Day trip to Portland, Oregon

After working over the past several weekend, last Sunday I decided to reserve a train ticket for Portland thus forcing me to go out and start enjoying my weekends again.

So today was the day of the trip and from it, I made several observations:

1. 4 hours train trip each way is a very long time. Thinking about it, in 4 to 5 hours I could have flown to New York.
   
2. This is the first time that I have traveled on an Amtrak train. Apart from it looking like a tin of sardines due to its metal shell, the interior is no different from a British Rail train.
   
3. I always get old women sitting next to me. Although, they have lots of free seat to choose from but they more often than not, they pick the seat next to me. Having said that the lady today was pleasant and we did have a good chat (and no, having headphone in your ears does not stop them from starting a conversation with you).
   
4. The train stations that we stopped at were very basic and to get to the station itself, you may have to walk across other tracks.
   
5. Never trust the weather forecasters. It was supposed to be mostly cloudy but it ended up being hot and sunny (although I am not complaining). I was just a bit overdressed.
   
6. There is always a Union Station wherever you go to in the US.
   
7. The people in Portland are really nice. Two independent individuals came up to me and asked me if I needed an assistance while I was just looking at a map. Both gave good advice as well.
   
8. There are quite a few beggars and homeless people around many parts of the city.
   
9. Preparation and research is important. This is something that I did not do on this trip so not surprisingly I got lost trying to found the Visitors Center (luckily for internet access of my phone so I can look up address and ask people).
   
10. Although I walked most of it (and my feet are still suffering), the transportation (buses, streetcar and light rail) are very easy to use and convenient.

As I was only there for 5 hours, I had to be selective to the sights that I could visit. In the end, I chose:

1. Downtown District
   
2. Portland Aerial Tram
   
3. The Saturday Market
   
4. The Waterfront
   
5. Portland Classical Chinese Garden
   
6. Pearl District
   
7. The Apple Store (come on, it is tax free shopping in Oregon State - did not buy anything from there though but I did buy a couple of Wii games from the GameStop next door)

Downtown District - this is the area where the Tourist Information Center is so this was the first port of call. After getting a much needed map and suggestions to where to go, I was fortunate to come across an Festa Italiana (Italian Festival) at the Pioneer Courthouse Square. As I had limited time, I did not stay too long but just enough time to get some snacks and catch some entertainment.

The Portland Aerial Tram is Portland's newest public transportation link connecting the city's South Waterfront district and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the Marquam Hill neighborhood. Although intended for students, staff and patients of OHSU, the 3 minute ride also provides the views of the forests, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood and downtown Portland so it does get a fair share of tourist like me. For me, although the views from the capsule were good, I did not manage to get a clear view of the mountains due to the clouds. You can also see that Portland is slowly developing and not as built up as cities like Seattle.

View of Downtown Portland from the Aerial Tram

The Saturday Market is the number one attraction that was recommended to me by the Tourist Information Center and I could see why. The market was not like the normal weekly street market (well, it is open on Saturdays and Sundays), but one that you typically find at an annual festival. The market was spaced out across multiple streets and contains lots of stalls for shopping (clothes, jewelry, crafts etc), food and drinks as well as street entertainers and artists. The best thing was the atmosphere. There were just lots of people there having lots of fun.

Shopping, food and entertainment

After a quick walk by the Waterfront, the next stop was the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. I have always loved the old Chinese architecture so for me, this Suzhou-style walled garden was a must see. Admittedly, I was somewhat smaller than others that I have been to, but it was good to just sit and relax over a cup of Chinese tea looking as if you have been transported back to Ancient China.

Ancient China in modern Portland

My final stop was the Pearl District. Several colleagues recommended this to me for the restaurants and shops, so I decided to check it out although I was not planning to buy anything or have a meal). The problem about districts is that there span across blocks and blocks so I really don't think I found the heart of it. I did come across the Powell's Books though which I was told was the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world. Truthfully, it did not look that big to me :-)

In general, although most of the time was taken up on the train there and back, Portland is a nice little city to explore. I think that I will go back again in the future and maybe have the time to visit Washington Park with the Oregon Zoo and Portland Japanese Garden there.