Northwest Dreamin’

Portland has been very good to us. The weather has been so comfortable and we have settled into a routine of work in the morning at Good Coffee, walking at Washington Park or Forest Park in the afternoon, and a treat in the evening. Treats include exploring the aisles of Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, ice cream at Salt & Straw, beer at Deschutes Brewery or Backpedal Brewing, or enjoying one of the famous bookstores in the world, Powell’s.

Forest Park

Slug #1

Slug #2

Special mention goes to Salt & Straw ice cream. Ali and I have agreed that it completes the Holy Trinity of Ice Cream, along with Sundae School and Crescent Ridge. These are arguably the three best ice cream places we have ever visited. Tonight, we had a chocolate cookies n’cream with coconut that was so so good. You will wait at least thirty minutes in line, but it’s worth it.

Salt & Straw

On Tuesday, we went berry picking on Sauvie Island, just outside of Portland and the largest river island in the US. Ali may have described it as a “peak life experience,” as we got the chance to pick several new berries for the first time. Anyone who knows Ali knows how much the girl enjoys her fruits and veggies. We picked blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, marionberries, and boysenberries.

Columbia Farms on Sauvie Island

Chandler Blueberries

Marionberries

Boysenberries

The haul

Ali and I will be returning to Massachusetts on Saturday for nine days. We are looking forward to spending time with family and friends as we prepare to transition back to Florida and the start of a new academic year.

The owner of this gem is truly living the Northwest Dream. We pass this van everyday. It has no parking permit, but yet never has a ticket.

Portlandia

Portland has a lot of the amenities that Ali and I enjoy: comfortable summer weather, views of the mountains, great coffee, craft beer, and supermarkets (Trader Joe’s and New Seasons), interesting and thoughtful people, as well as scenic places to walk. Thanks to the generosity of our friend Will, we have been able to stay in a great apartment close to downtown since arriving from Sydney. As we have transitioned out of our jet lag, and back to a regular schedule, it has been, in Ali’s words, “a soft place to land.” Below are assorted pictures from our first few days in Portland. You might start with the opening sequence from the show Portlandia as inspiration and/or soundtrack — “it’s a place where young people go to retire.” One week in, I would say everything in the video is true.

There are many VW vans here. That’s always a good sign for us. (We miss you, Ranger.)

Another good sign is the multitude of purple houses! (We miss you, Purple House.)

Ali and a Coast Redwood

Giant Sequoia

Douglas Fir

Rose Garden

Cultural Center at the Portland Japanese Garden. Ali almost bought a dish with a Japanese black cat on it. (We miss you, Siggy.)

Flat Garden

Koi Pond

Strolling Pond Garden

Bonsai European Beech (40 years old)

The Japanese garden was very peaceful with lots of quiet corners. Japanese gardens are designed to evoke a strong sense of place and to encourage reflection. This particular garden was created in the 1960s as a way to rebuild the US-Japan relationship in the wake of World War II. The former Japanese ambassador to the US described it as “the most beautiful Japanese garden outside of Japan.”

Happy weekend!

Portland!

Instead of birthday and Christmas gifts, Tim and I go for an overnight or weekend getaway. It’s a great way to make memories and enjoy time with each other. On Monday, we went to Maine!

When you live in Maine, you ride in your convertible in December. In the rain. When it’s 38 degrees.

We headed up to Portland. We left the car at the hotel and walked over to In’finiti Fermentation & Distillation. The bartender was super nice (like most people in Portland) and we had some great beer and a local cheese plate:

We (I) had been drooling over Eventide for a year now. Oysters? Yes, please! Tim had a brown butter lobster roll. I had a half dozen oysters with kimchi ice.

Every time I eat oysters, I think of this book.

On Tuesday, we went next door to Standard Baking for a morning bun (very good) and then over to Holy Donut:

We had a chocolate sea salt donut that did not disappoint.

We went for a walk around the Eastern Prom to work off some of our breakfast. Below, some photos:

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It was a great getaway. Portland is so wonderful. The people are very nice, the food is incredible, and the atmosphere is calming. We can’t wait to go back!