Portland

This past weekend Anya and I again visited the wonderful city of Portland; we took a few pictures.

Unlike our previous trips to Portland, we decided to do this trip in a day rather than stay overnight. It's a 2.5 hour drive each way, but it feels faster than that because you can drive 80+ mph. With the exception of a short stretch in central Washington, Interstate 5 is a 6, 8, 10, or 12 lane freeway the entire 180 mile distance.

That's not to say that it's not a long day. We got to Portland early enough to have a late breakfast at a bakery that probably has the best bread in the world and didn't get home until about 11 pm.

We spent the majority of the day in the Pearl District, a neighborhood we've become fairly familiar with. It's the former industrial/warehouse area near downtown that's been Soho-ified and is now Portland's go-to place for eating, drinking, art, and non-chain-store shopping. REI Portland, a flagship store, is one of the only exceptions to the non-chain rule. We spent the day in the Pearl District eating, drinking coffee & beer, and enjoying Oregon's sales-tax-free shopping.

We also went to a neighborhood along the riverfront that had a vibe not unlike the St. Anthony/Main area in Minneapolis. Portland is on the Willamette River just a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Columbia, and the Willamette here is similar in size and sliminess to the Mississippi. I have to point out that anyone who played Oregon Trail as a kid will remember that this was your destination.