Day 10: Remember to stop and smell the roses

Heading out of Spokane barely 12 hours after I arrived I was now on my way to Portland.

Portland was a different stop on the trip. Up until this point each stop had a fairly significant purpose. The zoo in Cincinnati, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore etc. etc. Portland didn’t have one of those. I was going to Portland, simply because I wanted to go to Portland. Sure I had a few restaurants in mind that I wanted to hit. A dish to try here or a drink to get there, but that was all. No big site to see or place to visit.

I arrived in Portland at around 2pm. I checked into my hotel and headed to my room. My hotel I should add had no power because of an underground fire that happened yesterday. The front desk said they should have power back between 5:30 and 9pm. It didn’t bother me all that much because I hadn’t planned on spending a whole lot of time in the room. So I headed up to drop my stuff off.

The hotel was 100% everything you would think of if you were told to imagine a hotel based on every Portland stereotype you know. There were sitting areas with couches where you’d almost expect to see people sitting drinking organically grown coffee. The stair case was wooden and creaky, the furnishing was very trendy and chic. I won’t lie I dug it. So I get to my room and I open the door, with the actual key they gave me I might add, and I walk into far and away the best room I’ve stayed in on the trip so far and possibly the best room I’ve ever stayed in period.

The bathroom had a sliding wooden plank door, the shower was separate with clear glass from ceiling to floor, the bed lay low to the ground in the middle of the room behind a half wall, the desk was a long narrow piece of wood almost similar to a bar top with two old chairs that looked like they were recycled from an old school, the white walls were decorated with a black painting of a bird, and the one window looked out over the street. As I sit here trying to describe it I decided I needed to actually get up and take pictures of it so you all can see how cool this room was.

Anyway, after dropping my stuff off I walked over to a place called Brix Tavern. My cousin who had gone on her own cross country excursion a few years ago recommended it so I checked it out. It was worth it. I sat outside at a table right off the sidewalk in the shade of some trees and enjoyed the 80 degree day. I went at Happy Hour and I got the smoked bacon Mac and Cheese, 2 turkey sliders and 2 drinks. Everything was wonderful. However, the best part of the meal came when a gentleman came up to my table and asked if he could join me. He too wanted to enjoy the gorgeous weather and I had the only table with open seats outside. I gladly welcomed him. His name was Oliver and soon we were joined by one of his friends whose name I did not catch. We sat there and talked about sports. I told them I was from right outside Boston and they groaned and lamented over the success that our teams have. I told them about the trip and we discussed different places we’ve been. Oliver said he was originally from Dallas and has been in Portland for 8 years. It was small talk, but it was fun. The time came for me to get going and I thanked Oliver and his friend for joining me. They thanked me for sharing my table and told me to have a safe rest of my trip. It was a great lunch. Not just for the food and drink but because I really appreciated being able to sit and talk and get to know those guys. I probably won’t ever see either of them again, but it was a fantastic change of pace from talking to bartenders and eating by myself.

I walked back to my car and decided to go check out the International Rose Garden in Washington Park. It was exactly what the name implies. It was a garden of all different types of roses. Rows and rows of rose bushes. It was great. I sauntered along and looked at all the different colors and types. In no rush to go anywhere or do anything. Just enjoying the warm breeze and finally relaxing. After the whirlwind of a day that Spokane was I was graciously accepting of this downtime. After I got a few pictures of the roses I decided to go back to my room and get cleaned up for dinner.

I walked over to a cafe I had read about called Huber’s. They were established in 1879 and are famous for their Spanish Coffee. I walked in an got a table and placed my order. A hot Spanish Coffee and a turkey club. In short order a waiter came over with all the ingredients for the drink. Bacardi 151, Bols Triple Sec, Kahlua, and coffee. He poured the Bacardi and triple sec into a glass and lit them on fire. He swirled the flame around as he added in the Kahlua then the coffee and finished it with fresh whipped cream and nutmeg. The table side show was entertaining and the drink was good. Even for someone who never drinks coffee I enjoyed it. I could easily see how it could get someone into trouble though because I was having a difficult time tasting any alcohol at all in it. So I sipped my coffee and ate my club. I gazed around the room, feeling almost like I was in The Godfather. The waiters all wore long floor length aprons and black armbands on each arm. The entire place looked very much out of the 50s. I finished up my meal knowing I had one more stop to hit before heading back to the hotel for the night.

I walked up the street to Voodoo Donuts. I’d seen it a number of times on Food Network and knew I had to scope it out. I scanned the menu as I stood in line. With so many choices and knowing I was somewhat limited to getting a max of probably 2 donuts the decision was difficult. There were cereal covered donuts, donuts with crude nicknames, donuts covered in candy, donuts shaped like tiaras, the choices were seemingly endless. I decided on the Portland Cream and the Mango Tango. The Portland Cream was labeled as the Official Donut of Portland so I had to have it if I was going to obey my own rule of eating anything with official in the name. And the Mango Tango was dusted with Tang. Do I need any more reason than that?

Knowing I would probably regret it later, I ate both of them. They were both absolutely delicious. The Portland Cream was seemingly nothing more than a regular Boston Creme, but the Mango Tango was outta this world. It was a cake donut filled with mango jam and covered in white frosting and dusted with Tang. I thoroughly enjoyed my decadent desserts. Before sitting down to write this I say back and reflected on the day as I typically do. This day wasn’t one that was well planned. I had a general idea of what I wanted to see but no strict time guidelines or anything like that. I sat longer than I would have at Brix and enjoy conversation with Oliver. I walked the Rose Garden and took pictures. It was the most relaxing day I’ve had so far and I can safely say I needed it. Having a plan is great. It has allowed me to stay on track and see a ridiculous amount in 10 days. But sometimes just relaxing and taking things as they come can be just as good.

Onto Redwood National Park for the next 2 days. I doubt I’ll have much service so I’ll catch up with you guys in San Francisco!