A Day and a Half in Portland
Recap: Recently, I took a road trip through the Pacific Northwest with my former college roommate and have been writing a series of blog entries about the trip. To get up to speed, you can view my previous bog entries from the road trip series: Comfort Zone and Down Time in Seattle.
Can I just say I love road trips? L.O.V.E them. Almost as much as I hate road trips. They are the ultimate double edged sword; you get to see a little bit of everything, but damn it, you only get to see a little bit of everything. Portland Oregon was the first official stop on our road trip and we had budgeted roughly, oh, about a day and a half to spend there. Would that I could go back in time and smack my short-sighted planning self: A day and a half in Portland? Seriously, you think that's enough? No, I mean seriously?!?
Sadly, bereft of time traveling ability, I will have to content myself with planning a future trip and editing my photos from this one. Featured below for your viewing pleasure are some of the highlights from part one of our journey.
Portland Saturday Market
I had a list. A long one– of all the things I wanted to do and see in Portland. First up was the Portland Saturday Market. Open from March through December, it is an outdoor arts and crafts market that features over 250 local artisans, along with food vendors, wine and cider tastings and live music. I thought we could spend an hour or two there (seriously), and then hit the International Rose Garden or Powell’s. But, suffice it to say, we spent almost the entire day there– to my delight and my wallet’s chagrin.
Bicycles Galore
I knew that there was a huge bicycle friendly culture/way of life in Portland, but when I saw entire bridges blocked off for bicyclists, I had a momentary lapse and actually thought, Wow they really do love their bicyclists. Turns out that the Providence Bridge Pedal was taking place that day. Over 18,000 riders rode different routes through the city that included 6-10 bridges and crossed the finish line, conveniently enough, next to the Portland Saturday Market. Highlight: The Beat Goes On Marching Band played Somewhere Over the Rainbow at the finish line. I have no idea why.
Air B&B
I think “disappointed but oddly reassured” is the best way that I can sum up my first Air B&B experience. It was not tidy enough for my inner clean freak, not close enough to the city center to walk to, but ultimately not scarring enough to scare me off the Air B&B experience. Highlights: Merlin, the resident Main Coon mutt who hates luggage; raspberry bushes in the front yard that served as a little appetizer on the way to the Waffle Window.
Waffle Window
Portland has cultivated a reputation for being weird. What I find weird is that the Waffle Window franchise has not found its way to Pennsylvania Dutch Country! How did we miss this? In between roadside stands selling Whoopie pies, buggy rides, homemade ice cream, and root beer, there is a big gaping hole where the Waffle Stand should be. Hmmm, my second career path is suddenly becoming more clear.... Although there are a multitude of mouthwatering, finger-licking flavors available at the Waffle Window including Berry Bliss, Tomato B’s, and Banarumba– I can’t help but think that a Chicken Gravy option might help round out the menu.
Rocky Butte
The Joseph Wood Hill Park sits on top of extinct volcanic cinder cone butte known as Rocky Butte. Driving up a long, snaking road to the park, your conversation will naturally turn to real estate as you the eye the swank, modern, homes complete with expansive views of Portland and the mountains, perched on the steep embankments on the side of the road. The park sits at the peak; walled in stone, studded with pillars and Gothic style lights, and offering panoramic views of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Mount Hood, and Portland. Take a picnic in the evening or grab a coffee early the morning and enjoy!
About Town
So even though we didn’t get to see everything in Portland in a day and a half (who would have guessed), we still managed to drop in at Pioneer Courthouse Square, browse at Powell’s, and take in an outdoor movie at Portland Art Museum. Not too shabby for a day and a half.
Down Time in Seattle
I touched down in Seattle just short of midnight on Thursday, August 14th. The thing I really hate about flying (1) is that airports all kind of look the same and all of the crap you went through to get to your destination, initially, seems for naught. Dodging and weaving between other exhausted travelers to baggage claim, I soon found myself on a dirty curb outside, with a view of parking decks and a throng of cars. The air was filled with exhaust, beeping, and the angry, insistent whistle of a parking attendant on a Seugway, You can’t park your car here! Implied with every shrill blast.
In short, I wasn’t entirely sure that the pilot hadn’t just made a big circle and landed in Philly again.
I was soon found and recovered by my dear friend and host, and whisked away on the I5 past a dark and slumbering city to her home in Northern Seattle. I had been to Seattle once before, the difference between this time and last was that previously, Seattle was my main destination and this time it was a layover before the start of our trip. As such, I had devoted very little time to planning my day in Seattle.
Although there are a hundred things I would love to see and do in Seattle that I haven’t yet (2); I just wanted to relax and be outside, get something to eat, and people watch at my leisure. I can’t think of a better place really for any of that, than Pike Place Market.
Jet lag be damned, I took the bus down town early in the morning, catching glimpses of the Space Needle in between high rises and construction. Pike Place Market was already bustling with activity by the time I arrived. The day promised to be warm and sunny, and the market was teeming with tourists with cameras looking for photo ops, breakfast, and souvenirs and locals with reusable shopping bags selecting wine, flowers, and fresh seafood for dinner.
After purchasing some Rainier cherries and an Honest biscuit (3), I moved outside and found a spot to sit in a small park with a view of Puget Sound and the Great Wheel of Seattle. The sky was a brilliant blue and cloudless and it seemed like just about everyone had taken the day off to be there. A few feet in front of me, tow-headed siblings were playing tag while their father watched, a few feet from a mom adding a sunflower to her baby’s stroller, a few feet from a homeless man sleeping in the sun, a few feet from a couple sharing a kiss... almost a complete cross section of society in my line of sight.
Taking out my camera and adjusting my lens, I smiled a little, thinking how great it was to have the day off and to be spending it in Seattle; how this was just the beginning of my first day and how I had an entire trip in front of me. I lifted my camera and focused– Stay tuned for the next segment of my trip.
Places I visited in Seattle and featured in my blog: Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, Chihuly Garden and Glass and PhinneyWood.
Footnotes:
- Besides the obvious: baggage fees, security, no leg room, not getting caught counting how many bloody mary’s my seat mates have consumed, etc.
- A Ferry boat ride to Whidbey Island, strolling through the Chinatown International District, a morning run around Lake Union, a day in the Woodinville Wine Country– I could go on for awhile.
- Yes, I know they’re referring to the ingredients, but I kind of like the idea of my breakfast having a moral compass. My honest biscuit, my forthright bacon, my stalwart eggs, etc.