Portland Archives - The Urban Darling

4 Cute Restaurants We Loved In Portland, OR

By Esperanza on June 3, 2026

Portland, travel guide, foodie, foodie travel guide, where to eat in Portland, Portland restaurants, Portland coffee shops, Portland coffee, coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, restaurant guide, family travel, family trip, travel blogger.

Portland has always held a special place in our hearts. Andrew and I both lived there at different points in our lives, so when we found ourselves visiting family on the Oregon Coast, it felt like the perfect opportunity to spend a few days exploring one of our favorite cities together—with our toddler in tow. Portland’s restaurant and coffee scene remains unmatched, and this quick trip reminded us exactly why we love it so much. From unforgettable fine dining to some of the best coffee we’ve ever had, every stop was memorable in its own way.

A Family-Friendly Stay at Kimpton Hotel Vintage In Portland

By Esperanza on May 28, 2026

Kimpton hotels, Kimpton, Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland, Hotel Vintage, Portland, Oregon, Portland hotels, hotel, hotel stay, hotel review, family travel, family friendly hotel, dog friendly hotel, family trip, travel blogger, family blogger, boutique hotel.

There’s something special about finding a hotel that feels both stylish and comfortable for the whole family, and our stay at Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland checked every box. Located right in the heart of downtown Portland, the hotel made it easy to explore the city while giving us a cozy place to recharge at the end of the day. The hotel’s wine-inspired theme adds so much personality throughout the property, from the artwork and décor to the creatively named guest rooms. One of our favorite touches was the evening wine tasting hour, which we happily took full advantage of during our stay.

Mother’s Day Weekend In The PNW

By Esperanza on June 22, 2024

We spent my first Mother’s Day weekend in the PNW with my parents, my brother, and his family. My parent’s and I flew down to Portland, OR with Sage and then met up with my brother, his wife, and my nephew Brio in Troutdale, just outside of Portland, where my mom had rented us an Airbnb for 3 days. My parent’s really wanted the cousins, Brio and Sage to meet, and my brother wanted to see Sage while he was still teeny tiny. We actually ended up having so much fun exploring the Troutdale area! Schyler (Sage’s dad), and I had lived in Portland for 5 years and I hadn’t really been back since, so it was cool (and bittersweet) to go back there with Sage. Afterwards, Sage and I drove up to Eastern Washington to visit Schyler for a week before heading back to Phoenix. In this blog post, I am sharing everything we did during our PNW trip!

My Life

Life Update: We’re Moving to Nashville!

By Esperanza on January 22, 2020

Nashville, Portland, moving, life update, reveal, moving reveal, labradoodle, blogger, travel blogger, The Urban Darling.

I’m so excited to announce that we are MOVING TO NASHVILLE! Schyler and I have lived in Portland, OR for about 4 years, two of which my sister Rocio lived with us. Recently, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming an actress! We had been going back and forth for awhile now on whether or not we should stay in Portland or if we should move. Portland is such a cool city and there is so much we love about it but unfortunately for us, the cons outweighed the pros.

Portland, Oregon, USA | Wellness

Meeting with a Nutritionist & My Meal Plan + Regimen

By Esperanza on November 14, 2019

Root Whole Body, Portland, naturopath, Naturopathic Medicine, smoothies, diet, health, healthy food, meal plan, regimen, supplements, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

I’ve been visiting Root Whole Body these past few months for massage and acupuncture and recently I decided to meet with their nutritionist/naturopath to discuss my diet and lifestyle. I’ve always been pretty good about eating healthy, but I know that I am lacking in certain areas and wanted someone to help me detect the holes in my diet. Between all the information about health and diet online and misinformation from friends and co-workers that I’ve heard over the years, it’s hard to know where to start.

Portland, Oregon, USA | Wellness

Taking Time for Self Care at Root Whole Body

By Esperanza on August 29, 2019

Root Whole Body, Portland, Oregon, sauna, massage, facials, Naturopath, Massuese, Chiropractor, cafe, spa, Acupuncture, cupping.

I have had back problems for several years now because I’m always at my desk working on my laptop or hunching over my phone. It’s a known fact that people who work desk jobs struggle with back pain. I do yoga and get up every half hour but I wanted to do something more to combat the tension. That’s when I found Root Whole Body in NW Portland! I’ve been visiting Root Whole Body for a few months now and it has been exactly what I needed! They have a location in SE as well but the NW location is the newer location.

My Life

How to Improve Your Credit Score with CreditRepair.com

By Esperanza on July 15, 2019

credit, credit score, credit repair, CreditRepair.com, improve your credit score, how to improve your credit score, blogger, lifestyle blogger, Portland, Oregon, Remote.ly, offices.

When I first graduated high school, I didn’t know a lot about credit or if I even had a credit score! It wasn’t until a few years later when I moved to Oregon to attend University and had to find an apartment that I even started to think about credit! The landlord of the apartment I was looking to move in to asked what my credit score was. I had no idea so I immediately went in to my bank to speak to someone about it.

My Style

The Perfect Summer Sandals

By Esperanza on June 19, 2019

Portland, Oregon, sandals, summer sandals, fashion, fashion blogger, Dansko, Dansko sandals, Zappos, summer fashion.

Bring on summer weather and summer fashion- I am ready for it, especially now that I have found the perfect summer sandals from Dansko! I wore the Susie sandals while I was running around downtown the other day and they were so insanely comfortable. I am definitely taking these with me on all of my travels this summer!

Portland, Oregon, USA | Skincare

My Experience with Preventative Botox and Lip Fillers

By Esperanza on April 26, 2019

Skin By Lovely, Portland, Lake Oswego, Santa Monica, medical spa, botox, lip fillers, my experience with botox, blogger.

I’ve always had a very expressive forehead and thin lips and in recent years, it’s really started to bother me a lot more. Especially now, with my career as a content creator! I am constantly posting photos and videos of myself, so it’s really east to criticize little things about my appearance. I don’t think that anyone should feel like they have to change their physical appearance, but I also think that you should do whatever makes you feel happy and confident. So I finally decided to get botox and lip fillers! I wanted to share my experience with you guys in this blog post.

Hair | Portland, Oregon, USA

My New Hair with Koa Beauty

By Esperanza on February 25, 2019

Koa Beauty, Koa Fearless Beauty, balayage, hair transformation, new hair, bangs, PNW hair stylists, Portland hair stylists, Portland, hair stylists, lifestyle blog.

I have been in need of a new hair look for a while now! I was playing with the idea of getting bangs again and I finally decided to do it. I actually had bangs for three years but the past three years I haven’t had them. To be honest, one of the main reasons I wanted to get bangs again was to hide my expressive forehead and the wrinkles caused by it! In the future I would love to get preventive botox but until then, the bangs will do the trick 😉