Last January 6 to 15, I went to Portland, Oregon, and I fell in love with the city. In a different sense. It’s different from New York. It’s clean and well-planned, and things move just a bit slower. People take their time while walking, greeting each other, not rushing from one place to another. And everyone seems to have some close affinity with nature (no styrofoam cups for me...). It was just great!
A mere 30 minutes could take one from downtown to forests and mountains and waterfalls.
1. The Grotto is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been in. The meditation room is so quiet and comfortable. They have these really comfortable couches and a wide window with a panoramic view of Oregon – Plains, Mountains, Skies, and the occasional plane that takes off from the Portland Airport (which, by the way is another great thing about Portland – they have this really lovely airport)
2. Crown Point and Chanticleer Point (vistas along the old highway) offer beautiful views of the gorge, the river, and Washington State just across are great picnic places. The sights were only so breathtaking.
3. Multnomah Falls was a fun trek. It’s one of the tallest year-round waterfalls in the US. There’s the mist from the waterfalls that’s just everywhere as I walked in the area. It’s almost magical.
4. Powell Books is one of the greatest places in the world! I was like a child in a candy store. It was bigger than I had imagined. They have these rooms labeled by color (red, gold, yellow, purple, pearl, and so forth) I literally got lost inside, and spent 2 whole days of my visit immersing myself with the books. One particularly interesting thing that I noted were the mini-reviews by the bookstore staff (hand-crafted and posted on the shelves). They buy books, and they have a rare book collection (pearl room). It’s simply book-lover’s paradise. And the Coffee’s good.
5. Gardens – Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, Rose Test Garden. I have to come here during springtime to see Portland in bloom.
6. Galleries in the Pearl District are great! There’s this gallery with works by Rodin, Matisse and Picasso. It really was something!
7. Mount Tabor was another wonderful trek – trees and all. And there’s a view of Portland and Mount Hood. It’s a great place for a wide range of activities like biking, jogging, dog walking, etc. 8. No Sales Tax!
I’m sure there’s more. I didn’t really get to explore much yet. I really wanted to go to the zoo, the coast, Mount Hood, etc. I’m looking forward to coming back.
Thanks Tita Yvette, Tito Don and Manang Dina!
