I learn any secrets of the Illuminati or The Order of The Coffee or whatever else is going on in there. Here's where I've been visiting around Portland though:

Costello's Travel Caffe

I've been following them for a bit on Instagram. Their photos and reposts are lovely and, of course, I love their travel theme. When you place your order, they give you a little flag for your table instead of a number. I was Canada while I waited for my food and drink.

The inside and outside of Costello's actually has a lot of seating, unlike many of the coffee shops in the Portland area. They serve breakfast and lunch, pastries, and a variety of coffee drinks. I asked for a recommendation, letting them know I pretty much like anything with coffee and milk (or not milk), so the nice man at the counter suggested a double cortado ($3.50), which is basically a hot espresso cut with warm milk to cut the acidity, served in a larger shot glass. I also ordered a ham breakfast croissant ($7.50). While not cheap, was pretty fantastic and worth every penny. 

Costello's resembles a cute European cafe and even has travel videos playing to give you some inspiration. There are daily specials as well, like a soup of the day and a daily sandwich, so you really can't get sick of the menu, even if you tried. This is one of those shops that I'd take friends to, after enjoying a trip to the salt spa a few blocks away, or some unique shopping in the Hollywood District.

Saint Simon Coffee Company 

Sometimes you just find yourself a neighborhood gem. St. Simon is a tiny little shop that has warm woods and a cozy atmosphere. It feels like your typical hipster shop in Portland, but I didn't feel out of place there. I, again, asked for a recommendation and was prompted to get the Salted Caramel Latte ($5.00), as it was one of their seasonal specials. I also looked at their delicious pastries and had to take home a pumpkin apple hand pie ($4.25), because when else will I find such a thing?

While I waited, I looked around at this quaint little shop. Everyone looked so comfortable, even though seating is very limited. The minimalist look is working for them and everyone seemed to be a repeat customer. 

I enjoyed my coffee while walking back to my car and was so surprised by the flavor. It was kind of the perfect combo of salt and caramel, without being overpowered by either. Later in the day, I split the hand pie with Eric and was in love. So much so, that I may consider adding apples to my pumpkin pasties for our annual Harry Potter party. It gives it the sweetness that it needs and complements the taste of pumpkin perfectly in a way that butternut squash puree just can't do on its own. This shop knows how to pick a good pastry that isn't the run of the mill croissant or cookie that you can get at a dozen other shops 3 blocks away.

Edge Coffee

Eric found this shop and wanted to take me there on Small Business Saturday. And who am I to say no to coffee of any sort? I'm also always happy to help out a small business any time of year. Edge is actually in Beaverton (out in the Portland suburbs) and they use local roasters, Sauvie Island Coffee Company, for their beans. In fact, the beans we were getting were roasted only a few days before we showed up. That's fresh! You can't get that at many other shops in the area. 

We stopped by for breakfast, so picked up an English muffin breakfast sandwich and something unique to drink. I found it in The Cure ($5.30 for a large). This latte drink marries three types of chocolate - white chocolate, dark chocolate, Mexican chocolate - with cinnamon and orange zest. I couldn't make that up if I tried and I figured if nothing else, it would boost my immune system. 

The shop is large, but still feels intimate, with different types of seating around the dining area. You can also find local artwork on the walls for your enjoyment, and also for sale. The sandwich I ordered came heated up - The Lumberjack Breakfast sandwich ($4.75) has ham, cage-free eggs, and sharp cheddar on a multigrain muffin. It was really quite delicious, made by Molly's Grown to Eat of Seattle, that uses as much organic, sustainable and humanely-raised foods as possible from farmer co-ops local to them. So if you feel like nearly $5 for a breakfast sandwich is little high (I don't), feel good about spending a few extra pennies for good food from a good company. Since this place isn't too far from my house, I'll absolutely be back. 

Do you have a favorite coffee shop at home or from your travels that you think I should make a point to try? Please let me know in the comments!

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Looking Ahead to 2018

Can you believe that 2017 is already over? I can't. The year seems to have flown by and I've been looking forward to all the good that 2018 is going to have in store. As always, I like to look back at the past year and share some of my favorite pics of our travels.

This past year I ended up in Las Vegas three times and am looking forward to another trip (two, actually) soon. I'll be there in February and July and will hopefully bring you all some awesome travel goodies from my first visit.

In February, my mom and I took a trip to Vegas and did a bunch of sightseeing and eating. Because it wasn't hot, we were able to do more outdoor things than we had in the past. I took her to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory that Eric and I had only ever gotten to see the outside of. The cactus garden is a lot more pleasant when it's not 487 degrees outside.

We ate. A lot. My mom likes the options of a buffet, so there were quite a few plates that looked like this one (don't worry, there was also real food and vegetables).

Some of our outdoor things were taking a bus tour, wandering downtown and hitting up the Neon Museum. There was a lot of art on our short trip, which was awesome. You can't imagine how much free art is all over the city, so keep your eye out when you're wandering around outside.

On our annual July trip to Vegas, we had awesome foods as well. If you're eating crummy food in Sin City, you're definitely doing it wrong. We hit up my favorite coffee shop, Bad Owl Coffee for breakfast more than once. Their waffles are amazing and there are so many delicious coffees to choose from. If you're new, or you missed my last two or more posts on this excellent coffee shop, it's a magical little space that's Harry Potter themed. (See what I did there?) They are opening a second shop in Vegas in March and they also have espresso flights now that come in House colors. Guess who's getting that? 

Our friends found a great Mediterranean joint in a strip mall that we loved so much, we took family back later in the week. It was phenomenal and these stuffed squid were some of the best seafood I've ever had. It was perfect place for a family get together.

Before they had to go back home, our friends did a bit of sightseeing with us. I drove them downtown to check out the Container Park and happened to stumble upon this great free art bus tour sponsored by Lyft and Zappos to promote Las Vegas's downtown art showing called Life Is Beautiful. It was a sweet find for sure.

In October, we were supposed to head to St. Thomas, but the tragic hurricanes brought that to a screeching halt. We would have still gone to do disaster clean up had we still had a place to stay, but our resort was damaged as well and closed until sometime next year. So, after many calls, I was able to change my flights to a new destination. I'd strongly suggest getting travel insurance if you're ever going out of the country, even if it still counts as part of your country.

So, no St. Thomas, but we were able to spend the week in San Diego instead, which was almost just as good. We've never really been to San Diego before, making it a brand new destination for us. We hit up Legoland our first day, and if you've never been, it's really fun with or without kids (I assume, since we don't have any). Because most children are under 5, they have a very short attention span and lines are blessedly short, meaning you can get to a lot of rides in a day. 

This was our first time we've taken a train on vacation in the U.S. We didn't rent a car on this trip, so instead, we took the train to and from Carlsbad from San Diego to visit Legoland and then pretty much walked all over the city, because we were in the middle of it all.

Our vacation rental was right across the street from Balboa park, giving us easy access to all the activities and attractions inside. We hit up quite a few museums, the zoo, and eating establishments. It was an excellent week full of exercise to walk off all the delicious food we found, and seeing the city in a new way, interspersed with getting some insider tips from Uber drivers when we just couldn't walk anymore.

What did you love about your travels in 2017 or are you most looking forward to in 2018?

Have a Harry (Potter) Christmas

You didn't think that you'd get to the end of the year without another Harry Potter post, did you? Well, with my love of the Boy Who Lived, there's no way folks, especially after this last month. While in Vegas in July, we went to Potter Plays, which consisted of 6 mini plays based on fan fiction. It was short, but it was fun and affordable, which is where you're getting this cool fireplace main pic.

This is giving me strong Severus Snape vibes. I love it and the little Dobby is the cutest. This was the first time we'd gone downtown for a show and it was in a tiny theater that made it easy to see everything super close. Only about 100 audience members could fit. I loved it.

You probably already saw my Harry Potter party pics from August. It was a Quidditch World Cup theme, so everyone dressed as Wizards trying to look Muggle. It was hilarious. Here was my Portkey drop station.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time reading, crafting, planning and prepping. It was not disappointing though, except for my lack of chairs, which I have solved for this coming year - a Triwizard theme.

My goodie bags had mini pennants for cheering on their favorite QWC team, their Patronus, Leprechaun coins, the must-have chocolate frog, other candies, and a little something for home Divination.

Our guests got INTO this party and made it way more magical. I was told that my trivia was crazy hard (win!), people inhaled food and we raised money for the Harry Potter Alliance through fun Harry Potter merch raffles that I collected throughout the year. I even ended up with some gifts of my own in honor of Harry's day. My friends are amazing, you guys.

That brings us to December and Yule Ball. Another event put on by the wonderful people of the Harry Potter Alliance in Portland. I can't say enough good things about them, because they outdid themselves with this event and we're already looking forward to next year's Yule Ball. They raise money for various local charities, and they raised thousands of dollars for ChickTech and Girls Build, who teach girls to use technology and power tools respectively. How cool is that?

Tickets went on sale in September and sold out in a matter of days. Like 3 days. I knew it was going to be a hit, so I bought mine as soon as they went on sale as a birthday gift to myself. First round tickets included a sit-down feast. I didn't blink before handing over $75 a ticket. My money was going to charity and a fun time for myself. Once we arrived, I knew that I wasn't going to regret spending any of that money, or the money I spent at the bar or the money we spent at the raffle table.

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Dec 16, 2017 at 9:35pm PST

We dressed as Slytherins, because they don't get enough love. We are a Ravenclaw (me) and a Hufflepuff, but are all for House unity/equality. I had another dress idea that was going to showcase my love of Ravenclaw House, but it fell through, so I put together something quickly that matched Eric and I can't even tell you how many compliments I got on this skirt that had a tulle overlay that I pinned twinkling lights under. It was so easy, but made a big impact. I'd definitely wear it again for other events.

To top it all off, I won this amazing raffle prize that matched my look. It's a Slytherin fascinator hat, a green wrap and a set of lovely perfumes inspired by Slytherin House. What an awesome birthday gift, right? 

But wait! I forgot to talk about the food! It was so good, I can't even explain it. I really felt like I was at the Hogwarts feast: Roast beef (eat your heart out, Ron), roasted potatoes, a winter vegetable salad, warm couscous, a green salad and hot buttered rolls. Everything was served family style, so we spent time eating and chatting with those at our table, oohing and aahing over everyone's magical outfits. It was a good time, and people went all out dressing for this event. I was so happy with all the eye candy. After dinner, we all noshed on Butterbeer cupcakes, because yaaaaasss! I even had an adult Butterbeer during dinner. How can you not?

One step closer to becoming a witch ⚡#elderwand #magicaltattoo #harrypotterlife #onwandtorulethemall

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Dec 17, 2017 at 8:55pm PST

And now for the crowning jewel of my birthday month. I've been wanting a tattoo for at least a decade, but had no idea what I would love forever. I turned 40 this year. That's a milestone, so I knew this was the year. And I finally knew what I wanted it to be. Behold my new Elder wand. I still can't believe I did it, but I'm so happy with it. I have a genuine wand arm now.

And that's been my life this year. Now I'm looking forward to 2018, where there will be another Harry Potter party, Yule Ball, possible Potter Con, and that Harry Potter festival in Pennsylvania. There will be more visits to Bad Owl Coffee - they'll have a new location in March - in Vegas, too. I can't wait and I'll definitely be sharing it with you all. Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope you have a 2018 full of awesome travel in your future.