62 F
Kennesaw
Thursday, March 28, 2024
spot_img
US Roadhouse Fare24 Hours in Portland

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.

Amtrak Cascades train in station
We scheduled an early-morning departure from Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station aboard the legendary Amtrak Cascades. Our business class seats provided a comfortable and care-free journey.

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.

Tacoma Narrows twin bridges
Always framed within the wide train window, mountains, bays, forests and the Tacoma Narrows twin-span suspension bridges were among the varied scenery enjoyed along the way.

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.

Portland Train Station lobby with neon signage
Arriving in Portland around 4 pm, we were welcomed by a vision of the splendor of rail travel in the past.

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.

Neon sign reflecting on terracotta at Portland Union Station
The polished terracotta walls reflected the plentiful and colorful neon signs that adorned the Portland Union Station.

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).

Rainbow over downtown Portland
Unbeknownst to us, tens of thousands of people were celebrating PRIDE Day as we arrived, causing us to change some of our evening plans. Perhaps this rainbow, which appeared over out of our window upon arrival at our hotel, was a sign.

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.

Blue Star Donuts in Portland featuring real maple and bacon donut
We weren’t aware in advance of Portland’s apparent love affair with donuts. On Monday morning, we walked to Blue Star for sweet treats, including the real maple and bacon donut pictured in the upper right.

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!)

Panorama of Powell's City of Bookx
Powell’s City of Books takes up a full city block, and it takes a panoramic photo to begin to capture the immensity.

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.

Store Map of Powell's City of Books
We didn’t have to ask for an AAA map since the helpful folks at Powell make them readily available for store navigation. Once we found the right section of the store, a knowledgeable and helpful staff member shared delightful insights about adolescent literature that met with our son’s approval.

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.

Pioneer Square, Portland's Living Room
Pioneer Square is a core element of Portland’s very walkable and pedestrian-friendly downtown. Adjacent to the historic courthouse and also hosting a farmer’s market in one corner, the square was a summer base of operations for several food trucks.

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.

Yolko Ono Sandwich from Fried Egg I'm in Love
A hearty Yolko Ono breakfast sandwich from Fried Egg I’m In Love provided needed sustenance after our donut sugar-high. Egg Zepplin, Smells Like Protein Spirit and Free-Range Against the Machine were among the music-inspired entree names.

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.

International Rose Test Garden in Portland
With more than 600 varieties and 10,000 rose bushes, the International Rose Test Garden is a Portland kaleidoscope of color. It was the one must-see item on our Portland agenda before arrival. Our mid-June visit coincided perfectly and coincidentally with peak bloom season.

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

International Rose Test Garden in Portland
If you can’t find peace and beauty at Portland’s International Rose Test Garden, you’re either not trying or simply beyond hope. Perhaps understanding more about the spiritual benefits of stopping to smell the roses might help.

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.

Bridge over reflecting pond at Portland Japanese Garden
If you were overly frustrated by limited parking for the International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden, a few minutes on the winding pathways of the Japanese Garden will help you recenter and find your inner peace.

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.

Hidden waterfall at Portland Japanese Garden
We were enthralled by the landscaped beauty of the gardens. But the nature of a hungry teenage beast won out over our thirst for peace and tranquility, and we trekked much more quickly that hoped through the relaxing surroundings.

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.

AC Hotel by Marriott in Portland
Our overnight HQ for our 24-hour stay was the AC Hotel, a boutique offering from Marriott located convenient to the walkable areas of the city.

More Pics from PDX

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

Amtrak luggage tags
We found the luggage tag rack at Portland Union Station. While we knew the generally-accepted definition of SOB, we weren’t sure of SOB;s location. Turns out, it’s the code for South Bend, Indiana.
The dining and beverage care onboard the Cascades offered in-route options. Admittedly, it wasn’t the grand dining car from the movies, but it was a functional option for quick snacks.
Mount Hood rising above landscape
We admit to using a filter to pull in the details on this out-of-the-train-window shot. The effect simply highlights the spooky feeling that where ever we traveled in the Portland area, we were being followed and watched by Mt. Hood. The volcano is 53 miles from the city (more than 70 driving miles) but it always seems so close.
Japanese gardens are rich with symbolism and hidden messaging.
Demolition along railraod route
While Amtrak Cascades is one of the country’s most spectacular scenic train routes, you’ll still see a fair share of urban renewal and “wrong-side-of-the-tracks” views that are inevitable as you approach and leave major population and industry centers. We end with this as a message during these disturbing times that you can choose to focus on the ugliness of Portland or any city if you wish. From our perspective, we’ll continue to seek, enjoy, contribute to and remember the diversity and beauty.
DeanLand
DeanLandhttp://ourtravelcafe.com
Inquisitive traveler -- 33 countries, 48 states. Sometimes cyclist, occasional hiker, over-experienced diner. Cajun by birth, Parrothead by choice, Baby Boomer by age, Southerner by the grace of God. Semi-retired career marketeer, with a career serving the foodservice and food retail industries. Sharing experiences is an avocation.

Related Stories

spot_img

From the Menu

Newest

Migrating Hummingbirds Stop, Nest In Georgia on Long Journey

Migrating hummingbirds will reach North Georgia by late March on their way to nesting grounds.

Prime Time for Soaring Ospreys at Lake Allatoona

As early blooms peak through the soil and the first leaves appear on trees,...

Six Reasons We Love Winter Hiking

When the winter solstice passes deep into December, many we know pack up their...

Popular Topics

Comments

  1. Wow, great read considering you had so little time, you really made the best of it! For all of those extra photos, perhaps it’s time for a instagram account? Love the site and the stories 🙂

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Verified by MonsterInsights