Two weeks ago my husband and I headed to Chicago to visit family. We always look forward to flying out of Portland International Airport because we always find it clean, bright and relatively uncongested at any time of the day. Security lines move swiftly and efficiently with pleasant TSA agents at hand. More often than not, a musician (piano, guitar, cello) plays in one or more of the concourses, providing a soothing soundtrack to what for many can be a stressful experience. Permanent and rotating art exhibits provide visual interest and add to the welcoming ambiance. Free, unlimited WiFi is always available; and if you’re relying on public transportation to and from PDX, the MAX Red Line light rail train is right outside the terminal (much closer than the rail connections at SeaTac, Midway or O’Hare).

As if all that convenience wasn’t enough, the airport proves a great place to shop and dine, especially when you consider that Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax and all of the dining and drinking establishments guarantee their prices match their off-site locations (no bump-up in the bill for travelers). Both before and after security you can shop for a good book (Powell’s Books), buy some quality sportswear (Columbia Sportswear) or bring home high-quality mementos from your Pacific Northwest visit (Pendleton and Made in Oregon shops). My favorite has always been The Real Mother Goose, offering an eclectic collection of unique jewelry, glass, ceramics, woodworking, clothing and more created by more than 900 American artists.

Drinking establishments run the gamut from a local distillery (House Spirits Distillery) and brew pubs (Rogue Ales and Laurelwood public houses) to, of course, coffeehouses. (Sure, you can get Starbucks, but why not try some local brews at Stumptown Coffee Roasters or Portland Roasting Company?)

As with the beverage options, the dining choices offer a wide selection of long-time local favorites like Elephants Deli, Rose’s Restaurant and Bakery, Mo’s Seafood & Chowder and Henry’s Tavern. You can browse a selection of Portland Food Carts and also be assured that fresh, local, healthy options as well as vegan and gluten-free options are widely available.

On this visit we allowed ourselves plenty of time for a sit-down lunch at The Country Cat @ PDX, in the North Lobby of the D and E concourses just beyond security. We’d dined at the restaurant’s in-town location about 18 months ago (see my blog about that experience here) and knew we could expect a good, hearty meal that would see us through our four-hour-plus flight to Chicago. The restaurant has a full bar and also offers many to-go items in addition to ample seating in the dining room. I barely glanced at the other menu items before ordering owner/chef Adam Sappington’s signature cast-iron skillet fried chicken served with bacon-braised collard greens and mashed potatoes with gravy. The chicken was a little more done than I prefer but tasted great, and the collard greens (my first, I believe) were terrific, as were those creamy potatoes and subtly flavored gravy. All that for only $16! Harry opted for the double cheeseburger served with house-cut shoestring potatoes and a wonderfully flavorful homemade ketchup ($12). I seriously doubt there are many airport restaurants where one can get such a filling meal made of such fresh ingredients for such a reasonable price. I did succumb to purchasing a few cookies at the to-go counter before we headed to our gate . . . just in case!

If your travels take you through Portland International Airport, try to afford yourself some time to enjoy its many delights.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor