"You don't go to see it, you can only experience it" is what the guidebook says about Portland. Perhaps you have to do both.
We had two days in Portland; driving in one day, and experiencing the light rail the next. Barbara and I had been looking forward to having the chance to see Matt (aka "John") and Rachael, and the 6 of us "experienced" what we could in the limited time.
Whimsy in modern architecture, historic Norwegian churches, sampling food and drink in an Irish bar (with broadcast of Irish rugby matches live at 6am), shopping for chantrelles, cheese, and produce at the farmer's market, riding the (free downtown) trolley and light rail system, all make their impression on the visitor.
There are some specific things to see of course. The Japanese and Chinese Gardens are each unique and very
different, but both serene. Powell's bookstore is interesting, exciting and overwhelming all at once. We didn't have time to do the galleries, museums, and so many other things. Still just hitting a few highlights, sampling some of the fare, and getting caught up in the youthful vitality of this city was enough for this quick visit.Retirement Living magazine list Portland as one of the 5 best cities in which to retire. Best thing? The "Pearl" district. Least favorite thing? 155 days of rain (though we saw none fortunately.)
I was a quick visit, but a good one. Now we head for the coast. Don't know what the availability of internet connections will be for the next several days. . . if present I will probably add a post or two. If not, then see you in a few days.
