Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending 7 extra hours at PDX thanks to some last minute cancellations while traveling for business. Who doesn't LOVE spending extra time in an airport? It was a real treat for a Friday let me assure you. In truth, I actually don't mind hanging out at an airport. As a business trip road warrior you really do have to enjoy the hustle and bustle to some degree, and I've grown to love it... providing I have my usual lifelines for a long day of air travel... which proved challenging on this faithful day at PDX.
First, I recommend having some high quality gluten free snacks on hand that you brought from home. My second backup plan is the usual retail stores scattered throughout the terminals where you can always find some, albeit limited assortment of guaranteed gluten free items. Cheese, eggs, and a selection of sealed manufactured items that are labeled GF, and if you're very lucky you may even find a Certified Gluten Free symbol. However, most larger airports have a few higher end restaurants where they are used to some customization of orders and may even offer a separate Gluten Free Menu. Due to the construction in full speed, Portland has really cut back on all three of these.... at least for the B Gates.
Right away, I failed my own assignment for this trip as I was rushing out the door in the morning and forgot to restock my backpack with my favorite gluten free protein bars. So I was now at the mercy of PDX. The first door I stopped at was a southern style restaurant. I quickly checked the menu for GF labels with no luck and the server winced when I asked about gluten free options. So, off I go the very end back to the center of the terminal to find my remaining options. The first looked promising but the menu was burgers and gyros. I walked on to the second to find it was actually just a coffee shop, and I lost steam completely when I discovered the last option only offered deli sandwiches.
Last stop, my saving grace, the trusty retail store with cheese, boiled eggs, and a small bag of potato chips. Not exactly the charcuterie board of my dreams. I wandered back over to the deli restaurant because on the bright side, it did have a full bar. And that's where is spent the first few hours of my layover, eating my gluten free picnic and sipping a white wine.
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