Old Friend, New Friend

We woke up in Grant's Pass and had our first experience of not remembering where we were. We'd done pretty well throughout the trip of knowing what town we were in (though days of the week were a whole other matter). But we had to rack our brains that morning to think of the town. I knew we were in Oregon but that was about it. I guess it had to happen sometime!

We lucked out again and found a great little cabin/duplex for the night. As nice as it was, we didn't dilly-dally too much and made a beeline for Portland. Booked a hotel right in the middle of downtown, which proved useful for walking around. I ended up loving Portland! It's small enough to be very accessible on foot and bike, but big enough to feel like a city. There is plenty of public transportation and the train is free in the downtown area. There is a gorgeous riverfront, right in the downtown area, with lots of green space and beautiful mountain vistas. There is a vibrant culture in the city with a really friendly, laid-back vibe, and we discovered the next day that you don't have to go far for outdoorsy activities. 

Portland seemed quirky and accepting, and I liked it. We had lunch right next to a plethora of food trucks, which are everywhere. Here was one that caught our eye:

Food truck row - one of many throughout the city

Lunch was great and we may have imbibed a few local beers. :) We sat outside and soaked in the perfect weather. Apparently, we visited the Pacific Northwest during the dry season; we didn't get any rain during this part of the trip and enjoyed sunny, cool days. It was perfect!

We were tickled by one of the offerings on the lunch menu. Check out one of their beverages. Ha! (I stuck with my beer.)

However, the main reason for stopping in Portland was to visit a dear friend of ours. And we had a fabulous time. Without going into the minute details, Dan is a very old friend of ours. I met him through Marshall and another mutual friend, and we dated for a few years. Yes, we visited my high school boyfriend. But that was so long ago, and we all had a blast! We were thrilled to meet Dan's girlfriend, Annette, who is lovely, and we're very happy that Dan is doing so well in Portland and found his niche. It is a town that suits him. :)

Annette and Dan

Classic Dan

My mecca of books

We didn't do much sight-seeing while we visited. It's a town we definitely plan to visit again and is even on my short-list of possibilities for living in the future. We mainly just hung out; we all hadn't seen each other in over a decade so there was a lot to catch up on. I did have one stop that was imperative: Powell's Books. Powell's is the largest independent bookstore in the country and a must-do for any reader visiting Portland.

It was everything I expected and more! It was huge - three stories and color-coded rooms; there was even a map to the store. I spent an hour wandering around and just loved it. I would be so thankful to have a store like that as my town bookstore. The selection was fantastic, used books mixed with new, and the store really caters to readers; it closes sales about two hours before the store is closed, which means it's open solely for hanging out and reading. I loved it. I also had to reign myself in and not go nuts buying books. I figured that I'd just downsized to move to Alaska and filling up the Tahoe with books wouldn't be my smartest move! But Marshall surprised me with a bookmark so I do have a souvenir.

Dan and me - still having fun

There was lots of public art in the city, some of it interactive. This one had moving parts:

Dan experiencing movable art

the four of us with a view

We ended the evening at a happy hour at the top of a building downtown. Yummy appetizers, more local beer, and great conversation. Dan was also determined to get a window seat and pretty much stalked this one. It was worth it; the view was incredible! 

This was a short stop on our journey but a really fun one. I'm looking forward to going back to Portland and seeing our friends there. :)