Day Two - Tuesday

Hello again! We are blessed with another beautiful day in Portland, Oregon.

Up early at 6am, I hung out in the lobby and read the local newspaper and watched
all these fit people rushing out the door for a run along the bikepath that borders the Willamette River. Why so many people I thought? Am I the laziest person in this whole hotel? Turns out there is a NIKE convention group here - that explains it. I learned that NIKE world headquarters is located in Beaverton, Oregon.

Griffy, Christine and I met for breakfast in the concierge lounge where we enjoyed scrambled eggs & bacon and discussed the day. Well it was a short discussion because "Mom we have work to do" and they were off.


After a quick freshening up, I jumped in a taxi and went to the Lan Su Chinese Garden, located about 10 minutes away in "Old Town/ChinaTown District". Completed in 2000, Lan Su is considered the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China. All of the materials used to build the structures, including more than 500 tons of rock, came directly from China. There was a Chinese Folk Art exhibit there, and I had to buy a bunch of cards with their images...50% of the proceeds goes back to the artists who live in a very rural part of China. Unfortunately there wasn't anything else worth seeing in Chinatown - it's quite dreary and has seen better days.




Next stop (by streetcar this time) was The Portland Museum. This art museum's gift shop is one of the best I've been to for a medium size museum (it doesn't compare to the gift shop at Chicago's Art Institute but then no place can!





I always remember my mother saying "When I go to the Art Institute, I never leave the gift shop!!!" ) Anyway there was a lovely exhibit on "Snuff Bottles and Ceramic Jarlets". These teeny tiny glass and pottery containers were collected and then donated to the museum by two Portland socialites - really each item is no taller than a finger. The museum also had an extensive Native American collection, and a whole floor of modern art including a gigantic red glass Chihuly "tree". Here to the right is one of the many works of art in the outdoor sculpture garden





I was working up an appetite so I jumped back on the streetcar and figured I'd just jump off when I see a good restaurant. Just a few blocks later I saw all these food trucks lined up for blocks on end with tables & chairs in front off the sidewalk. I jumped off and ordered a soup & salad from one of the vendors. Every type of food was available - Indian, Chinese, Sushi, Sausage, Ice Cream, Burgers...you name it. I asked the vendor if the nearby restaurants were mad about these outdoor trucks/carts taking business away from them, and he said since it's legal and they get reviewed all the time by the health department, there's nothing the restaurants can do about it. Judging by the large crowd of people who obviously eat their lunch here, I'd say downtown LA should take notice! It was quite festive with musicians strumming away on their guitars...


Across the street was a fabric store, a needlepoint store, and a yarn shop. I was hoping to buy some fabric squares for the dollie dresses, but none were to my liking. I did buy a Portland Needlepoint ornament for memory's sake (a Christmas gift for Griffy!!!)


On the streetcar ride back to the Marriott, I passed by at least 3 of the 5 city water parks...by this I mean in an urban park with a wide expanse of grassy lawns & trees, the city has built very natural water fountains/features where little kids could splash about in the resulting ponds and rivers. There is also colorful public art pieces and sometimes playground equipment nearby. One of the parks "Jamison Square Fountain", built in 2000, had large stacked square boulders where water spilled over them ending in a shallow pool - all very natural looking not like a theme park or anything. It was great for the parents, as they could either join their kids or (as most did!) lay out a beach towel and flip through a magazine, chat, or have lunch. This park was named for William Jamison who was a young restaurateur and an important force in the Portland art scene, who died at age 49. "Tanner Springs Park" is a Zen-like natural park that is also a bird sanctuary (no dogs allowed!) featuring native plants and grasses. Another park (as seen here) is the "Ira Keller Fountain", which has a over 13,000 gallons of recycled water per minute cascading over terraces & platforms. Lots of children and teens were playing and splashing under these waterfalls. Really great for a hot day like today.


I found the people in Portland to be quite friendly and very helpful when I asked for directions or whatever. I did notice a homeless population, and sometimes came across gathering of rather sketchy teens. It seems to me that the downtown is trying its hardest to stay relevant - for example a popular section of the city known as "The Pearl District" is a Soho type area where many of the brick factories & warehouses have been turned into condos and then alongside them have gone up very contemporary apartment buildings. It's all very hip as evidenced by the many young families who have gravitated there. Its design has won awards for being the "gold standard of live, work, and play mixed-use space where a vibrant community can emerge from urban decay." Many art galleries, cafes, and coffee shops. As an aside, a clerk at a high end baby shop told me that across the river are "more reasonably priced stores offering a lot of local art & crafts ..." I will have to make it a point to include visiting these places on my next trip up here!



Once back at the hotel I joined Christine & Griffy to review our day. There were several things we could have done after dinner (compliments of the concierge floor!). We could have walked a couple of blocks over to the original "Voodoo Doughnut Shop", made famous by "Man vs Food" TV show. Their signature doughnut is a "gingerbread man with a pretzel stick stabbed through its abdomen and red jelly "blood" filling." If you google this shop you will see all the many other varieties available, including a maple sugar one topped with bacon. Ewww.... I'm told the shop is open 24 hours a day and you can find it by seeing the lines of people formed outside the door.



Other things we could have done was take a ride on the Portland Tram up the mountain for an expansive view of the city, or take a tour of the Japanese Rose Gardens, or be really brave and visit the mysterious Underground Tunnels.


But we all decided we prefered some R&R so some of us went to the Fitness Center, some caught up on work, and some did needlepoint. Can you guess who did what? Anyway, Portland is a fun city - you can really do a lot in 2 days and then it's time to go out of the city and into the surrounding countryside to hike, bike, or ski the beautiful snow capped mountains. Enjoy!