Portland Day 3

Today in the PNW starts out like any other day in the PNW, Grey skies and rain.

We were slow to get up due to drinking last night, and had only one stop scheduled today as a group.

The famous Voodoo doughnuts. There are two locations, and the other location usually has a long ass line out the door.

So colorful.

We walked in, waltzed right up to the counter and ordered.

The doughnut at the bottom is the voodoo doughnut. It’s got raspberry filling and a pretzel stick at the chest.

Immediately after sitting down to consume the sugar doughs, we saw this long line form out of the door. Had it been there, or did it just form? Did we cut everyone?

This is the entrance that we entered from, which had no line. I think the people at the other line didn’t realize that they can all walk inside and line up behind the different cashiers.

The Ms drove us to Portland Saturday Market right after Voodoo. They wanted to go home and decorate their house this afternoon for their annual M Halloween Party. OC and I would be on our own to explore Portland this afternoon.

There’s an Oregon University store next to Saturday Market. OC wanted to get some O gear.

We said goodbye to the Ms and made our way to Saturday Market. We saw this, and was a bit disappointed. It’s just a bunch of crafts vendors in their tents. I didn’t know what to expect originally, but something more than this.

I laughed.

Trailer food is pretty big here in Portland. We saw them all over town. There is also a lot of ethnic foods. Portland is a very white city, almost all caucasians. It’s a little interesting to me that they are all here eating ethnic food. I guess it’s the hip progressive thing to eat ethnic foods. Gotta be cultured, too good for plain ol’ burgers. I am just being a pot calling the kettle black.

LOL! Oversized hat. In fact, another person walked by when OC put this hat on, and she laughed too.

Want.

Dogs with raincoats.

Defaced coins, but cool.

This feels European.

I can’t wait to see someone wear these so I can point and laugh.

A marimba ensemble. Way too cool. I didn’t even know marimbas came in so many different sizes.

After Saturday Market, we spent some more time walking around town and getting wet. OC’s friend who lives in Portland is supposed to come pick us up at around 1, so we can all have lunch together.

We walked by the other Voodoo Doughnut. Sure enough, there is a long line out the door. The Ms say that in Portland, people love waiting in lines, and that there is a line for everything.

I love the interior of this place. Plus, they had Eames chairs!

Portland’s equivalent of The Onion. Hilarious

Once again, we beat the line. This long line started forming after we got our coffees.

OC was very excited about going in here. When she visited me in Austin, she wanted to get some cowboy boots. That didn’t happen. She was determined to get some boots this time.

After agonizing for seemingly hours over which boots to purchase(to take advantage of the lack of sales tax in Oregon), OC decided to walk out empty handed. Sigh, tough first world problems. She thinks she’ll regret not purchasing, but I am betting otherwise. She liked the boots, but didn’t love them.

More ethnic food trailers.

In Portland, bikes take center stage.

OC mentioned that this is a famous sculpture in Portland. Sure.

Cool public art that moves to the wind.

Books! I have no plans to make any purchases, but did want to check it out.

It was insanely big inside. Probably the biggest bookstore I’ve ever been to.

They had rooms after rooms of books and books.

Love it. Books are the best things in the world. Fuck e-books.

OC’s friend L showed up outside Powell’s books and then we were off to the Northeast side of Portland. The more hipster side of town. The Hipster movement is very aggressive here in Portland.

This was cool.

Lunch spot. We were pretty hungry. It’s almost 2 in the afternoon.

This being Portland, there was of course, a wait. We took a quick stroll around the neighborhood while our names made down the list.

15 minutes of pedaling on the charging bike gets you a dollar off.

L mentioned that this area was the ghetto part of town a little more than a decade ago and has been gentrified as of late. There were indeed many nice stores and restaurants in the area. L is a trauma surgeon, and he mentioned how he sees many pedestrians and cyclists come in. Often, they get into avoidable accidents because they blindly expect motor traffic to yield to them. Sure, they may often have the right of way, but when the motorists fuck up, it’s always the pedestrian or the cyclist who gets fucked up. Self righteousness backfires sometimes.

L’s nice Golf R. I’d hit it.

Got our table. L’s wife and two cute kids had joined us for lunch. Good people with nice subtle dry humor.

Continuing with the theme of small glasses of water with no ice.

Pork, again.

After lunch, we made a quick stop at the children’s toy store next door. I wish I had a cardboard rocket as a kid.

L’s wife and kids left in their own car after lunch, and L drove us around Portland and showed us a few different areas. Unfortunately, grey skies and rain makes for blurry photos, so only a couple made the cut.

LOL! This is the warning sign for bikes not to get stuck in the streetcar rail.

Love the fall foliage colors.

L dropped us off back at the Ms place. They live on the second floor apartment with a chiropractor occupying the first floor office space.

The Ms had gone out grocery shopping, so OC and I decided to walk around to the McMenamins(a string of local bars) a few blocks away.

Is this against fire code?

We were both pretty tired. Drank the beers slowly and picked on some sweet potato fries. I just want to take a nap.

Grab some sandwiches at this french bakery for dinner.

Tuna sandwich, I pick you.

Long spatula. Or do you call it a spoon?

We walked home and this is what we saw.

I give you, The Count, Dracula. The Count, apparently needs help in tying his own bow tie.

I am the friend from Texas, so of course, I am the cowboy. The catch is to tell everyone that I am not in costume, but that this is just my everyday wear, except for the bolo tie. It’s a fancy party, and the occasion calls for a necktie. I rope in 8.5 steers on a typical day.