Category: personal
On Thursday, we left Portland for Seattle, though not before making one small detour: Multnomah Falls. We went there rather early, so we had breakfast at a lodge at the foot of the falls.
After crossing the Columbia River, we stopped in Fort Vancouver, Washington, which used to serve as a supply post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The educational materials were helpful, but of course brushed over what must have been tense relationships with Native Americans, who were hired to hunt beavers and other animals for their skins. According to the materials and video, everyone got along just fine. They probably held hands and sang Kumbaya.
We arrived in Seattle at about 2 in the afternoon, and checked into our bed and breakfast, Salisbury House. We chose the place because Mena had stayed there and seemed to like it, so we thought why not. The house was built in 1904 and has a fantastic layout, with large bay windows.
We unpacked and then headed over to Pike Place Market. We strolled around and found a Greek place called The Athenian. We tried it (I had the halibut, Alex had the calamari), and his dish was absolutely awful. And boy was it smoky. It reminded me how much I like the no smoking policy in California. Anyway, after that we walked over to the Seattle Art Museum, where much to our pleasant surprise, they had a Frida Kahlo exhibit. We had missed the show when it was in L.A., so we enthusiastically bought tickets and walked around. It was great! I’ve always loved her work, though I didn’t like the new movie they did about her (too hollywood). The rest of the Museum was unfortunately not that impressive, though it made up for it in eclecticism.
We drove back to Capitol Hill, the neighborhood where our bed and breakfast was located, and had a late dinner at the Broadway Grill. Everything we ordered was great, so it made up for the Athenian.
We took the car to Washington Park today and visited the Japanese Garden. It was very reminiscent of some of the gardens we saw along the Philosopher’s Stroll in Kyoto. The park was actually quite large, and breathtakingly beautiful, especially now that it’s fall and all the warm reds and yellows were mixing with the greens.
Later we drove around and happened upon a sign that said Pittock Mansion, so we went ahead and took the road leading there. It was a good idea, as the house is very much part of the history of Portland. It was built by Henry Pittock, one of the owners of the Oregonian newspaper. The grounds were especially impressive, with views of Mount Hood and other Oregon peaks. Highlights of the house itself include light switches, an intercom system, and an electric dumb waiter (the house was completed in 1914!)
By nightfall we met with one of Alex’s hiking buddies (from the PCT Trail) and we went to Kennedy School. This used to be an elementary school and then it was bought over and turned into a bed and breakfast, restaurant, bar, movie theatre, etc. If you’ve ever wanted to have a drink in the detention room, this is the place for you. The restaurant was pretty good.
Today we went to the Old Town/Chinatown area and walked around, visiting a few art and photo galleries. It had stopped raining, but it was still cloudy, though not cold at all. It was almost balmy. Or maybe it was just the layers I had on that made me feel that way. From Old Town, we walked a few blocks to the Central Library, where we are checking email and where I’m writing this. We’re planning on going to the Portland Art Museum, then to check out the legendary Powell’s (which, they say, is the largest bookstore in the states), and then to buy a couple of gifts for our nephews (probably at Finnegan’s). We don’t have umbrellas, and still have to buy some before the next rain. Tonight, we’re supposed to go see Aimee Mann in concert at the Crystal Ballroom. I’m not sure when I’m going to have access again, but I’ll update the site with day entries through the end of the trip.
After a long, restful night, we packed up and got ready to leave Ashland. The proprietess served our breakfast in the “garden room,” which was a bright, well-appointed room, with Victorian decor. We took off on Interstate 5, stopping along the way in tiny little places (Curtin, Cottage Grove, Eureka) until we reached the Portland area. We stopped for gas and again had to remind ourselves not to pump our own gas. It’s sort of embarassing to have the attendant do it for you, but that’s how it is in Oregon. We knew we were getting closer because it started raining. Portland has a nice skyline, but there are also some rather industial-looking bridges and overpasses that take away from the beautiful architecture of some of the monuments. We checked into our hotel and took the lightrail to the downtown area. It’s so neat that Portland has public transportation–not something we’re used to in L.A. at all. We walked around and explored the area (no sales tax! how great is that?), eating dinner at a cute French brasserie and then walking over to a movie theatre. We saw “Igby goes down” which we had missed when it had come out in L.A. Loved it. Then we took the lightrail back to our hotel and started planning our next day.
We left my sister’s house in the San Francisco area later than we had anticipated. Someone was having a rave in her neighborhood, and the music was on all night, so it was hard to get any sleep. We took smaller roads and highways to reach the interstate, passing through the Petrified Forest, although we didn’t stop because the park was closed. The windy road was quite beautiful and the scenery well worth the slow down. We stopped for breakfast at a tiny town called Maxwell and had breakfast at a mom and pop’s place called Topsie’s. We ordered chicken-fried steak and eggs for breakfast (indulgent!), which Topsie served to us, all the while calling “baby” or “babies.” We reached Interstate 5 at about 9 am, stopping in the town of Corning at a place called the Olive Pit, where we tasted different olive oils. I was surprised to see that they carried a Moroccan brand, which tasted somewhat nutty. So I bought a couple of bottles. Then we continued along, stopping again right after Lake Shasta which was just about the biggest lake I’ve seen. And quite beautiful too. The tree leaves varied from green to brown to red to yellow. After that, we continued all the way to the town of Ashland, which is right at the border between California and Oregon. We checked into our bed and breakfast and explored the town. It was pretty quiet because it was a Sunday. Ashland has a reputation for being liberal, and I saw quite a few signs that said “Invade Iraq? No!” and so on. We had dinner at a little neighborhood restaurant, this time sticking with salad. And then we went back to our room and listened to some classical music until bedtime.
Alex and I will be taking a long road trip through northern California, Oregon, and Washington over the next couple of weeks. Blogging may (probably will be) sporadic, as I have left my computer at home. I’m not sure how I will be able to handle being without internet or e-mail access for so long, but we shall see.