Portland, continued: the Fun

image from Hotel Rose website

The Hotel Rose offered luxurious bed, linens, and towels, a we loved the chic, walk-in style of the shower I showed in my last post.  

The Tommy Bahamas lotions and soaps in dispensers on the walls of the bathroom and shower smelled amazing.  

Of course, the 42" flat screen TV with cable, which we do not have at home, helped the hotel experience, too, because it meant:  HGTV!!!  ;-)  We enjoyed Property Brothers and House Hunters until Hubby had his fill.  (I don't think my fill of such shows is possible, which means it's probably a good thing we don't have it at home.)

We ventured to Vancouver, WA to eat dinner Friday night.  Saturday was spent in Portland.


Thankfully, the hotel provided a complimentary umbrella, which we needed as we set out to walk 
along the riverfront park (shown to the left of the hotel in the photo above), to get to the Portland Saturday Market.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned in that previous post, the park was full of a carnival, and we had to walk along a much less attractive, busy street instead.  




Our Kitchen Forum friend, Trailrunner, had put us onto the Market, which was full of wonderful and wondrous items, like specialty foods, jewelry, photography, woodworking, and clothing.  Across the street from that market was another, and I think, maybe another to the side of it! Lots and lots to see and enjoy, and I'm sure one could spend hours there.  Hubby collected a few business cards, mostly from woodworkers, of course.

From there we set out for Powell's City of Books.  Using GoogleMaps on my iPhone as a walking guide was a new experience.  Trying to orient the map on the phone with the direction we were walking was a bit of a challenge at first.  Also, we found ourselves really wishing there was a way to see on that 'app' which streets were the more pleasant and safe-feeling route...

Our walk was nicely uneventful, however, and we arrived at Powell's to see that it, too, was being remodeled!  Must be a spring thing in the city.  In finding our around to another door, we realized we hadn't eaten and lunch would come before books.

More than happily full, we entered Powell's ready to spend a lazy few hours perusing books.  







It's a place full of temptations for those who love books!  Remembering that we had to carry whatever we bought back to the hotel kept our buying somewhat in check.












Sunday, we had a leisurely morning in our room as we readied for check-out just before noon.  Brunch downtown was the final Portland goal, before hitting the road toward home.

We opted for the more rural Highway 30 instead of I-5 for our 

trip northward.  The highway paralleled the Willamette River out of Portland, and we'd never been that way.  It was beautiful, and eye-opening to see how Portland spreads, and has more areas and neighborhoods than we ever thought.  





We had to turn off our intended path when we saw a sign to Sauvie Island.  

A few years ago, we caught a show on PBS, featuring special, farm-to-table dinners, in which the guests dined on special gourmet fare, all made from organically grown or raised food from the area.  The first show we saw was about the foods grown on Sauvie Island, and we've been intrigued about it ever since.  We couldn't pass up this chance to see it.


We felt immediately transported by the views of the quiet, green countryside.  It was easy to forget how close we were to the city, and odd to realize how recently we'd been downtown, in an urban, 'hipster' diner, enjoying brunch.  

It was also easy to forget that we were on a tiny island with water nearby... until reminded by the sight of ships peeking up behind farmhouses!

The contraption above the barn and the red brackets showing above
the containers on the right are all part of a ship on the river behind the farm

We made a loop around the island, and then back out over the bridge we came in on... the only way on and off the island.  There is a big parking lot at the base of the bridge on the island...It'd be a great place to come back with bicycles, park, and ride around for the day.

You may be waiting to hear about the meals I've mentioned.  That's coming up!

A No-Kid Gift from... the Kids!

Hubby and I enjoyed a weekend get-away, thanks to a birthday gift for me from our kids. We have been to Portland a few times, but never spent the night.  Day trips, and even this one, don't offer time to do the city justice, but we did broaden our horizons a bit on this visit.

Our previous jaunts to Portland included stops at Ann Sacks Tile (thumbs up), Voodoo Doughnut (I know that this will be a shock to many, but we were not particular fans),  Fabric Depot (a winner, especially when they have a 40% off all fabrics coupon), the Flying Pie pizzeria (2 thumbs up!), the Armory Cafe (yum), and Powell's City of Books (another family favorite).  Other than waiting in a long line for unremarkable doughnuts with interesting toppings, for which once was enough, we have visited each of these places two or 3 times.  For all Portland has to offer, this is a small sampling.  But with usually only a few hours to spend, sandwiched between 3-hour drives, we stick to what we know and love.

This time we wanted to relax, fit in a favorite or two, but also, check out some places that had intrigued us in previous trips, but hadn't fit in the schedule.

Our gift reservation took us into the Rose District.  Although, it's not too far from many of the places we'd frequented, we'd never been in this area of town.  Our hotel was aptly called the Hotel Rose.  The Rose is advertised as a 'boutique hotel.'  It's supposed to be funky and different.  Truthfully, we thought it was 'funky' this past weekend in ways that took us aback at first:

• The lobby was completely in construction-mode, with craft paper for flooring, and a welcome desk plopped in pretty much nothingness

• Parking in the hotel garage was 'discounted' for guests, but not free, at $15 per night

• Our special, 'Metropolitan View' peeked over a more dominating view of a solid, grayish, painted wall

• We were jolted by the tremendous rumbling, in noise and feel, of the city train that ran right next to the building, sometimes every few minutes, throughout the day

The tail end of the white train passing by the base of the building...

and the blue train just a few minutes later.
There was also a red, and maybe a yellow.

We got used to these things, though, and didn't really notice any of it by the time we left on Sunday.  

The staff was exceptionally cordial and pleasant. The decor was contemporary and updated, but not what I'd call particularly fun or funky, as advertised.  It was nice, though, with a lovely bathroom, and good bedding on a comfortable king-sized bed, so no complaints.

2 things were truly disappointing, though.  The highly rated bistro and bar (with what sounded like a great happy hour and dinner menu) were closed for major remodeling, and the riverfront park across the street, which should offer wonderful and scenic walks, was filled with a Cinco de Mayo carnival.  This meant we couldn't catch sight of the Willamette River until we were blocks from our hotel, and had to walk along busy streets and through (occupied) bridge underpasses to reach the famed Portland Saturday Market, and to get to the downtown districts we wanted to visit.   --Just bad timing, and maybe a reason to go back at a better time! 

Even though it lacked its usual on-site dining, they still offered room service.  But to talk about that, I'll get ahead of myself.  I'll quit here for today, and get back to you later with more details of our fun... and what's a vacation of any size without... FOOD.  :-)