Some Portland Thoughts

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I have not been in Portland in over 20 years. Much has changed and some has remained the same. Same? How about venerable Powell Books about 2 blocks from my hotel? And Jake's Grill is still here. But right across the street are the now world famous Portland food trucks. I must tell you that as fabulous Powell's might be, the variety of ethnic foods on Alder and SW 10th is perhaps unmatched anywhere I have been. There are many pockets of food carts and trucks throughout the downtown area. These are just some of the places I can recall: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Halal, Greek, Mexican, Korea-Mex, German, Italian, Georgian, Indian, Ethiopian, Burgers, Egyptian, pizza, Turkish, Dogs, Vegetarian, and many more that I forgot. I tried the Korean. It was both delicious and inexpensive. Each item was made fresh as I waited. I am impressed. One place even honors free McDonalds coupons being passed out around town. Likewise, Powell World of Books has the biggest selection of travel books I have ever seen. They make Amazon look like kids play. I would guess they must have at least 5,000 titles in travel alone! I was in heaven! I must go back and buy more! It was bitterly cold out last evening and again this morning. So, in the interest of good health, I stayed inside last night. But today, with the sun out, I plan to cycle around greater Portland on one of our hotel's bicycles. Portland is a much quieter city than Seattle and San Francisco. But it has just as many coffee houses and little boutiques. The biggest difference is the plethora of panhandlers on the street. They even come up to you at crosswalks and at the food trucks. I do like their MAX train system through the city. I took the red line from the airport, which dropped me about two blocks from my Kimpton hotel on Broadway. It is clean, with great signage, and easy to navigate. The fare was only $2 for "honored citizen." Portland is a very under rated US city.

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