2016 Bucket List: Portland, Oregon

EDGE's 2016 travel bucket list reaches its peak with our final installment worthy of a four-course meal: Portland, Oregon!

Food adventurers need look no further than Portland, where you can bask in the organic and farm-to-table lifestyle of LGBT hipsters and those who love them. Overflowing with coffeehouses, restaurants, lounges and other sundry establishments -- for those who want to indulge in culinary bliss, Portland delivers it all. Just be sure to pack comfortable clothes.

Best Bites
Queens native Gregory Gourdet is one of Portland's most notable gay chefs, and with good reason. He placed second in last season's "Top Chef" for his modern riffs on Asian cuisine, which catapulted his well-deserved notoriety beyond the city limits. Gourdet's menu at Departure offers such inspired creations as crispy pork belly with pickled cherries, spicy miso ramen, and stone-grilled Wagyu strip sirloin. Also add Sarah Schafer's Irving Street Kitchen to your dining list, where the Danny Meyer prot�g� serves elevated comfort food like dirty rice-stuffed Dungeness crab and squid ink risotto with chorizo, mussels and clams.

The hungry but indecisive can head to Pine Street Market beginning in February, when this much-anticipated food hall opens its doors. Located in the Skidmore/Old Town Historic District, the 1886 building is undergoing a $5 million renovation and will showcase various food vendors curated by Portlander and ex-food journalist Mike Thelin.

Weed and Wine
Oregonians voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana in 2014, but licensing of retailers isn't expected until late 2016. In the meantime, limited amounts can be purchased from existing medical marijuana dispensaries. Better yet, hop on the Portland Pot Tour, where you can learn (and sample) more about Portland's growing weed industry.

Oregon is also known for its award-winning wineries, particularly throughout the Willamette Valley. There are plenty of day trips that will take you into the heart of wine country, but look no further than Portland's burgeoning urban wineries, where you can stay within the city limits and still imbibe some of the region's best. Head to the Southeast Wine Collective, which works with 10 member wineries to produce terroir-rich pinot noirs and other varieties, many small-batch production.

Black, White & Night
The recently renovated Hotel Lucia, a historical property dating back to 1909, houses the largest permanent collection by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer (and native Oregonian) David Hume Kennerly. Catering to your every need, the Lucia offers plenty of perks, including a "Spiritual Menu" so that you can tap into your faith when you're not tapping a local brew, as well as a pint of hand-delivered Salt & Straw ice cream, with Portlandish flavors like pear and blue cheese, Petunia's caramel pecan apple pie, and honey lavender.