The Portland Book of Dates: Adventures, Escapes, and Secret Spots

by Eden Dawn, Ashod Simonian

This highly visual book marries style and substance to give Portland and the people who love her the guidebook they a curated and creative collection of more than 130 outings in and around Portland to inspire romance and adventure. Secret spots, beloved locales, and unexpected destinations offer endless options for date night or a weekend getaway.

Finally, a stylish, cheeky, curated guidebook of cool places for Portlanders (and visitors) to go on dates/outings/field trips/adventures. These range from one-hour coffee and ice cream dates in Portland's neighborhoods to multiday expeditions to Hood River and Mount St. Helens. The authors have a bead on the obscure and fascinating, and the descriptions are motivating enough to prompt even the lazy to head out the door. The book will have serious pickup power and will become an essential resource and armchair read for Portland-area Gen X, millennial, and Gen Z couples (and singles with friends) interested in learning about off-the-beaten-path things to do, see, and taste. No more FOMO! In-the-know authors and tastemakers Eden Dawn and Ashod Simonian will reveal where the cool and quirky go, while educating readers on this beloved city.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

159 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2021

Reviews

[Bjorn Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just got this at Powell's yesterday, but I can start to comment after reading a couple dozen pages. I love the tone - warm and funny - and how it recommends lots of highlights without getting bogged down in lists or in having too many pages to lug around. I've been to about a third of the places it mentions. Lots of solid standards but also fresh directions.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has lots of great date ideas! I love how the authors broke up the book by zones and included some lesser known options. The end of the book also includes quick recommendations on things to do for first dates, when your parents are in town, by yourself, etc. very good book! I just hope covid hasn’t destroyed these businesses.

[Mariko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun ideas, including some I didn't know about. The illustrations are whimsical, but it would have been helpful to see actual photos of the things they talk about. Also, more maps would have been helpful.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas and a lovely design -- just know most of the ideas aren't actually in Portland and require a drive (sometimes a long drive), several of the ideas are already no longer open (Beech Street Parlor) or impacted by wildfires (Breitenbush), and there are no useful maps or contact info.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars is kind of generous for this travel book, but in all fairness I picked it up on a whim at the library. Embarrassingly enough the title threw me off; I thought it was a book about events happening in Portland (dates? Get it?) but it turns out it's a travel guide for couples. Being that I lost my husband in 2019, I was hesitant about reading it but since I'm planning a trip to Portland in September, I decided to see if there were any hidden gems. I've been to Portland many, many, many times but I like to find new and different things to do.
So while this book wasn't really what I was looking for in terms of trip planning, it has great information about Portland and the surrounding areas (including California and Washington!), which is nice, but it's very misleading. Unless you live in those outlying areas or want to drive a long way to get where you're going, it might be helpful, but frankly there's not a lot about Portland itself.
It's divided into areas and neighborhoods, which is nice but you won't find any additional information like websites, pictures or even phone numbers or addresses. So while I did find a few things of interest, I had to Google each and every place b/c there was very little information about them. Some of the places are kind of questionable for a date location and there are no reviews about anything. And all of the information in the chapters is kind of jumbled together in paragraphs, so you have to search for what you're looking for. Unfortunately the index in the back is of very little help.
So while I did discover a few places I've never been before and I plan on checking those out on my trip, this book was just mediocre. It does have funky drawings throughout, so that's pretty cool. But Portland is a whole lot cooler than this book suggests.

[Adrianna (anntokki) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I moved to the area pretty recently, and this book immediately caught my eye! It’s packed full of adventures & date ideas. I’ve tabbed so many pages of the book so I can remember to go to some of these places myself. There’s really something for everyone in this book!

The illustrations and descriptions are so cute and quirky. I just wish some more details could’ve been given on each spot. I guess that’s for me to do more research on!

[Mary Ellen Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. I am so excited to move to Portland!!! Loved the art in this book. Love the nooks and crannies covered in addition to the famous spots (with extra quirk and hacks;). Only a few places seem to have closed after covid. I cannot wait to discovery this weird and wonderful part of the country.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to do all the things. Hoping most survive these pandemic times.

[Talal · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you get past the corny puns, the book was enjoyable and had a vast collection of interesting places to visit around the state. I can’t wait to check them out.

[harvey jade hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My partner and I are planning on weekly date nights this year, and this book is full of great ideas for any budget and any season!

[Gwyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF I picked this up as a possible source for sightseeing ideas when friends and family come to town. I read the first chapter and just found it too vague. Maybe this is fine for locals who have a working knowledge of the Portland scene and who just need to be reminded about colocated sights. It’s definitely not a travel guide, thus didn’t work for my purposes

[Julie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute to read and learn about date spots - maybe someday we will get to go on some of these dates. Many of them we have done as a family