way back in Portland...

well the flight there was predictably obnoxious. i'm not exaggerating when i say there were no less than 20 very small children on the plane or when i say the 6'4" 350# man sitting next to me had small seizures in his sleep so that his elbows were constantly in motion well onto my side of the armrest. whatever. flying sucks.

Portland, on the other hand, does not suck. it's probably the least sucky place i've been in a very long time. a true planner's paradise, everything just fits together in a beautiful mosaic of urbanity. after gathering my luggage from the carousel i made my way to the MAX train where i talked transit with some locals just returning from Hawaii. i got off the train downtown quite literally in front of Chad's work, Rock Bottom Brewery. after some hello hugs and a post plane IPA we walked back to his place where we spent the rest of the night reminiscing and planing new adventures, giggling and laughing like little girls.

day 1)

the next morning, having slept in a bit later than Chad, who had to work, i tidied up the apartment and set out for food. sitting at a sidewalk table, reading The Oregonian to catch up on local issues and eating the most delicious apple walnut pancakes ever, i watched a british family trying to decipher the parking restriction signs. at an understandable loss, they asked me if i knew whether they could park their car where it was, to which i responded that, while i did agree with her interpretation of the sign, it was only my first day in the city and she had better ask someone else. in the end, they decided not to risk it, but she did snap a picture of the sign, announcing her intent to write a letter of complaint to the transportation department for producing such confusing signs. tourists.

after that it was off to REI where i felt very much like a kid in a candy store and spent at least 2 hours looking at bags and shoes. i managed to find the perfect little backpack but was less lucky in the shoe department. Vibram Five Fingers (VFFs) are in high demand everywhere without the supply to match. however, the customer service department said the Hillsboro store did have a pair in my size and would hold them for me for 3 days. from REI i was off to Powel's books and was again overwhelmed by the wide selection. after much browsing, hemming and hawing, i eventually landed on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a book i've been meaning to read for a long time.

day 2)

with a free cup of Starbucks in hand (Chad's boyfriend Chad--yes, they're both named Chad--works there and snagged some free drink coupons) i boarded a Blue Line Max train to Hillsboro to pick up my new VFFs. the ride was uneventful and mostly just read my book between glances at the ridiculously hot boy sitting directly across from me. a single bus transfer later, and i found myself at a very stylish "Lifestyle Center" or outdoor mall as they were once called. imagine my disappointment to learn that there had been a miscommunication and instead of the KSO VFFs i had requested but the Sprint VFFs. so i bought some shorts on clearance and headed back to the city center a sad panda indeed. but my mood was soon lifted when i met Chad back downtown for the Timbers game--the Timbers being the local soccer team--which was made all the more fun with $2.50 beers! GO TIMBERS!!

day 3 - 5)

Vancouver! this will be covered in another post

day 6)

just recovering from days 3 - 5: laundry, internet, TV, sleep, photo & video editing, & 1 beer. that was about it.

day 7 -10)

i couldn't really tell you what happened on each individual day. nights out at the bar, days walking around town, coffee shops, museums, streetcars, parks, movies, 1/2 price sushi, 5 for $5 nights at CC's followed by Voodoo Donuts (i know it sounds wrong, but bacon maple bars are the BEST!), avoiding street kids, hanging out with Chad & Robin, or Chad & Chad, or Chad & David--in short, Life.

day 11 & 12)

these days will get their own post soon. way too much to cover here. i'll just say this is the day i met Nick Mattos :-)

day 13)

Mushroom Monday. if you need more explanation than that, you're not getting it here ;-)

day 14)

had a leisurely morning with Chad before he had to be off to work. i headed downtown and dropped my bags @ Powell's, totally taking advantage of their baggage check. then i met Nick and had an amazing last afternoon with him. Lunch and a few errands later and we said our goodbyes in front of the bus station before heading out separate ways. i boarded my Greyhound bound for San Francisco and bid farewell for now to the Rose City. it's only for now...