24 Hours in Portland

In this summer of COVID and political unrest, our televisions are filled with depressing news and concerning images, no matter where on the political spectrum you find yourself. That said, as an avid traveler, I’m reminded that most disturbances are temporary while locations usually retain or regain their charm.

So as I watch news accounts of protests and violence in Portland, I prefer to reflect on the less-than-24 hours we enjoyed in the city on a recent visit, and to relive that too-short stay with a few pictures and memories. I hope you’ll enjoy the virtual trip, and forget for awhile the current images.

Arrival by Train

We traveled to Portland from Vancouver on the Amtrack Cascades, an 8-hour care-free trip. This was the mid-point of a multi-week vacation that started with an Alaska cruise and would end with an eight-day driving tour through Bend, OR; Crater Lake National Park, driving up the Oregon and Washington coast, then circling through Olympic National Park before ending in Seattle.

The Cascades journey is one of America’s great train routes, with snow-capped mountains, blue bays, rain forests and other natural wonder always framed in a large train window. The beauty didn’t end on the train, as Portland’s Union Station features some outstanding examples of designs in terra cotta, molded brick and neon signs. We made it through the Portland station with ease and secured a taxi to our hotel with plans for an evening stroll through the riverfront park.

COVID Note: We’re thrilled we made this trip in 2018, as COVID and budget cuts have greatly reduced service on the route between Vancouver and Portland. If you’re thinking about taking this or any train, check with Amtrak directly to confirm plans.

Unbeknownst to us, our Sunday evening arrival coincided with the concluding events of Portland’s PRIDE festival at the riverfront park. Traveling with a somewhat-sheltered 13-year-old boy, we audibled into a casual dinner, a stroll through the very walkable downtown, and a trip to Ruby Jewel for ice cream. (COVID Note: Ruby Jewel switched to an ice cream-sandwich-only menu in July 2020).

Donut Haven and Heaven

During our early evening, we flipped through some of the available tourist information about near-downtown attractions and discovered Portland’s love affair with donuts. Who knew? We considered the various options, skipping the walking and biking donut tours for lack of time. Thus, in the morning, we set our sights on Blue Star Donuts, walking to its flagship store for some high-sugar delights.

We had read that line could be extremely long, but our arrival at 8:30 am on a Monday morning found a quiet lull in the donut day. Claiming a few treats, we found an outdoor table and enjoyed our bounty. I’ll say here that if we return, I’m all in on the donut bicycle tour!

Sad COVID story: In June 2020, Blue Star closed all its Portland locations. But Portland still has a plethora of local, craft donut shops to delight your donut desires, including those named NOLA Donuts and Voodoo Donuts that tease the curiosity of our Louisiana heritage.

World’s Greatest Bookstore

Feeling temporarily stuffed but recognizing the sugar high likely was temporary, we headed to Powell’s City of Books. Our fast-reading son had devoured his vacation books during the first half of the trip nearly as fast as his chocolate donut(s) and we knew he’d be bored in the car unless we reloaded. (NO, he won’t use any electronic reader. He prefers turning pages, and we’re not discouraging him!)

When a friend had suggested pre-vacation that we “had to visit” Powell’s, we politely chuckled, thinking, who intentionally would visit a book store on vacation? But our arrival quickly dispelled our skepticism, and we chalked up our previous amusement as a lesson learned.

The Portland flagship store of the largest independent bookstore in the US, occupying an entire city block and housing over one million volumes. Multiple stories awaited us and we wandered — map in hand! — through expansive sections on history, geography, biography, fiction and adolescent literature. While that last phrase may sound like an oxymoron, the very knowledgeable and helpful staff helped our son discover a few new treats by displaying a keen interest in his reading interests. Just perhaps, his interest was increased by the fact that she was a cute college-age girl taking time with a pimply teenage boy.

Pioneer Square

Frequently referred to as the city’s living room, we navigated to Portland Pioneer Square primarily because it was between Powell’s and our hotel. Plus, we had read that it was a likely location for later-morning food trucks, a must after the breakfast donut sugar rush had dissipated.

A small summertime farmer’s and flea market occupied one corner, and we found food trucks on the opposite corner. Between and around us wandered an assortment of tourist, business people, shoppers, city strollers and vagrants. Everyone was polite and friendly, most keeping their distance even in the pre-COVID days.

For a more solid brunch, we chose Fried Egg I’m In Love’s mobile location at the Square. After studying the punny names of the offerings, we decided to split a Yolko Ono sandwich. While we take no position on whether Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles, we will testify that many eggs were broken up to create this fabulous Yolko Ono sandwich.

International Rose Test Garden

Checking out of our hotel shortly after noon, we jumped in the car and headed to the International Rose Test Garden. Besides making this a definite, must-visit stop in Portland, my other tip is: don’t jump in the car to go. Parking is extremely limited, so rideshare or other transportation is a good choice.

Parking challenges aside, what’s not to love about this Portland attraction? It’s outdoors. It’s beautiful. And it’s free!

Visiting in mid-June at the peak of the bloom season, we wandered through the 10,000 rose bushes taking pictures, sniffing blooms, drinking in the color and watching the pollinators perform their crucial magic. After about an hour and somewhat high on life from the fragrant benefits of stopping to smell the roses, we crossed the street to . . .

Portland Japanese Garden

Occupying over five acres in Washington Park, the Portland Japanese Garden features pagodas, reflecting ponds, and winding pathways through and around Japanese maples, bamboo, irises and waving grasses.

Due to its popularity, timed admission tickets are available, so check on line for these in advance or plan to wait around for the next opening. Fortunately, we checked on availability on arrival at the rose garden, and purchased tickets for a well-timed garden entry 75 minutes later.

Once we entered, we were pressed to get moving by a hungry teenager, thus trekked more quickly through than one normally would in such a serene location. The nature of the whining teenage beast quickly won out over natural beauty so we did our best to snap a few pictures before making our exit.

Enjoyment Within Tight Constraints

As originally Portland was but an end-point for our train journey and a rest stop before the next leg, we didn’t invest much time in planning our visit. We’re certainly not pretending this is a “best of” or “top tips” review of the city. We did thoroughly enjoy our limited time in the city, and took with us fond memories of the visit. Most of all, it makes us sad to see the disturbing images from the city, and we pray for solutions that allow residents and visitors alike to revel in the quirky eccentricity that makes Portland special.

More Pics from PDX

Here are a few more pictures, just because we couldn’t face the idea of not using them.