July 24: Portland
Today was a gorgeous day, and since the two of us had slept particularly well and I had gotten up at 6:30 a.m. to finish three back days of blogging, we were ready to go exploring. Alexandra had several boutiques she wanted to visit, so I tagged along and enjoyed myself watching her delight over certain well-made objects.
We started out the day by having brunch at a Swedish restaurant called Broder, where Alexandra had seasonal blueberry fritters, a pork sausage, and two baked eggs, while I had a side dish of cucumbers and tomatoes, and then three small smorrebrods featuring beets on one, goat cheese and apple on the second, and trout on the third, all of which were very good. As we were sitting at the bar, we were able to watch the cooks in action. it is astounding how well they multi-task and how diligently they apply themselves.
From there we proceeded downtown to visit the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft and a special State of Oregon Craft show, from June 5-August 15. The museum is the place to go to learn about craftsmanship in Portland and beyond. Some very interesting pieces in wood, ceramics, glass, and various other media--even a piece by Dale Chihuly--made it into the show.
After the Museum, we went to Canoe, a design-ware establishment, where Alexandra purchased a drawing notebook; the First Presbyterian Church, across the street from Canoe and at 12th and Alder--it has been around since 1890. The Church building is styled in "High Richardsonian Victorian Gothic" style, with open beam timber construction. It is now designated a National Historic Landmark.
From there we walked to Alder & Company, another design-ware shop; Spruce, a shop pf toiletries and styled an "apothecary," where Alexandra bought Japanese soap and a candle; Danner, a shop for men's wear; Powell's, a great bookstore full of new and used books; Pendleton, a homewares store, which had amazing rugs and bedspreads which, however, were out of my price range; and Beam & Anchor, another boutique store containing various unique items, where I bought Bo a keychain and birthday card, since his BD was last week. After that marathon we went home, then left about 10 minutes later for a Thai restaurant which had been highly recommended to Alexandra. it was called Pok Pok, and I celebrated her upcoming birthday with her there. As we had about a 30-minute wait, we went across the street to a boutique store called Little Otsu, where I bought a lavender soap and a wonderful travel notebook I could not resist because it had the following German phrases on the front: "Ferne Reisen machen weise. Die Propeller drehen sich. Das Flugzeug gewinnt an Höhe. Reisen bedeutet Leben!" The meaning in English: "Voyages to far-off lands make one wise. The propellers turn. The plane rises. Travel means life!" Was that a suitable motto for me or what? No truer phrase! Alexandra bought greeting cards.
At Pok Pok, Alexandra had two interesting libations of drinking vinegar called Som, one flavored with black pepper; the other with celery. We both shared green papaya salad with cocoanut rice, shredded pork, carrots, shallots, and cilantro. The second dish we shared was spicy sticky chicken wings in a fish sauce, with a side of cucumber relish. All of it was messy but totally wonderful. Ann: buffalo wings just don't quite cut it when it comes to competing against these amazing morsels. Afterwards we walked back to our car, parked in the neighborhood simply because everyone and his dog were interested in this restaurant. The place was packed, and people didn't seem to mind the wait,
We are now back at the condo, and are going to watch the French movie "Maitre de Musique" together after I finish this missive. Tomorrow we wend our way back to Seattle--a 3-hour drive. Great day!
We started out the day by having brunch at a Swedish restaurant called Broder, where Alexandra had seasonal blueberry fritters, a pork sausage, and two baked eggs, while I had a side dish of cucumbers and tomatoes, and then three small smorrebrods featuring beets on one, goat cheese and apple on the second, and trout on the third, all of which were very good. As we were sitting at the bar, we were able to watch the cooks in action. it is astounding how well they multi-task and how diligently they apply themselves.
From there we proceeded downtown to visit the Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft and a special State of Oregon Craft show, from June 5-August 15. The museum is the place to go to learn about craftsmanship in Portland and beyond. Some very interesting pieces in wood, ceramics, glass, and various other media--even a piece by Dale Chihuly--made it into the show.
After the Museum, we went to Canoe, a design-ware establishment, where Alexandra purchased a drawing notebook; the First Presbyterian Church, across the street from Canoe and at 12th and Alder--it has been around since 1890. The Church building is styled in "High Richardsonian Victorian Gothic" style, with open beam timber construction. It is now designated a National Historic Landmark.
From there we walked to Alder & Company, another design-ware shop; Spruce, a shop pf toiletries and styled an "apothecary," where Alexandra bought Japanese soap and a candle; Danner, a shop for men's wear; Powell's, a great bookstore full of new and used books; Pendleton, a homewares store, which had amazing rugs and bedspreads which, however, were out of my price range; and Beam & Anchor, another boutique store containing various unique items, where I bought Bo a keychain and birthday card, since his BD was last week. After that marathon we went home, then left about 10 minutes later for a Thai restaurant which had been highly recommended to Alexandra. it was called Pok Pok, and I celebrated her upcoming birthday with her there. As we had about a 30-minute wait, we went across the street to a boutique store called Little Otsu, where I bought a lavender soap and a wonderful travel notebook I could not resist because it had the following German phrases on the front: "Ferne Reisen machen weise. Die Propeller drehen sich. Das Flugzeug gewinnt an Höhe. Reisen bedeutet Leben!" The meaning in English: "Voyages to far-off lands make one wise. The propellers turn. The plane rises. Travel means life!" Was that a suitable motto for me or what? No truer phrase! Alexandra bought greeting cards.
At Pok Pok, Alexandra had two interesting libations of drinking vinegar called Som, one flavored with black pepper; the other with celery. We both shared green papaya salad with cocoanut rice, shredded pork, carrots, shallots, and cilantro. The second dish we shared was spicy sticky chicken wings in a fish sauce, with a side of cucumber relish. All of it was messy but totally wonderful. Ann: buffalo wings just don't quite cut it when it comes to competing against these amazing morsels. Afterwards we walked back to our car, parked in the neighborhood simply because everyone and his dog were interested in this restaurant. The place was packed, and people didn't seem to mind the wait,
We are now back at the condo, and are going to watch the French movie "Maitre de Musique" together after I finish this missive. Tomorrow we wend our way back to Seattle--a 3-hour drive. Great day!
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