Portland Trip (Day 4)

It was our last day in this city, so Alesha suggested we take a walk around the Alphabet District before checking-out. I was impressed by the architecture of this apartment building on NW 24th Avenue. Ironic on how I worked on the feature before I left to go on this trip. This area is so cool! It consists of a lot of historic buildings, boutiques, and restaurants. It's a good thing Alesha had the idea to come here because I never would have thought of it. It wasn't even that far from where we were staying. It was just a short walk away! I also got a chance to get rid of all the US rolled coin I'd been holding on to. We were also close to this baseball stadium. Check out their bike lockers here! Here comes our free ride downtown! We went directly to Voodoo Doughnut to pick something up for our train ride back home. The line-up was so long! We must have waited almost an hour, but we killed the time chatting with the people beside us. It kind of reminded me of the Olympics in Vancouver. Look at what these guys picked-up! That doughnut is fucken so huge! Finally inside! The place has gotten so many good reviews, hence the long line-up. Their menu... They only accept cash, so be prepared. After buying a half-dozen doughnuts, we were off to catch our train. Another fucken line-up! Looks like someone else had the same idea. "All aboard!" It's a pretty sweet train ride. The pink box... Upon Elizabeth's recommendation, I ordered a couple of Bacon Maple Bars! Initially, they looked funny, but they were so good, I decided to save one for Angela. That's the Fremont Bridge! "Bye-bye Portland." :( I really enjoyed the city, it's food, and their love of bicycles! Love at first bite. The sun was starting to set midway through our trip. There were a bunch of scenic moments on this train. I got Ivar's Clam Chowder again! This time, I got better shots of this bridge on the way back. Finally, back in Vancouver only to wait in another long line-up! I was starting to get pissed. Big thanks to Angela for picking us up at the station!!! She's so awesome!!!

Portland Trip (Day 1)

Alesha and I got-up pretty early in the morning to catch our train at the Pacific Central Station. Here's our choo-choo train, the Amtrak Cascades. I was pretty excited because it was my first time riding on this line. We sat in Coach, but it was actually pretty comfortable in this car. The Badger and I on our way... I was trying to keep an eye out for Clark Kent running beside us. Passing under a couple of bridges in Everett... We also had a waterfront view from here! I can practically see down the whole train from here. LOL! Alesha and I had to watch the same movie (Picnic at Hanging Rock) on separate computers because neither of us had an audio splitter for our headphones. I finally was able to order the Ivar's Clam Chowder on our train. I tried to get it earlier, but it wasn't ready yet. Yay, after almost 9 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Portland! "That's Union Station!" So, this is how it looks inside. Train stations must have the same architect or something. ;) Here comes a MAX Light Rail! This train is free within the downtown core, so we took it to an Enterprise Rent-A-Car Centre. It's so spacious inside! Oh man, they've got hanging bike racks in here! I like this city. Inside our suite at the Park Lane Suites & Inn... I'm sleeping out here. The kitchen... This is Alesha's bedroom. Her POV... The washroom... After we settled-in, Alesha and I drove down to Milwaukie to pick-up my cousin, Gloria! This was our first time meeting each other. We've talked on the phone and emailed each other on a bunch of occasions, but we never got to meet in person until now! We all went out for dinner at Pok Pok! I really wanted to eat at this place ever since I saw it featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". It was busy here! There were a lot of people waiting in-line too! Ate Gloria ordered the Yam Khai Dao. I had the Muu Paa Kham Waan. Alesha got Tam Kai Yaang. I also ordered their Cha Yen, but it wasn't sweet enough. I did enjoy my meal though. First cousins... Posing with the Badger... And now all of us! After dinner, we drove down to Clackamas Town Center for a little shopping. Look what I saw at the StarWarstore.com! It's the Millennium Falcon! This is a special edition model by Master Replicas. Ate Gloria and Yoda... One more shot of my favourite Corellian Freighter. It was great to finally meet you, Ate Gloria!!!