I used to travel all the time. At some point in the last 12 years, I was traveling at least once a week to exciting destination like Fishers, IN or Ontario, CA. The last time I traveled for work was sometime in 2016 and the last time I flew was back in March for a funeral. I'm out of practice when it comes to travel. I forgot how exhausting flying is; the recycled air, the crowds at airports, the chaos of loading a plane (I will never understand the "system"), and dealing with people who never travel. I had all these plans for my first day in Portland, but they were dashed all to hell the second travel fatigue hit me. Like the old woman I'm becoming, I stayed close to the hotel, at an early dinner, and was in bed by 8:45 pm. I'm sorry, Cannon Beach, I really wanted to visit but I also didn't want to fall asleep while driving.
I regrouped and got myself together to explore the wonders and wilds of Portland. Sleep is a wonderful thing.
My frame of reference for Portland is the IFC show Portlandia, the song "Portland, OR" by Loretta Lynn and Jack White, and the movie The Goonies, which technically takes place in Astoria, OR but I sort of grouped it all together. This is an incredibly limited view of Portland, particularly if I only focus on Portlandia and putting a bird on everything or pickling it if a bird won't suffice. Yes, Portlandia is satire, but the beauty of satire is the truth that lies beneath. I was hoping to run into Nance or Candace and Toni or Spyke and Iris (my personal favorites) somewhere around town but I mostly saw super hipster dudes, adorable families, and older people enjoying the sunshine.
I started the day with a visit to Voodoo Doughnuts. I was prepared to wait in line a very long time, like that time I visited Franklin Barbecue in Austin for three hours (minus breakfast tacos and my delightful friend, Jessica). I was pleasantly surprised when it only took about 15 minutes to get through the line. Unheard of quickness according to the man in front of me. He then proceeded to share his views on the homelessness problem in Portland. (PS - he is not from Portland and has rather conservative views on how to "handle" homelessness in the city). Anyway, I still held his place in line so he could get cash from an ATM since Voodoo is cash only (make a note for when you visit). I'm a nice traveler that way.Voodoo Doughnuts is pretty bananas. I've been hearing about the doughnuts here for years and was somewhat overwhelmed by the options. Flavors vary from traditional items like cake donuts with sprinkles and coconut to more adventurous options like the Memphis Mafia (including bananas and peanut butter), Voodoo Bubble (which involves bubblegum dust - I don't even know how one goes about making bubble gum dust), and a bunch of cereal themed options in case icing wasn't enough. For the vegans out there, there's an entire menu just for your. I had a Voodoo Doughnut, a yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly and topped with chocolate frosting. It's delicious. I also got a doughnut with Butterfinger candy crushed on top because life is better with a Butterfinger doughnut. Probably.
It was raining the entire time I was at Voodoo Doughnut so rather than sit outside to enjoy my breakfast, I headed over to my next stop, eating my doughnut in my car like God and the inventor of the doughnut intended. (Hanson Gregory is credited with the ring shaped doughnut - you're welcome.)
Powell's City of Books is one of the Powell's bookstores, located in the Pearl District of Portland. This particular location is an entire city block, containing nine different sections (color coded) and something like 3000 sections. It's amazing. It's one of the coolest book stores I've ever been to. Every corner seems to contain a little surprise or a recommendation from the staff. The sections range from the expected (fiction, horror, sci-fi) to the more specific (metaphysics, nautical fiction, woodworking) and everything in between. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable in a way that made me want to hang out all day. Strike that, I'd like to live in Powell's. I don't know how to make this happen, but there's plenty of room. I could sleep on any number of the nooks around the store, using the comfy sweaters (made in Oregon of course) as pillows. I'd be like those cats that live in bookstores; beloved and eccentric. This is my new life goal.
My trip to Powell's reminded of a very important fact: Beverly Cleary was from Portland. She grew up in the Grant Park neighborhood and many of her books are set here. She's one of the most successful living writers in the US (she's 101) and is known for her books chronicling the adventures of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph S. Mouse. I am a huge Ramona Quimby fan. I read every single one of the Ramona books when I was a child; Ramona Forever was my favorite followed by Ramona the Pest. As the younger child in my family, I identified with Ramona in many ways although I don't think I was nearly as adventurous as she was. I admired her fearlessness and the way she loved her family. Lucky for me, Portland loves Ramona too. There's a statue of Ramona (and Henry and Ribsy) in Grant Park. Ramona is triumphant in her rain boots, splashing away like nobody's business. Of course, I walked into the middle of Nerf gun fight near the statues (someone was having a birthday party).
My afternoon plan was to visit the International Rose Garden and then head back into downtown to go to the Deschutes Brewery for a late lunch. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea to visit the gardens so parking was nonexistent. I ended up driving back to where I started in the morning and visiting the Lan Su Chinese Garden instead. The rain had stopped and I found parking (before I had to pay for it too). The gardens are beautiful, tranquil and calming. I missed the noon tour, opting to wander through the small gardens myself. The Lan Su garden is considered the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China. It was created through a partnership between Portland and its sister city, Suzhou. It's an amazing oasis in the middle of the city. The name translates into "Garden of Awakening Orchids" and it uses sounds from both city names. In addition to the traditional art and architecture, current artists works are displayed (and for sale) throughout the gardens. There was a poetry reading going on as well. There's also a teahouse (which I didn't visit) but would go back to if I visit again.
By the time I finished in the gardens, it was time to return my rental car. Did you know that you can't pump your own gas in Oregon? You can't. It's both odd and satisfying to not have to do this. This doesn't mean that finding a gas station near the rental car place is easy but at least I could sit in my car and be annoyed by that fact while a very polite attendant pumped the gas. I made my way back downtown (thanks Uber) and finally made it to Deschutes Brewery.
Normally when I travel and go out for a meal, I have no problem sitting at the bar. It's easier to deal with and every now and then, I end up chatting with fun people also sitting at the bar. Apparently, Sunday nights are very popular at Deschutes so it was faster to wait for a table than to sit at the bar. And by sit at a table, I mean awkwardly sit a table for four by myself. I have zero issue with dining by myself but seriously? It was weird and I'm sure the waitress was thrilled to get me on this table. The food is great and you can't beat a great beer. I had the Inversion IPA and it was the best.
Any day that includes a doughnut, a bookstore, Ramona Quimby, and a good beer is a great day. The weather cooperated (for the most part) and I felt like I saw a little bit of everything Portland has to offer.
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