A word about Portland

Portland. It's classy, guys. No, not really classy in the classic sense; No snobbish refinement could I find. My four days of Portland experience tell me it's a very open, fun, accepting city. Eventually I want to see Portland at it's bikey best, because November weather seems to be cutting down the cyclist pack right now. I ridden much, either. It is cold, after all, and being from Minnesota doesn't actually make me any more tolerant of weather.

What I did get to experience in full glory where the Portland food carts. I had no idea what a treat I was in for. Have some more info, here. On 10th and Alder, an entire city block is ringed in colorful carts offering food from all corners of the world. I ran across two other 'hubs', each with an additional 10 carts or so. On top of that, smaller, more mobile stands occupy sidewalks and parks.

I could happily settle into the daily routine of walking down to the food carts every day for breakfast(Banana-honey-pecan belgian waffles!), lunch(The best sushi rice I've ever eaten. Or maybe a bulgogi taco?), and dinner(Never did get a chance to try the Saimin). As it was, my time and funds where limited, but I hope I'll have another chance! Here is hoping for similar offerings in California.

---

Food street!

So maybe the fish wasn't the best here, but the rice was amazing. Perfectly soft, sticky and fluffy.

Best taco ever, with a price tag of $1.25. Viva Portland!

Japanese Garden and Atrophied Legs

Apparently, riding 4300 miles on a bicycle, carrying approximately 150 pounds, leaves one fairly well out of shape. A modest amount of walking has left me aching and burning from ankle to hip, and I'm exhausted. That being said, in the face of the world-renowned Portland Japanese Garden I forgot about my misery for a while. Thank you Michelle - had you not treated me to tickets, I would have slunk away from the $10 entry fee and missed out horribly.

Note: A great many of last weeks photos where corrupted on my memory card. Just a few survived of the gardens, but even the best of them didn't really do it justice.

---