Portland Part II

I uploaded some pictures last night so now I can update you on the rest of the weekend in Portland:

Friday:

I left straight from work for the airport to catch my flight at 6:00. I ended up being the first person in the "A" line so I got my pick of seats! I went straight for the 2 seat exit row with the extra leg room and since it was a full flight, someone soon plopped down next to me. Boy was I in for a treat (said with heavy sarcasm). Over the course of the next hour or so my already semi-intoxicated seat mate threw back one double followed by a single of Wild Turkey. From the moment I got on the plane I had my book open (the universal air travel sign for DON'T TALK TO ME!) but my lovely seat mate spent the whole flight staring at my and trying to engage me in conversation. This of course meant I had to breath in his stinky Wild Turkey breath the whole time. Yuck. So much for a nice relaxing flight.

I got into Portland and met my brother and parents at one of the airport restaurants where they had been waiting for me. We picked up my bags, got in my brother's truck and headed into Portland for some dinner. We ate at this yummy neighborhood pasta place called Justa Pasta. The weather was pretty nice-- a little cool but not cold-- so we sat outside on their patio and had some yummy pasta. My brother's roommate came by to say "hi" for a little bit. After dinner Grady dropped us off downtown at the Embassy Suites, our home for the weekend.

Saturday:

After Grady and I finished our run, my parents went to a coffee place around the corner to wait for he and I to get showered and dressed. We met back up for breakfast and ended up going to this place right around the corner from our hotel. It was all organic food and very yummy. I thought it was funny though when I was reading the menu that one of the dishes included "vegetarian-fed beef". Hmmm, so my beef is vegetarian? I just think that's a little funny.

After breakfast my brother wanted to meet up with some of his friends at the Adult Soapbox Derby up on Mt. Tabor. It was a little bit of a hike getting up to the road where they were racing, since we had to park at the bottom of the hill. There were some pretty views from up there and the soapbox racing, although sporadic, was fun to watch. There was no one keeping the crowds back along the course, and there were long breaks between each heat, so we saw some close calls as people tried to clear out of the way before the soapboxes came down the hill. We hung out with my brother's roommate and friends and then my uncle, his girlfriend and THEIR friends met us there too.

We didn't stay for all the heats and left in the afternoon. My mom had heard about this really big bookstore called Powells and wanted to go check it out. I thought... yeah, yeah, big bookstore, how big could it really be?! IT WAS HUGE!! It's the size of an entire city block and is so big, they have maps telling you where the different book sections are. I was a little overwhelmed by it all and stuck towards the front of the store where are the knick knacks and giftie stuff was. After that we went back to my brother's place and had some wine, cheese and crackers. From there we went to meet my uncle and friends at the Kennedy School. The Kennedy School is a former Elementary School that was turned into a "lodging, dining and meeting experience." The school is completely intact but the multi-purpose room is now a theatre, the classrooms (with their chalkboards) are guestrooms, the library hosts various gatherings, the "Detention" room is actually a bar, and part of the school is now a brewery. We ate outside in a large courtyard-- the food is what you'd find at a brew pub (with the exception of the tater tots... that's definitely in keeping with the school theme) and the brew is all brewed on-site. A bunch of my brother's friends ended up meeting us there after dinner so we all hung out and visited. After that it was back to the hotel.

Sunday:

We met up with my Uncle, his girlfriend, and friends for breakfast at Mother's Bistro and Bar a couple of blocks from our hotel. This place is pretty popular and was already crowded, with a line of people waiting outside, when we got there. We sat at a table outside on the sidewalk it was a little chilly but not too bad. With all the overcast, cool weather in Portland, you'd think there wouldn't be alfresco dining anywhere but I saw tables outside restaurants all over town-- and not empty tables but ones packed with people. I guess for those Portlanders a nice day doesn't necessarily mean a sunny warm day! Our food at Mother's was really good but we ALL overate. It just all sounded so good!

After brunch we said goodbye to my uncle and the four of us walked down to the Saturday Market, which actually goes on Saturday and Sunday. It's kind of like an Art and Wine Festival, without the wine. There are tons of vendors that sell everything from jewelry, to wall art, to children's clothes, and of course food. We did a run through and I was actually the only person who bought stuff... of course some jewelry! We still had awhile before we had to go to the airport, but not enough time to really do something major so we just went back to my brother's to hang out. My mom and dad hung out at his place reading the paper and my brother and I walked around his neighborhood. He lives in a really cute area (for those who know Portland, he lives in NW/ Nob Hill). He's a block away from a bunch of shopping and eating places-- Williams Sonoma, Urban Outfitters and tons of cute little boutiques. We spent about an hour or so walking around and looking in the shops. Then it was time to head to the airport and fly back to the Bay. :( THANK YOU GRADY for being such a good host... I had such a fun time visiting Portland!