2017 Portland: Portland
Besides the two long walks, almost daily I roamed around the city of Portland.
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
We had been to Portland before, and the year before we even stayed for about a week, so yes, we are pretty familiar with the city. But, after this trip, I really felt that I gained the level of familiarity an "out-of-towner" usually won't have.
Perhaps it is better to organize this page starting with the two hotels that we stayed at, as my roaming always radiated from these places -- Hotel Vintage and The Nines. Both are fine hotels, and Hotel Vintage has the perk of free wine hour, but if I had to choose, The Nines will get the nod -- it is almost definitely the finest hotel in Portland, and its proximity to Pioneer Courthouse Square makes it the best location in town.
Hotel Vintage
The Nines
The Atrium at The Nines is also a spectacle in itself. The Urban Farmer restaurant is also a very fine place (but pricey).
The Nines Atrium
The Nines Atrium
Outside The Nines, humorous statues of indigenous animals dot the streets.
Sea Lions
Beaver
For all intents and purposes, Pioneer Courthouse Square is the heart of Portland downtown.
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Pioneer Courthouse Square
The Allow Me statue on the square unfailingly greets every visitor.
Allow Me
Public Domain is one of the coffee shops that we frequented in the mornings (it is good, but not great; I think a few other shops are better).
Public Domain
Of course, we had lunch a few times from Portland's famous food trucks.
Food Truck
Venturing further north to the Pearl District, I always walk by these two murals in a parking lot, which I took pictures of the year before. The second one, in particular, I found very fascinating -- it is nearly monochrome, yet, it seems to have a natural vividness and certainly a 3-D look.
Mural
Mural
And then there is the Pod, a shiny sculpture that stands across Burnside from Powell's City of Books.
Pod
And as sculptures go, what can typify Portland more than a pile of bicycles?
Bicycles
At North Park Blocks, the elephant statue was of interest (I later found out that it is called "Da Tung and Xi'an Bao Bao" and was donated by some Chinese people; no wonder it looked familiar at the time).
Elephant
The Ringlers Annex at Crystal Hotel is Portland's own "Flatiron" building. We in fact dined there a couple of times -- it has an excellent selection of draft beers and the food is good (but not spectacular).
Ringlers Annex
Ruby Jewel is a local favorite ice cream shop.
Ruby Jewel
Another famous food place is Voodoo Doughnut, which we had tried before. They are certainly very good at marketing and the shop is always crowded, but the donuts are way too sweet for our taste and we skipped them this time.
Voodoo Doughnut
Voodoo Doughnut
Happy hours are a big thing in Portland, and I sampled my share. One of the days when I walked to the PSU campus, I tried Headwaters. They have a good selection of draft beers and fix a good cocktail, and their oyster shots are a good deal during happy hours ($1 each).
Cocktail
Cocktail and Oysters
Finally a couple of shots of the art pieces on the PSU campus -- the scultpure of Farewell to Orpheus and a giant mural.
Farewell to Orpheus
Mural
