Six lasting impressions.

As I prepare to leave Portland it’s time to keep or delete the images on my phone and I have chosen six that I like as a sort of summary. I mainly used public transport, which is very good in Portland, and with the iPhone maps and apps everything is so easy and I got a good feel for the city. The troubled and dispossessed are everywhere, there are groups sitting on street corners and encampments in underpasses. The streets in the area of the NorthEast where I stayed are leafy and tree-lined, the houses all big and comfortable. The shopping is great – there’s so much stuff to buy. Everyone I met was friendly and keen to engage. There is definitely an easy-going, counter-culture community spirit in Portland, and there’s a T-shirt slogan you often see – Keep Portland Weird, but it’s not that weird – it’s nice.

The Japanese Gardens are five acres of manicured perfection.
At Skidmore metro stop near the Downtown sleeps a true patriot.
Every time I passed Voodoo Donuts there was a line outside – try to think of the sickest and weirdest flavoured donut possible, and they’ll have it.
They call them Outdoor Shops and they’re full of cowboy boots, cowboy hats, big jackets and the best denim brands – and all very cheap.
Electric bikes for $2.50 an hour or $10 for the day with a solar panel on the back – you just download the app of course, no helmet required.
The best bookshop in the world, they claim, it takes up an entire block, always full of people and I stayed 2 hours – the music section is staggering.

 

Author: Tony Richards

This was originally a travel journal for family and friends interested in my adventures, but now I'm back home I just continue with it as a general blog. I chat about design, music, danish pastries, the people I meet – I hope you'll tune in.

4 thoughts on “Six lasting impressions.”

  1. Thanks Anne. Now it’s the big one, the A380 Airbus from San Francisco to Frankfurt/London, 12 hours, just about to board and have managed to spend the last of my US dollars at the airport. After a very comfortable 10 days in NorthWest as they call it, things will get a bit busier now with travel every few days. It was good to be in Hanna’s world for a while. I have decided to off-load some stuff I don’t need to make things lighter. In the next 10 days it’s Brixton, Isle of Wight, East Sussex and Edinburgh with a bit of train, hovercraft and air travel. But I feel good and energised, my cold has gone and I haven’t lost my phone! <-;

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