OCTOBER 9 AND 10, 2011.  Boarded Amtrak Coast Starlight at about 2 pm Sunday October 9. As our meals were all included in our Roomette rate, we immediately found the dining car for last call lunch! Overall the overnight journey to San Francisco was delightful. It was strange to sleep on the train; the rolling and rocking stayed with us for several hours after we detrained. Yesterday was spent doing laundry, but we did have a fun evening in the Mission District. Poked around in a few cool shops, had an amazing dinner at Dosa and saw Toshio Hirano play bluegrass at a bar called Amnesia.

http://www.thehotelmajestic.com/

http://dosasf.com/valencia_home.htm

http://www.toshiohirano.com/

http://amnesiathebar.com/newp/

Our "roomette" on the Amtrak Coast Starlight, Portland Oregon to San Francisco California.

The view from our window at the Hotel Majestic; a foggy day!

An amazing dish called Dahi Vada; lentil dumpling topped with organic yogurt tamarind and mint, DOSA on Valencia.

Masala Dosa from DOSA on Valencia.

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.teazone.com/

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!