Portland, Oregon Trip 2009

We were in Portland, Oregon last week. Jia Nin was there to attend a knitting event, the Sock Summit (hey, if the US president can hold a beer summit...). We decided to check in a few days early to see the city and its sights. I flew back to Michigan once the summit began. Our hotel (Mark Spencer) was right in the middle of downtown Portland, with a light rail and street car system within short walking distance. In fact, we took the light rail all the way from the airport to the hotel. This was great since parking was very scarce. All parts of the city, and most of the attractions, are easily accessible via the public transportation system. The website even gives great directions (with several options) and very accurate time estimates. The hotel room had a kitchenette which proved very useful since we didn't want to eat out all the time. A Whole Foods Market was conveniently located just 3 blocks away. View Larger Map Naturally, we had to visit the touristy places: the Portland Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden. Walked a staggering (literally) 10km that day! On the plus side, got some landscaping inspiration at the Japanese Garden, and got a whiff of the best smelling rose (IMHO) ever, the New Zealand. We spent a day around town looking for a good coffee place, pizza and a bookstore; respectively, Stump Town Coffee, Old Town Pizza, and Powell's. The first two were very very tasty and the last was simply heavenly. Powell's took up an entire city block in a 4-storey building! It is stocked with books (both new and used) of every catagory and has the largest science fiction/fantasy section I've ever seen. Nirvana... Having spent 3 days in the city, we decided to rent a car and drive to the coast. Since it was a last minute decision, and it was summer, the local car rental places were all out of cars. Luckily, the light rail came to our rescue and we went to the airport for a car instead. The route took us past a few of the suburbs and small towns, down the coast (beautiful cliffs, coves and wetlands) and finally through the Cascade Mountains. Made me wish I'd rented a sportier car. Uphill, downhill, sweeping turns and short passing lanes. It's probably for the best that the cheapo car didn't allow me to enjoy the drive _too_ much. View Larger Map