A Visitor To Portland
On Thursday, Kathryn came down from Seattle and I introduced her to my beloved Portland.
Right after she arrived in the early afternoon, we went up to Council Crest and had a picnic while looking over the city. Every single mountain was visible thanks to the excellent weather, so she got to see Hood, Adams, St. Helens, and even Rainier from the top of Portland. Then, I took her down into the heart of Washington Park and we explored the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden. Thursday's weather was ideal, so nature was out in full force and everything was picturesque. Alas, the roses were not quite in bloom yet, but the gardens were still nice for relaxing in the shade of an oak tree.
For dinner, I took her to Lauro, a Mediterranean restaurant a stone's throw from my house. I had been meaning to go there ever since I moved in, so it seemed an opportune chance since I finally had someone with which to go. Great food. And for dessert, we simply went across the street to Pix and sat outside as the night was still rather warm and enjoyable. Oh, and lest we forget the desserts, I had the Shazam! and she the Apple Almond Nougatine. Both were darn tasty.
Friday morning, we lounged about the house until we went out to breakfast at the epitome of cool Portland eateries, the Cup and Saucer. Hawthorne is less than a ten minute walk from my house and with another summer day, certain people might have walked there barefoot with shoes in their hand. The waitress sadly did not inform us of the size of the pancakes and I had not been there for breakfast in years, so we ended up with far more food than we could finish. I think we both felt just a tad heavy after eating and struggled home to fully digest.
In the afternoon, we took the bus downtown. The temperature was predicted to break into the upper 80s, so we planned to explore the Pearl District's art galleries and then see a movie during the heat of the afternoon. The galleries were nice. We found one focusing on Native American art that really caught our interest and one of the galleries had abstract paintings that was definitely up Kathryn's alley. The heat got to us though, so we took a nice, air-conditioned break at the Sweet Masterpiece Chocolate & Coffee Bar.
We continued wandering around and discovered the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft. Peeking in the glass door, a woman waved us in and as it was free we decided to check it out. They were changing the exhibition in the gallery on the main level, so we went upstairs and perused the Ken Shores collection. My mind might have glazed over a bit, as all I remember is that the fellow sure did love to use feathers. A lot. So many feathers...
Having exhausted Paul with a couple hours of art, we decided on seeing the early showing of The Son of Ranbow and then having an early dinner at Kell's. Hilarious film. Nothing like a couple kids (with British accents!) making their own version of a Rambo film in the 80s. There were a few not so subtle points about religion and friendship, which were important, but the kids trying to do their own action shots made the movie brilliant.
Then, off to Kell's to watch soccer and enjoy tasty pub food. Manchester United was playing and they were kicking some serious ass. Not sure Kathryn realized how brutal intense soccer playing can be. Fun stuff.
After eating and rehydrating, we wandered along Waterfront Park where people were sunning themselves, tossing frisbees, and enjoying the first summer-like Friday afternoon of the year. Even walked by a fellow in a kilt playing the bagpipes, which we proudly gave a dollar too. On our way to crossing the Hawthorne bridge, we got a bit misted thanks to the Salmon Street Springs fountain as perhaps 50 or so kids played in its streams.
Thanks to a certain lack of monetary preparation (::raises hand::), there was a lack of bus fare for both of us, we instead walked up through Ladd's Addition and finally home, with a brief stop in Palio for more refreshment. The temperatures for the day broke 90, so after six hours out in the heat we got home and both collapsed for a nice long nap with a fan in the window.
Saturday was hiking day! In order to introduce Kathryn to a few friends, I planned a little hike on Dog Mountain for the day. Unfortunately, what I did not know was that instead of the high of 82 degrees that was forecasted earlier in the week for that area of the Columbia Gorge, the actual high was going to be 97 degrees. Not particularly great conditions for a trail that gains 700 feet in the first half mile and 2,800 feet over the entire three miles. I felt kind of bad during and afterwards, but I was heartened by the fact that every single person made it to the top and no one complained about being there. And, if you want to see something just a wee bit cute, here is me giving Kathryn a piggyback ride for a short part of the uphill.
Afterwards, Dan, Amy, Kathryn, and I stopped at Stevenson for ice cream and chilled out while the other car headed home. Once we got home and showered, the four of us went out to dinner at the Hedge House, another wonderful place to eat and drink that is unbelievably close to my house. My location in Portland truly spoils me and I love it. Dan and I regaled the young women with stories of past trips and misadventures in our lives. Backpacking trip to Hell's Canyon with rattlesnakes everywhere, backpacking in Sisters and losing the trail in a marsh full of mosquitoes, the flaming chalice of Sinister House. Little tidbits to explain why they should be wary of dating such crazy people. How wise of us, no? Oh, and I think we only went through about a pitcher and a half of water to hydrate ourselves during dinner.
Finally, after dinner, we joined a few more friends at the Baghdad for a bit of dessert and catching up. Dan, after barely a sip of his pint, regaled Kathryn with more than a few embarrassing stories about yours truly. Thankfully, we were both tired and got home by around 10 p.m. to hit the hay early as she had to leave by 7 a.m. the next morning to make her sister's baby shower in Seattle.
And now, we just need to plan our next visit to each other. She loved Portland and wants to return, but I will probably go up to Seattle so we can head to Bellingham and I can meet a few of her friends up there. Not soon enough. :-)
Right after she arrived in the early afternoon, we went up to Council Crest and had a picnic while looking over the city. Every single mountain was visible thanks to the excellent weather, so she got to see Hood, Adams, St. Helens, and even Rainier from the top of Portland. Then, I took her down into the heart of Washington Park and we explored the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden. Thursday's weather was ideal, so nature was out in full force and everything was picturesque. Alas, the roses were not quite in bloom yet, but the gardens were still nice for relaxing in the shade of an oak tree.
For dinner, I took her to Lauro, a Mediterranean restaurant a stone's throw from my house. I had been meaning to go there ever since I moved in, so it seemed an opportune chance since I finally had someone with which to go. Great food. And for dessert, we simply went across the street to Pix and sat outside as the night was still rather warm and enjoyable. Oh, and lest we forget the desserts, I had the Shazam! and she the Apple Almond Nougatine. Both were darn tasty.
Friday morning, we lounged about the house until we went out to breakfast at the epitome of cool Portland eateries, the Cup and Saucer. Hawthorne is less than a ten minute walk from my house and with another summer day, certain people might have walked there barefoot with shoes in their hand. The waitress sadly did not inform us of the size of the pancakes and I had not been there for breakfast in years, so we ended up with far more food than we could finish. I think we both felt just a tad heavy after eating and struggled home to fully digest.
In the afternoon, we took the bus downtown. The temperature was predicted to break into the upper 80s, so we planned to explore the Pearl District's art galleries and then see a movie during the heat of the afternoon. The galleries were nice. We found one focusing on Native American art that really caught our interest and one of the galleries had abstract paintings that was definitely up Kathryn's alley. The heat got to us though, so we took a nice, air-conditioned break at the Sweet Masterpiece Chocolate & Coffee Bar.
We continued wandering around and discovered the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft. Peeking in the glass door, a woman waved us in and as it was free we decided to check it out. They were changing the exhibition in the gallery on the main level, so we went upstairs and perused the Ken Shores collection. My mind might have glazed over a bit, as all I remember is that the fellow sure did love to use feathers. A lot. So many feathers...
Having exhausted Paul with a couple hours of art, we decided on seeing the early showing of The Son of Ranbow and then having an early dinner at Kell's. Hilarious film. Nothing like a couple kids (with British accents!) making their own version of a Rambo film in the 80s. There were a few not so subtle points about religion and friendship, which were important, but the kids trying to do their own action shots made the movie brilliant.
Then, off to Kell's to watch soccer and enjoy tasty pub food. Manchester United was playing and they were kicking some serious ass. Not sure Kathryn realized how brutal intense soccer playing can be. Fun stuff.
After eating and rehydrating, we wandered along Waterfront Park where people were sunning themselves, tossing frisbees, and enjoying the first summer-like Friday afternoon of the year. Even walked by a fellow in a kilt playing the bagpipes, which we proudly gave a dollar too. On our way to crossing the Hawthorne bridge, we got a bit misted thanks to the Salmon Street Springs fountain as perhaps 50 or so kids played in its streams.
Thanks to a certain lack of monetary preparation (::raises hand::), there was a lack of bus fare for both of us, we instead walked up through Ladd's Addition and finally home, with a brief stop in Palio for more refreshment. The temperatures for the day broke 90, so after six hours out in the heat we got home and both collapsed for a nice long nap with a fan in the window.
Saturday was hiking day! In order to introduce Kathryn to a few friends, I planned a little hike on Dog Mountain for the day. Unfortunately, what I did not know was that instead of the high of 82 degrees that was forecasted earlier in the week for that area of the Columbia Gorge, the actual high was going to be 97 degrees. Not particularly great conditions for a trail that gains 700 feet in the first half mile and 2,800 feet over the entire three miles. I felt kind of bad during and afterwards, but I was heartened by the fact that every single person made it to the top and no one complained about being there. And, if you want to see something just a wee bit cute, here is me giving Kathryn a piggyback ride for a short part of the uphill.
Afterwards, Dan, Amy, Kathryn, and I stopped at Stevenson for ice cream and chilled out while the other car headed home. Once we got home and showered, the four of us went out to dinner at the Hedge House, another wonderful place to eat and drink that is unbelievably close to my house. My location in Portland truly spoils me and I love it. Dan and I regaled the young women with stories of past trips and misadventures in our lives. Backpacking trip to Hell's Canyon with rattlesnakes everywhere, backpacking in Sisters and losing the trail in a marsh full of mosquitoes, the flaming chalice of Sinister House. Little tidbits to explain why they should be wary of dating such crazy people. How wise of us, no? Oh, and I think we only went through about a pitcher and a half of water to hydrate ourselves during dinner.
Finally, after dinner, we joined a few more friends at the Baghdad for a bit of dessert and catching up. Dan, after barely a sip of his pint, regaled Kathryn with more than a few embarrassing stories about yours truly. Thankfully, we were both tired and got home by around 10 p.m. to hit the hay early as she had to leave by 7 a.m. the next morning to make her sister's baby shower in Seattle.
And now, we just need to plan our next visit to each other. She loved Portland and wants to return, but I will probably go up to Seattle so we can head to Bellingham and I can meet a few of her friends up there. Not soon enough. :-)
– Tuesday, 2008 May 20 @ 12:09 PM | 4 Comments -