Finding Balance at Feast

If you are attending Feast 2016, here are a few ideas for balancing out the excess of this fantastic festival. {Sponsored}

There’s no getting around it:  Food festivals are tough on your waistline.  And Feast Portland is no different.  Beer is flowing freely, wine is pouring at every turn, not to mention the never ending food.  They are all small-bites but they sure add up.   That’s okay!  You are here to eat, drink and have fun.  But in the hours before the gates open, there are lots of ways to eat light, and get some exercise around Portland. Here are my top suggestions:

1. Kure Juice:  While I would normally advocate for pastries and coffee for breakfast or one of Portland’s awesome breakfast spots, counteracting the indulgence of Feast calls for a healthy breakfast.  Kure is one of the best, with smoothies, fresh juice blends and acai bowls.  They have three locations around downtown.  
2. Waterfront Loop:   This is one of my top suggestions for all visitors.  Whether you run or walk, I highly recommend the waterfront loop between the Steele and Hawthorne Bridges.  Whether you are walking, running or biking, it’s one of the best ways to see the Portland skyline.  Plus, it’s only 2.75 miles so even if you walk, it will only take you about an hour to complete the loop. 
3. 4T Trail:  This is a much longer time commitment (plan accordingly, if you have tickets to an event) but this loop will give you an even better tour of the city.  The 4 “t”s stand for Train, Trail, Tram & Trolley. Starting in downtown, you’ll take the Max to the zoo, hike from the zoo through the hills and parks of SW Portland neighborhoods to Oregon Health & Sciences University, where you will take the Tram down the hill to the south waterfront area.  From there, finish the loop on the Trolley back into downtown.  
4. BikeTown: If hiking is too slow for you, how about a couple hours on a bike.  Bike town is a new bike share program with hubs across the city.  From downtown I suggest riding across the river through the Hawthorne and Belmont shopping areas.
5. Forest Park:  One the western edge of Portland is 30-mile long park full of hiking trails.  The options are nearly endless, but a popular starting spot is the trailhead at NW 30th & Upshur.  Check out this map for more ideas.
6. Garden Bar:  If you need a healthy but filling lunch before heading out to the “Feastivities”, stop by Garden Bar.  There three downtown locations plus two more in NW Portland.   They have menus filled with great salads or you can build your own.  It’s super delicious and easy to customize.  

Those are just a few simple ideas for eating light and getting a little exercise so you can really indulge.  Have fun, take care of yourself and I’ll see you at the festival.

{Disclosure: Feast Portland gave me a blogger pass that includes tickets to Smoked and the Grand Tasting as well as media access to the Drink Tank events in exchanges for blog posts and social media coverage.  But all opinions and ideas are my own.}