After reviewing my photos from our trip, I can confidently say that my camera stayed zipped in its case for most of the visit. Usually on vacation I have my digital camera in one hand and a map in the other. I don't know why this trip was different. Maybe it was because I'd read so much about Portland beforehand that the city was already clearly mapped out in my mind. Or perhaps I didn't feel like a tourist (gasp) because it felt so comfortable being there, like it was someplace I could definitely live.
Jet lag coming to the West Coast is great. It means that you go to bed embarrassingly early, but will be up and out with the sun (and by up with the sun, I mean 8am). Saturday morning was no exception. We set out to have breakfast at Ken's Artisan Bakery (a favorite from the October Portland trip) where I was overwhelmed by the selection of baked goods. Mindlessly, I ordered an almond croissant, knowing that it would never be enough for breakfast. It was delicious, but I decided to take a nibble of Jesse's vegetable quiche and decided that it was the best in the world. I quickly got back in line for my own piece. Ken's is a hoppin' spot on a Saturday morning and it was nice sit and people watch. While Jesse polished off his quiche, a mixed berry pastry, part of my croissant, and multi grain hard roll, I took note of how many normal people (like us) were milling around the streets. When we finished, I rolled Jesse out of the bakery. We joked that when (not if) we finally get to Portland we'll need to allot additional discretionary funds to keep up with his bakery habit.
The rest of Saturday is mostly a blur now. Somehow or another, probably by the Max or Streetcar, we arrived downtown and proceeded to walk the entire city. In addition to zig zagging up and down residential and commercial streets, there were plenty of stops for snacks, coffee, CD shopping, and book hunting at Powells. By the end of the day I was ready to give my 2 weeks notice and never turn back.
By the early afternoon, I was totally dragging and we decided to stop in at Stumptown Coffee. Just as we were ordering, I heard "Hey, I know you!" I turned and looked behind me, because surely that person was talking to someone else. Nope. It was Anna behind the counter, one of only two people that I know in Portland. Her husband, Brian, is the other. Out of all the Stumptown Coffee shops we could have chosen, we managed to find her, and just in time for the tail end of her shift. She was clearly busy, so we gave her our numbers in order to meet up later. Imagine that! It's definitely a sign!
With a new burst of energy, we continued to walk. One of Portland's quirks, which I still haven't entirely digested, is its love for pink buildings. There may not actually be that many, but they left quite an impression. Now that I look back, about a quarter of the photos taken on our trip involved lovely streetscapes punctuated by really pink buildings in the background. They're the kind of photos that you don't realize you have until after they're developed, or in my case, downloaded. I vaguely remember similar photos from family vacations as a kid. The pictures always captured the four of us in front of some place of interest, in addition to a goofball wearing Mickey Mouse ears, white tube socks, and sandals. Now that I think back, they usually were a bit askew as well, due to the fact that they were taken by someone with felt-padded fingers. I managed to keep a level shot for most of the photos on our trip, but am still scratching my head over those salmon intrusions.
Really though, the pink beauties only added to the city's unique charm. They are just a small part of the story of how I fell in love with Portland's west side in just a day.
Jet lag coming to the West Coast is great. It means that you go to bed embarrassingly early, but will be up and out with the sun (and by up with the sun, I mean 8am). Saturday morning was no exception. We set out to have breakfast at Ken's Artisan Bakery (a favorite from the October Portland trip) where I was overwhelmed by the selection of baked goods. Mindlessly, I ordered an almond croissant, knowing that it would never be enough for breakfast. It was delicious, but I decided to take a nibble of Jesse's vegetable quiche and decided that it was the best in the world. I quickly got back in line for my own piece. Ken's is a hoppin' spot on a Saturday morning and it was nice sit and people watch. While Jesse polished off his quiche, a mixed berry pastry, part of my croissant, and multi grain hard roll, I took note of how many normal people (like us) were milling around the streets. When we finished, I rolled Jesse out of the bakery. We joked that when (not if) we finally get to Portland we'll need to allot additional discretionary funds to keep up with his bakery habit.The rest of Saturday is mostly a blur now. Somehow or another, probably by the Max or Streetcar, we arrived downtown and proceeded to walk the entire city. In addition to zig zagging up and down residential and commercial streets, there were plenty of stops for snacks, coffee, CD shopping, and book hunting at Powells. By the end of the day I was ready to give my 2 weeks notice and never turn back.
By the early afternoon, I was totally dragging and we decided to stop in at Stumptown Coffee. Just as we were ordering, I heard "Hey, I know you!" I turned and looked behind me, because surely that person was talking to someone else. Nope. It was Anna behind the counter, one of only two people that I know in Portland. Her husband, Brian, is the other. Out of all the Stumptown Coffee shops we could have chosen, we managed to find her, and just in time for the tail end of her shift. She was clearly busy, so we gave her our numbers in order to meet up later. Imagine that! It's definitely a sign!
With a new burst of energy, we continued to walk. One of Portland's quirks, which I still haven't entirely digested, is its love for pink buildings. There may not actually be that many, but they left quite an impression. Now that I look back, about a quarter of the photos taken on our trip involved lovely streetscapes punctuated by really pink buildings in the background. They're the kind of photos that you don't realize you have until after they're developed, or in my case, downloaded. I vaguely remember similar photos from family vacations as a kid. The pictures always captured the four of us in front of some place of interest, in addition to a goofball wearing Mickey Mouse ears, white tube socks, and sandals. Now that I think back, they usually were a bit askew as well, due to the fact that they were taken by someone with felt-padded fingers. I managed to keep a level shot for most of the photos on our trip, but am still scratching my head over those salmon intrusions.Really though, the pink beauties only added to the city's unique charm. They are just a small part of the story of how I fell in love with Portland's west side in just a day.
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