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Portland as a tourist
Tue, Apr. 21st, 2009 09:10 amSo this weekend I was in Portland. I've been there often over my 15 years on the left coast, but it's always been either to attend a convention or class, or to visit friends. This trip, with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
varina8, was just about getting a change of scenery and, for me, doing the city in a whole different way.
We took Amtrak from King Street Station, Seattle to Union Station, Portland. It was fun to be a passenger on this long trip. I could look out the windows and really see the scenery, as opposed to just driving past it. Some of the views from the train are lovely. The three hours zipped by.
Fresh off the train we headed for the Saturday Market, a weekly crafts market with food stalls. We indulged mainly in small edibles (the handmade caramels I purchased were to die for), and I picked up a bar of lovely artisan soap that has a pretty scent. Our turn in the market was quick by my usual standards becausevarina8 and I were famished. We trotted back the way we'd come to get some dim sum in Chinatown.
We dithered a bit after lunch, trying to figure out what to do next. After considering and discarding the ideas of the art museum or going to see Portlandia, I mentioned that I knew very little about Oregon's history and that maybe a trip to the Oregon Historical Society and Museum would be fun.
We couldn't have made a better call. When we arrived, we found out that it was a free admission day at the museum. We also discovered that the museum was hosting an exhibit called "1 Brain + 2 Eyes = 3D," about the history of 3D photography. It turns out that a lot of the history of 3D photography comes out of Portland. The exhibit was wonderful fun, very educational, and very interactive. It made me want to investigate doing some of my own 3D photography...which may have to wait until I have real cash flow again. I highly recommend it to the locals. And yes, I did get to learn about the state's history which, in some ways, is profoundly different from Washington's.
After a fine dinner at an Italian place, we retreated to our lodgings, The Avalon Hotel and Spa, south of the University District right on the Willamette River. The room was spacious, and the amenities just lush enough that it felt indulgent. Done with the walking and the running, we decided to stay in, watch HBO's remarkable movie, "Grey Gardens," based on the documentary of the same name, and relax.
I slept very badly that night. It took me what seemed like hours to fall asleep, and I kept waking up from uncomfortable dreams. Sunday morning, as a result, was all about me trying to sleep a little late and catch up.
We checked out and headed over to Isabel's to meetkateyule and davidlevine for brunch. What an excellent call! The food was delicious, and the company most excellent.
After that, the day was dedicated to Powell's. My main goal was to do something I've wanted to do for a while now: spend some substantial time in the Rare Book Room. While I was in there, I eavesdropped on the room's manager educating someone about caring for rare books. Picked up a few tips myself, and talked with him about some of the more valuable books in my collection. Time well spent, I thought.varina8 wanted to spend more time there than I did, so I took my book and headed over to the green belt between Park and 8th to sit in the sun a while. We met up an hour later for gelato, walking and then dinner at the Dechutes Brewery where the food was good but the service, as my traveling companion noted, was a bit off. Then it was off to the train for our return voyage north.
It was a lovely couple of days away. And I was once again greeted by Spanky with much love and cuddling. This will be my last jaunt for a while. It was a nice, nice getaway.
varina8, was just about getting a change of scenery and, for me, doing the city in a whole different way.We took Amtrak from King Street Station, Seattle to Union Station, Portland. It was fun to be a passenger on this long trip. I could look out the windows and really see the scenery, as opposed to just driving past it. Some of the views from the train are lovely. The three hours zipped by.
Fresh off the train we headed for the Saturday Market, a weekly crafts market with food stalls. We indulged mainly in small edibles (the handmade caramels I purchased were to die for), and I picked up a bar of lovely artisan soap that has a pretty scent. Our turn in the market was quick by my usual standards because
varina8 and I were famished. We trotted back the way we'd come to get some dim sum in Chinatown.We dithered a bit after lunch, trying to figure out what to do next. After considering and discarding the ideas of the art museum or going to see Portlandia, I mentioned that I knew very little about Oregon's history and that maybe a trip to the Oregon Historical Society and Museum would be fun.
We couldn't have made a better call. When we arrived, we found out that it was a free admission day at the museum. We also discovered that the museum was hosting an exhibit called "1 Brain + 2 Eyes = 3D," about the history of 3D photography. It turns out that a lot of the history of 3D photography comes out of Portland. The exhibit was wonderful fun, very educational, and very interactive. It made me want to investigate doing some of my own 3D photography...which may have to wait until I have real cash flow again. I highly recommend it to the locals. And yes, I did get to learn about the state's history which, in some ways, is profoundly different from Washington's.
After a fine dinner at an Italian place, we retreated to our lodgings, The Avalon Hotel and Spa, south of the University District right on the Willamette River. The room was spacious, and the amenities just lush enough that it felt indulgent. Done with the walking and the running, we decided to stay in, watch HBO's remarkable movie, "Grey Gardens," based on the documentary of the same name, and relax.
I slept very badly that night. It took me what seemed like hours to fall asleep, and I kept waking up from uncomfortable dreams. Sunday morning, as a result, was all about me trying to sleep a little late and catch up.
We checked out and headed over to Isabel's to meet
kateyule and davidlevine for brunch. What an excellent call! The food was delicious, and the company most excellent.After that, the day was dedicated to Powell's. My main goal was to do something I've wanted to do for a while now: spend some substantial time in the Rare Book Room. While I was in there, I eavesdropped on the room's manager educating someone about caring for rare books. Picked up a few tips myself, and talked with him about some of the more valuable books in my collection. Time well spent, I thought.
varina8 wanted to spend more time there than I did, so I took my book and headed over to the green belt between Park and 8th to sit in the sun a while. We met up an hour later for gelato, walking and then dinner at the Dechutes Brewery where the food was good but the service, as my traveling companion noted, was a bit off. Then it was off to the train for our return voyage north.It was a lovely couple of days away. And I was once again greeted by Spanky with much love and cuddling. This will be my last jaunt for a while. It was a nice, nice getaway.
