Much love, this will be a bit rushed, I don’t have much time here—I’m at a wifi cafĂ© in Vancouver and every minute I spend on the internet means that much less time touring…um…whatever it is Vancouver wants me to tour. And while admittedly I’m not too sure about the must-sees from a Vancouver-ian’s perspective, I have been handed recommendations from other friends who have been here, and they involve the likes of Stanley Park, some sort of bridge, a gas lamp district, Chinatown, Jericho Beach, and a pier called B.C. Place. Once I get a look at a map to see how much of this is possible in a day, we’re off!
But first…PORTLAND! Yes, that was SO two cities ago, and there’s gonna be a smash-up of Seattle right around the time I get to Idaho, but for now, let’s do it!
The wonders of Portland all here in a fast row: the Ace Hotel, Powell’s Books, the Pearl District and design shops and oh Oblation Press I miss you, all the tree-lined streets and the food coffee brew and how sweet everyone was... Portland was definitely a hipster town—almost like a city-full version of San Francisco’s mission district, except without the broken car windows and slumped slurring homeless and scrappy sidewalks. And lest my dementia causes me to forget our many loved spots, I shall list it here, because lists make good blog prose: there’s delish Stumptown Coffee, uber-hip Clyde Common, Departure’s rooftop lounge with gorgeous views of the city and yummmm tapas (think crispy pork belly with pickled watermelon and pumpkin seeds), and for brunch—the most important meal of the day--Pine Street Biscuits, Tasty n Sons, and Bumblekiss were all the sorts of places I wish I could tuck into my pocket and keep with me forever.
Must run now. I’m sure there’s a tower/waterfront/bridge/view awaiting us that we MUST go see and photograph to oblivion. But until we meet again…here’s Portland in pictures!: