One more day in Portland

One more day in Portland

I'm more than a week behind in posting pictures, and even further behind in writing up the notes from that "Amy's Notebook" referenced in the title of this blog.

My cell phone uses Sprint, which doesn't have very good coverage in Portland. I can't get much of a signal at all in the hotel and I know I'm going to get reemed with roaming charges when my bill arrives. I can't stand to see the "R" on the phone. It's not like I'm out camping on a mountain here. And who's fault is it that Sprint can't provide me better service in downtown Portland, Sprint? Should you be the one paying for the roaming charges, not me?

Anyhow, on to other notes. ... I still haven't figured out Portland. The first couple days it seemed like everyone we talked to was stoned or tweaking. The panhandlers tend to be more aggressive and significantly younger than we see in New York. Lots of runaway kids "gimmie me five bucks, lady" who look perfectly able to work, go back to high school, call mom for cash or shower. And really, $5? Nothing like setting the starting bid a bit high. I feel more likely to get pickpocketed here than in Times Square.

The bike riders think they own the place. Went for a jog along the waterfront the other morning and am certain the cyclists make sport of seeing how close they can come to the joggers. Maybe 100 bikes passed me on the 3-mile route and a grand total of one made any sort of noise at all to warn walkers/joggers that he was approaching. The guy had a bell he rang as he headed around a sharp right curve. Not one that whizzed by on my left ever said a thing, let alone slow down. There was plenty of room around me, and I was hugging the rail on the right, yet still they came within a couple inches most of the time. When we were at the Science Museum the other day, we saw a couple near crashes as kids walked toward the benches, completely unaware they were crossing a bike path. There are indeed no markings whatsoever to warn kids or parents the bike path is there.

Speaking of the Science Museum ... we saw Willy Wonka there on IMAX. Bad choice. They have a domed screen, which resulted in very bad things for our necks. My sister-in-law has been trying to fix her neck/shoulder for a few days now. Also, maybe 30 people blatantly cut to the front of the line - made all the more annoying because the earlier film had problems, leaving us queued up for about 45 minutes.

Now with the ranting out of the way ... I love the old waterfront area and old Chinatown. I think it's probably the seediest section of downtown, but there are dozens of old buildings they haven't bothered to tear down. The place has lots of character and there are several buildings just beginning to get the renovation treatment. Walking around with Chrissy the other day, we stopped at Old Town Gelato, (212 NW Davis,) which has only been open two months. Great sorbets and gelatos served out of a red-brick hole-in-the-wall with cast-iron tables and chairs outside.

Saving the best for last ... we hit the beer festival last night. Even the 9-year-old steplad had a ball as they had free craft root beer (I think he had seven,) and a really great band (Freak Mountain Riders?) that played all evening. You had to buy beer tokens for $1 each. Four would get you a full mug, but everyone was going for the $1 sample pours, so you could try so many different kinds. I think my favorites were the last two I had - something from Kailua, HI and another "took" something or another from Steelhead (?) brewery in Eugene, OR. I'll look 'em up later.

They had a pair of maps posted near the entrance with pushpins and a sign that said "Where are you from?" The U.S. map had lots of hotspots in Oregon, Washington and California - but just about every state was representing. I wasn't even the first one to stick a pin in Brooklyn. The world map was heavily stuck in the UK, Germany and Israel. The guy next to me was sticking his pin somewhere in Africa. The festival - which continues through the weekend gets something like 50,000 to 80,000 visitors each year. A very congenial crowd, manageable lines, and plenty of food and water.

Our flight tonight leaves close to midnight. We're planning on hitting the much talked about food carts at lunchtime and then heading out to my brother's place in Gresham again. He and the steplad need to finish recording a song they're working on. After that we'll head back downtown for dinner and part of the free outdoor movie in Pioneer Square before catching a cab to the airport.

I'll try to update this post later with links and "facts" rather than my pre-breakfast guess-olections about where we've been and what we've consumed.
- posted by Amy @ 7/29/2005 10:59:00 AM