Something every traveler should know about the app Airbnb: after about 5p.m. it doesn’t let you request a room for that night anymore. My roommate, brother and I had to learn that the hard way; resulting in overpriced random motel rooms we only stayed in for eight to ten hours and sleeping in the car.

On the plus side we all couldn’t of been happier to be in the craft brewing capital of the country: Oregon. Good beer seems non-existent without good people. Meeting countless hilarious and engaging people was one of the best parts of our road trip up north over spring break.

Rogue, Hair of the Dog, Ecliptic Brewery, Hop Work Urban Brewery, Laurelwood Brewery, Oakshire Brewing, Hop Valley Brewing and Ninkasi Brewing are just the ones we made it to on the second half of our road up, most of the locals not even being able to make it to the 161 brewing company’s that are home to Oregon.

Portland not only has some of the best beer I have ever tried, but also some of the best food. Ecliptic Brewery had the most delicious and juicy burgers; I’d rate it number one without hesitation.

Vegans, vegetarians and organic buyers have no problem finding a meal, the notorious Voodoo Doughnuts even have vegan options. Although waiting in a line that goes out the door and along the building only to receive a stomachache in return because of the sugar they put on top of sugar may not appeal to everyone.

Instead, going down a couple blocks to the line of local food trucks wouldn’t make your stomach hate you. There is everything from Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, Thai and Mexican food. The falafel sandwich made going back everyday seem like a reasonable thing to do.

My brother, being an avid skate boarder, had to go to Burnside, a skate park under the Burnside Bridge that was completely made by the local skating community. The park was made without permission, but now the city of Portland considers it a public skate park. Burnside is featured in the video games Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 and Grind Session.

Having the reputation of being a skate park filled with locals that are known to kick people out, my brother was nervous going in alone. It turned out to be a completely opposite experience, my brother saying that everyone was nice and welcoming and it didn’t hurt that he got in a good two-hour skate session.

The most affordable and overwhelming bookstore I have ever been to also is in Portland, Powell Book Store. I paid $30 for seven used books, all in good condition with no broken spines or missing pages.

The walls of new and used books all categorized and alphabetized made Barnes and Nobles look like a mom and pop bookstore. Powell’s also has a café and the store is located in the Pearl District that is around many other shops, restaurants, bars and breweries.

Oregon opened up a whole perspective for me, seeing other lifestyles and experiencing the city life there makes me want to go back again in the summer, especially with the doable nine hour drive that is worth going through even with all the winding roads.

And don’t forget, gas only gets cheaper the more north you go!