If you ever wondered why Portland has the nickname, “City of Roses,” look no further than the incredible International Rose Test Garden and the American Rose Society. Back in 1905, the city planted 200 miles of roses to celebrate the Lewis and Clark Centennial. Fast forward twelve years, the Rose Society’s former president, Jesse A. Currey convinced the local government to create a rose test garden in Washington Park to capitalize off the city’s newfound rosy fame. Not only would this create a beautiful sea of colors and fragrances from May to October, it would be a place to test and trial new varieties of roses. I met with curator Rachel Burlington to learn what they test for and what it takes for a rose to not only get a 10/10 rating but a coveted spot in the Gold Medal Section.

When it comes to coffee, Portland does not mess around. It’s been known for its specialty coffee and cafe culture long before either were popular in the United States. Café Zamora is one of the newer cafes joining a legacy of cafes that not only want to serve the best coffee possible but want to do good in the world. According to owner and founder, Hector Mejia Zamora, not only is their Guatemalan coffee extremely smooth, its mission is all about community. After all, his farm in Guatemala is part of a small cooperative with forty other small coffee farmers. They all work together and have even managed to build a school, two different mills, and a clinic for their collective. 

What’s better than discovering one fantastic food truck? Discovering a whole pod of food trucks with cuisines from all around the world! That’s exactly what Lil’ America offers. I met with founders Linh Tran and Jasper Shen to discuss the mission behind their BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ collective before we went around and sampled from carts with names like Hawker Station, Bake on the Run, and Makulit.

If there’s one thing most Portlandians can agree on, it’s that the number one appeal to this city is how easy it is to get outdoors. Whether you want to get out on the water or up on a mountain, there’s a plethora of opportunities mere minutes away. And with Adventure Without Limits, you can get outside no matter what challenges you face – whether it’s financial, mental, physical, or otherwise. I kayaked with guide, Emma Flynn, who has been a part of the inclusive outdoor space since seventh grade. While we made our way along the river, she told me all the ways they make tours accessible whether it’s modifying their gear or offering programs to different socio-economic groups.

When it comes to Levi Martinez and his father, Jose, Orox Leather Co. is a family business that all began with a passion for baseball. Back in 1933, Levi’s great-grandfather had dreams of owning his own team someday and he saw leatherwork as his way of getting there. After all – baseball uses a ton of leather gear, and Great Grandpa Martinez was able to save up plenty to make his dreams come true. Today, Orox continues the legacy of creating leather goods designed to last. All items are made right in Portland and you can see their products at work at all sorts of businesses around the city.

Talk to anyone who spends time in the kitchen, and they’ll tell you – a good knife can make all the difference. And no one can make a good knife quite like STEELPORT Knife Co. I chatted with co-founder and blade smith, Eytan Zias, about their process, which is all done by hand and intended to create an heirloom product that can last generations. I even learned how to sharpen a knife myself!

Freeland Spirits is what happens when you have a female-founded, female-crafted distillery. They live by two mottos – all good things come from scratch and women can do and be any damn thing they want. In a male-dominated industry, the women behind Freeland have carved a name for themselves with their unique releases, all created with the freshest ingredients Oregon has to offer. I met with master distiller, Molly Troupe, to sample some of these unique spirits – including one I didn’t think was possible!

If you ever wonder where Portland gets its pioneering spirit from, all you have to do is look back to the actual pioneers that came here centuries ago – all 50-70,000 of them. Over in Oregon City, you can visit the End of Oregon Trail Interpretive Center to learn more about these people who packed up everything they knew and set off for lands, dangers, and opportunities unknown. To put it in perspective when I asked John Harvey, who’s been a guide here for 15 years, how he would’ve handled the trail, he flat out said he never would’ve gone.

For more of Oregon, check out our Season 1 episode, “Oregon Family RV Trip”