OCTOBER 9, 2011. A big thank you to Portland Oregon for showing us a wonderful four days. And a special big thanks to the Mark Spencer Hotel for their hospitality. Tonight we spend on the train, tomorrow we’ll be in San Francisco!
Archives for category: Travel
TC plus a little vacation pal:
Sunbeam kittie
Cute little squirrel thought we might be going to feed him.
OCTOBER 8, 2011. Some pics from all the gardens at Washington Park:
http://www.rosegardenstore.org/thegardens.cfm
A lovely amphitheatre at the park.
This lovely old reservoir had beautiful old lamp stands around it.
While caution can be overrated, good judgement is always in good order!
Found a garden of many different varieties of Fushia.
Perfect Rose, beautiful scent.
The Rose Garden at Washington Park.
Portland Japanese Garden feature.
Portland Japanese Garden: white carp.
Portland Japanese Garden feature.
Portland Japanese Garden: The Sand and Stone Garden.
Portland Japanese Garden: The Flat Garden.
Portland Japanese Garden feature.
Portland Japanese Garden feature.
OCTOBER 8, 2011. Another action-packed day with more gardens. We walked uphill to Washington Park this morning, another beautiful Portland gem. We saw lots of birds and squirrels, went to the International Rose Test Gardens and the Japanese Garden. We also finally ate at the food carts: oh my a lot of food for so little $!, but lots of plastic waste. The quality was fantastic and it was all so delicious. There were too many choices tho. After lunch we headed back into the Pearl and enjoyed bubble tea, then walked down to and along the Waterfront Park. The Portland Marathon is happening this weekend, so it’s super busy here right now; very vibrant and excited energy! We also saw the best dog ever having a world of fun at a water park. Here are some pics and links:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCDealer.jsp?lid=100018581
http://www.portlandmarathon.org/
An entrance to Washington Park.
GJ's yummy snack from a Korean food cart. Mine was too overwhelming to photograph: huge container of Pho soup and two enormous veg salad rolls for $8.
Bamboo bike!
Super swank cycling shoes.
Frosty bubble tea at The Teazone.
Dogs teach us so much: live life to the fullest and have fun!
OCTOBER 7, 2011. One of the things I liked best at Lan Su Garden was the textures and patterns created with stones for the paths and courtyards. here are a few:
Plum Blossom on Cracked Ice
Square Golden Coin (on the right)
Large Crabapple
Crabapple Sesame
OCTOBER 7, 2011. At the Lan Su Garden there is a lovely teahouse operated by Tao of Tea.
http://www.lansugarden.org/visiting/teahouse
Upstairs at the Teahouse.
Our yummy snack at the Teahouse. I had an oolong tea called Wu yi (left) and GJ had Eight Treasures which was chrysanthemum, green tea, jujube, Chinese wolf berry, london fruit, raison, tremella (a mushroom), and rock sugar. We shared some almond cookies and lichee fruit.
OCTOBER 7, 2011. We were so delighted to find this beautiful place right in the city (it takes up a city block in Chinatown). Here are some pictures of the garden:
Just beautiful! The paper lanterns were just being put out all over the garden for a private function.
Beautiful vantage points.
Pomegranates growing!
Beautiful fishes.
Beautiful bridges.
Beautiful water features.
Beautiful water plants.
OCTOBER 7, 2011. The wonder of this city continues to delight. Today we headed straight to the Museum of Contemporary Craft. There were three very interesting exhibits running, (see the link below) plus an extra show of pacific northwest bike builders brought together to design new and innovative bikes for commuting. On the same block there are at least half a dozen art galleries of various disciplines including a couple dedicated to photography. At the corner we ate lunch at Chez Joly, delightful. The afternoon was spent at the Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden. I’ll dedicate at least one post to that! Back to the hotel in time to catch the last few minutes of the Wine and Cheese and it was off to the Living Room Theatre where they serve you dinner while you watch a film!
http://museumofcontemporarycraft.org/
http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/
http://pdx.livingroomtheaters.com/
Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis Street, Portland
Chez Joly French Bistro, corner of Broadway and Davis, Portland.
The Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden in Portland's Chinatown.
OCTOBER 6, 2011. Here is some of the art we saw today:
http://www.velvetjuanita.blogspot.com/
http://www.portlandartmuseum.org/index.cfm
http://www.savoystudios.com/index.html
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/6aa/6aa320.htm
This incredible piece: Artifact Panel, 2000 by William Morris, commissioned in commemoration of the project for the Millennium, was one of my favourite pieces at the Museum.
Closeup of some of the glass artifacts.
GJ likes to take pictures of me when I don't know he is. In the foreground in a beautiful sculpture of Ganesha.
A beautiful horse sculpture by Deborah Butterfield. At first glance it appears to be made from driftwood, but is actually bronze.
This gorgeous thing was hanging in the window of an empty storefront. created by Savoy Studios, Portland.
OCTOBER 6, 2011. What an amazing day! We ate breakfast at the hotel today, as it’s included, then headed out toward the Portland Art Museum. It was also the Portland monthly art event called First Thursday this evening. Had a fabulous dinner at a place in The Pearl called Piazza Italia which was super delicious, a small piece of Italy. And to top it all off, witnessed a slice of democracy as 5000+ took to the street for Occupy Portland. Below are a few photos and links to enjoy:
http://www.piazzaportland.com/
http://topics.oregonlive.com/tag/occupy%20portland/index.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_portland_march_leads_to.html
We had just come out of the Museum when we saw the Occupy Portland Protest going by. You can just see the crowd in the background. Estimated at approximately 5000 people.
Portland has a lot of public art and some very lovely architecture, old and new.
The beautiful Portland Art Museum. Spent almost all day there.
Found this sign that I liked. Portland is a very alternate-transportation-friendly city.
The famous block of food trucks. It all looked so yummy!
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