A Day in Portland
Saturday, 7:45 am:
Our plane lands at PDX. We (meaning me and my friend Taylor) had left the house at 4am to leave Sacramento at 6:30, and were still in the early stages of waking up. The guy sitting behind me makes a very vulgar comment regarding my Giants hat. I ignore it and move off the plane to collect my luggage and hit the town.
8:15am
We board the Tri-Met streetcar. I get very excited about places with excellent public transportation systems. Riding the bus is a hassle in a place like Modesto, but sure as hell beats driving in places like Portland and New York.
As we ride, we discover that Northwesterners are, in general, very friendly. We had a few random conversations with passengers, which proved beneficial since one of them ended up informing us that we had gotten on the wrong car. A while later, I see a group of Jehovah's Witnesses who end up being from Modesto. We got into a lengthy conversation (mostly about how we preferred the Portland rain over the Valley heat, which proved beneficial because it kept him from giving me flyers.
9am
We arrive at our destination - McMenamin's White Eagle Rock'N'Roll Hotel. First, a word about McMenamin's - it is a small chain of pubs/hotels in the Portland area that makes a habit of buying strange buildings (old mental institutions, whorehouses, elementary schools) and turning them into awesome pubs and European-style hotels. They have the best burgers and really good beer. Needless, to say, I was pretty excited to stay there. We knew that we were in for more hostel-like accommodations since the room (with bunk beds!) was only $30 a night.
The website describes it as being "nestled in the industrial district," but that didn't prepare me for the worn-down building located in the middle of an endless sea of factories, shop yards, and breweries. It was very out of place, but at the same time, it was very quiet and peaceful since it was 9am on a Saturday morning. We hauled our luggage a few blocks to the hotel to find the restaurant closed (which we had expected), and there being no way to get to our rooms. We knocked on the door a few times and finally called before we got someone to come out. Turns out they had no real "front desk," and that check-in wasn't even until 4pm. We managed to convince them to hang onto our luggage ("Just set it over there by the stage, it'll be fine") and set out to Downtown to find some breakfast.
9:45am
We arrive, via bus, in the Pearl District of Downtown Portland, and wander the streets looking from some breakfast. We saw some bars, some pubs, some taverns, talked about the differences between the three, and saw some more of each, but never really found a good place to eat breakfast. We passed by a French bakery, but knew that we would probably leave there still hungry. Finally, in order to better absorb the unique culture that is Portland, we settled on...
10:30am
...Baja Fresh. How lame is that. We actually sat outside and waited for it to open, like a pair of groupies. But the food was good, and we decided that is was more of an "early first lunch."
11:00am
The highlight of every trip to Portland - Powell's City of Books. It's designated as a city because it takes up an entire city block, and is a couple stories high. When you walk in, you have to grab a map to find your way around. For book nerds like myself, it's the closest thing to heaven on earth. They have an unparalleled collection of new and used books, which are all very fairly-priced, and, because it;s in Oregon, is entirely free of sales tax. I am both very proud, and at the same time, very ashamed, to admit that I have spent in excess of $150 here at one time, and would do the same every time I came in if I had the money. On this particular trip I did not have the money to spare, so, with a strict $20 limit, I grabbed We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch (in order to expand my growing library of books about Rwanda), and Chris Hedges' Losing Moses on the Freeway: The Ten Commandments in America.
12:00 pm
Not knowing what else to do, we started walking towards Portland State University. On the way, we passed by the Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society, and a very large Farmer's Market. We also saw an ad that stated there were 193 countries in the world, and while we walked, we set about trying to name them all. The campus itself reminded me of NYU because it was a series of buildings downtown distinguished only by signs and small common areas. Nevertheless, it was very green and very pretty, and we started to get a light sprinkle of rain that felt pretty good on this warmer-than-average Portland day. We tried to explore some of the buildings but they were locked, so we hopped on a bus and headed north.
1:30pm
We got off near Powell's again because it was a landmark that I could recognize. While walking down the street, we passed by a unique place called The Living Room. It is a bar/cafe/movie theater dedicated to providing a comfortable atmosphere to view independent and foreign films that you don't get to see every day. I found this place to be incredible. We had an afternoon beer, and chatted while we waited for a movie to start.
2:30pm
We walked into the theater to watching Dreaming Lhasa, a documentary about Tibetan refugees that ended up being a fictional movie about a documentary about Tibetan refugees. It was slow moving and half in Tibetan, but was still very interesting. What impressed me most, however, was the theater. It had room for only 50 people, with plush seats, enough leg room to fit a footrest (which we did), and tables in the back so you could bring your drink and dinner. It was absolutely the most comfortable movie-going experience of my life.
5:00pm
We arrive back at the hotel to check in. Thankfully, our luggage is still at the base of the stage where a jazz trio has set up. We take out bags up to our room, which I'm pretty sure had to have been a jail cell at one time. It is a small bunk bed room with a sink and a table. It's probably no more than 10 or 12 feet wide and 8 feet long. Plus, we were right above the stage, so we could hear the music perfectly. However, because we knew we weren't in for a 5-star resort, we found our expectations oddly met. He unloaded our things and went downstairs to have dinner. On our way down, we ran into two guys with small electronic devices who were roaming the hallway looking for ghosts. We told me that the reading was off the chart and it was because of a dead hooker from about 100 years ago. I nodded curiously and then went downstairs.
6:00pm
We had burgers and tots while listening to the jazz band, along with a drink (or two, or three...). This lasted about two hours as we reminisced about the past and mused about the future.
8:00pm
Taylor regretted not buying a Korean comic, so we hop on the bus and head back to Powell's. We wander the halls with a pretty good buzz and I suddenly regret not buying more books.
10:00pm
After a brief stop at the corner store for water, Snickers and Gummy Savers, we head back to the hotel and crash in our room with the soothing sounds of the rock concert coming from below our floor.
Epilogue
I wake up to the most beautiful morning ever - an overcast sky, yet slightly warm, with a hint of a breeze making it just right. This, and a strange man sleeping on the floor outside my neighbor's door. They don't call it the Rock'N'Roll hotel for nothing, I guess.
Our plane lands at PDX. We (meaning me and my friend Taylor) had left the house at 4am to leave Sacramento at 6:30, and were still in the early stages of waking up. The guy sitting behind me makes a very vulgar comment regarding my Giants hat. I ignore it and move off the plane to collect my luggage and hit the town.
8:15am
We board the Tri-Met streetcar. I get very excited about places with excellent public transportation systems. Riding the bus is a hassle in a place like Modesto, but sure as hell beats driving in places like Portland and New York.
As we ride, we discover that Northwesterners are, in general, very friendly. We had a few random conversations with passengers, which proved beneficial since one of them ended up informing us that we had gotten on the wrong car. A while later, I see a group of Jehovah's Witnesses who end up being from Modesto. We got into a lengthy conversation (mostly about how we preferred the Portland rain over the Valley heat, which proved beneficial because it kept him from giving me flyers.
9am
We arrive at our destination - McMenamin's White Eagle Rock'N'Roll Hotel. First, a word about McMenamin's - it is a small chain of pubs/hotels in the Portland area that makes a habit of buying strange buildings (old mental institutions, whorehouses, elementary schools) and turning them into awesome pubs and European-style hotels. They have the best burgers and really good beer. Needless, to say, I was pretty excited to stay there. We knew that we were in for more hostel-like accommodations since the room (with bunk beds!) was only $30 a night.
The website describes it as being "nestled in the industrial district," but that didn't prepare me for the worn-down building located in the middle of an endless sea of factories, shop yards, and breweries. It was very out of place, but at the same time, it was very quiet and peaceful since it was 9am on a Saturday morning. We hauled our luggage a few blocks to the hotel to find the restaurant closed (which we had expected), and there being no way to get to our rooms. We knocked on the door a few times and finally called before we got someone to come out. Turns out they had no real "front desk," and that check-in wasn't even until 4pm. We managed to convince them to hang onto our luggage ("Just set it over there by the stage, it'll be fine") and set out to Downtown to find some breakfast.
9:45am
We arrive, via bus, in the Pearl District of Downtown Portland, and wander the streets looking from some breakfast. We saw some bars, some pubs, some taverns, talked about the differences between the three, and saw some more of each, but never really found a good place to eat breakfast. We passed by a French bakery, but knew that we would probably leave there still hungry. Finally, in order to better absorb the unique culture that is Portland, we settled on...
10:30am
...Baja Fresh. How lame is that. We actually sat outside and waited for it to open, like a pair of groupies. But the food was good, and we decided that is was more of an "early first lunch."
11:00am
The highlight of every trip to Portland - Powell's City of Books. It's designated as a city because it takes up an entire city block, and is a couple stories high. When you walk in, you have to grab a map to find your way around. For book nerds like myself, it's the closest thing to heaven on earth. They have an unparalleled collection of new and used books, which are all very fairly-priced, and, because it;s in Oregon, is entirely free of sales tax. I am both very proud, and at the same time, very ashamed, to admit that I have spent in excess of $150 here at one time, and would do the same every time I came in if I had the money. On this particular trip I did not have the money to spare, so, with a strict $20 limit, I grabbed We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch (in order to expand my growing library of books about Rwanda), and Chris Hedges' Losing Moses on the Freeway: The Ten Commandments in America.
12:00 pm
Not knowing what else to do, we started walking towards Portland State University. On the way, we passed by the Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society, and a very large Farmer's Market. We also saw an ad that stated there were 193 countries in the world, and while we walked, we set about trying to name them all. The campus itself reminded me of NYU because it was a series of buildings downtown distinguished only by signs and small common areas. Nevertheless, it was very green and very pretty, and we started to get a light sprinkle of rain that felt pretty good on this warmer-than-average Portland day. We tried to explore some of the buildings but they were locked, so we hopped on a bus and headed north.
1:30pm
We got off near Powell's again because it was a landmark that I could recognize. While walking down the street, we passed by a unique place called The Living Room. It is a bar/cafe/movie theater dedicated to providing a comfortable atmosphere to view independent and foreign films that you don't get to see every day. I found this place to be incredible. We had an afternoon beer, and chatted while we waited for a movie to start.
2:30pm
We walked into the theater to watching Dreaming Lhasa, a documentary about Tibetan refugees that ended up being a fictional movie about a documentary about Tibetan refugees. It was slow moving and half in Tibetan, but was still very interesting. What impressed me most, however, was the theater. It had room for only 50 people, with plush seats, enough leg room to fit a footrest (which we did), and tables in the back so you could bring your drink and dinner. It was absolutely the most comfortable movie-going experience of my life.
5:00pm
We arrive back at the hotel to check in. Thankfully, our luggage is still at the base of the stage where a jazz trio has set up. We take out bags up to our room, which I'm pretty sure had to have been a jail cell at one time. It is a small bunk bed room with a sink and a table. It's probably no more than 10 or 12 feet wide and 8 feet long. Plus, we were right above the stage, so we could hear the music perfectly. However, because we knew we weren't in for a 5-star resort, we found our expectations oddly met. He unloaded our things and went downstairs to have dinner. On our way down, we ran into two guys with small electronic devices who were roaming the hallway looking for ghosts. We told me that the reading was off the chart and it was because of a dead hooker from about 100 years ago. I nodded curiously and then went downstairs.
6:00pm
We had burgers and tots while listening to the jazz band, along with a drink (or two, or three...). This lasted about two hours as we reminisced about the past and mused about the future.
8:00pm
Taylor regretted not buying a Korean comic, so we hop on the bus and head back to Powell's. We wander the halls with a pretty good buzz and I suddenly regret not buying more books.
10:00pm
After a brief stop at the corner store for water, Snickers and Gummy Savers, we head back to the hotel and crash in our room with the soothing sounds of the rock concert coming from below our floor.
Epilogue
I wake up to the most beautiful morning ever - an overcast sky, yet slightly warm, with a hint of a breeze making it just right. This, and a strange man sleeping on the floor outside my neighbor's door. They don't call it the Rock'N'Roll hotel for nothing, I guess.
posted by Matt Andrews at 9:17 PM
1 comments
