To Jupiter and Back

Last month my boyfriend turned twenty-six and I could not figure out what to get him for the life of me. I started searching online and found a few fun ideas like the Portland Chocolate Tour. But then realized that would be like him buying me tickets to a Mopar car show. Don’t get me wrong, I love his 1970 plum crazy (purple) Challenger but I don’t care to go see a hundred of them – the same way the he wouldn’t care to try more than one kind of chocolate. As my search pressed on I started finding a number of discounted hotel packages in downtown Portland. Since we don’t live downtown I began to think it might be fun to “play tourist” and go on a little staycation. I wanted to find somewhere different, somewhere fun — so when I finally stumbled across The Jupiter I knew I had found the right place.

The Jupiter is known as a “boutique hotel” which is defined as “a modern or quirky hotel that is unique and unlike any national hotel chain.” And The Jupiter was just that. Crisp, colorful linens. Chalkboard doors. Beautiful murals. I pod docks. Flat screen TVs. And great access to food and live entertainment at the Doug Fir restaurant. They offer a number of hotel packages like concert packages with Doug Fir and a Distillery Row Tour Package. I went on the Distillery Row Tour (not in conjunction with the hotel) last year for Valentines Day and had an awesome time touring the city’s micro-distilleries by pedi cab. Since we had already been on the distillery tour I opted out of that package and arranged a surprise dinner party at Cha Taqueria followed by drinks in our room at The Jupiter and breakfast at Doug Fir. Here’s a quick peek of the evening:

A few thoughts to ponder:

Don’t have a lot of time or money to travel far from home? Consider a staycation. It was fun for us to explore a part of the city that we may not have experienced otherwise. Some places may require a little more creative thinking than others but I guarantee you can find something. So log off the computer, turn off your phone, and get out there and do something you’ve never done before. Go out of your way to see something you’ve never seen before. Experience life. We went to Jupiter and back, what will you do?

Need some help being creative? Check out these ideas:

–Outdoor staycation ideas
–Fall staycation ideas on a budget
–Winter staycation ideas
– A few Portland staycation ideas from Maureen Mackey of the Examiner

Have ideas of your own? Leave me a comment!