Oregon: Portland: The City of Roses

All that rain (150 days of it per year) waters Portland’s newest horticultural attraction, the Classical Chinese Garden. Influenced by the garden designs of Portland’s sister city, Suzhou in China, this version succeeds in conveying the balance between natural elements and architecture that all classical Chinese gardens exemplify. The seven years and millions of dollars that it took to build the garden have paid off; visitors will feel transported to another time as they wander through pavilions adorned with paper lanterns, panels that display calligraphic depictions of poems, and intricate carvings on cypress and gingko. West truly meets East here, as a pink dogwood blooms alongside Chinese camellias and winter hazel.

The less stylized Japanese Garden, created in 1967, offers a different perspective on Asian landscape architecture. Rock gardens, a waterfall, and irises simply yet powerfully display a subtle sensibility and attention to detail. The famed International Rose Test Garden, located close by the Japanese Garden in Washington Park, features 8,000 plants, especially breathtaking to behold in June during the Rose Festival. Rose enthusiasts should also visit the Peninsula Park Rose Garden, more than 16 acres dotted with 9,000 rosebushes.

Outside the garden walls, Portland’s coffeehouses, bookstores, and architecture perfectly complement the misty yet temperate weather. Both gourmet and comfort food restaurants abound, so whatever your tastes, you’ll find something to satisfy your hunger. Portland’s beers also entice, and can be sampled on a tour of Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, which offers gigantic portions of German food at its pub. And for the perfectly offbeat Portland souvenir, check out Saturday Market on the waterfront, a grab bag of live music and arts and crafts.