We have returned from our Portland/Sunriver whirlwind journey. It was awesome. We managed to cram in everything necessary to a trip to the Northwest: Portland eateries, micro brews, and coffee; family, friends, people watching, and the great outdoors.
Upon arrival we had a brief, beautiful dinner with some of our favorite people at Proper Eats in North Portland. Then we checked in at the Hotel Lucia, which had real apples in a row on its street sign and the nicest bed I have ever slept on. The hotel was very cool – the walls and elevators are covered with framed black and white photographs, many of them autographed. The decor is a subtle kind of fifties mod look, and there are live plants in the rooms. Extra awesome: our room had two bathrooms. (Sharing a bed is one thing, but sharing a bathroom is a level of intimacy best avoided, as far as I’m concerned.)
We were right downtown, so we were able to stroll all over the west side. We revisited nearly all of the old haunts; Scott’s condo, the waterfront, my old apartment and the bar beneath it. The bar was a little odd; since we moved, the smoking laws in Portland have strengthened. It was strange to stick my head into the Commie and not immediately be enveloped by a cloud of smoke. It seemed wrong, somehow. They’ve also changed the cheap little greasy spoon diner on the bottom floor to an italian restaurant. Also weird.
At Couch park they have fenced in the children – obviously to keep them out of the dog park. Stumptown coffee is almost unrecognizable; the decor is the same, but the clientele has gone entirely from scruffy bikers and downtown punks to shiny businesspeople and tourists. So that was also odd. We ran along the waterfront and across the Hawthorne bridge while cyclists blew by us. I reveled in being so close to water again while we watched the sun come up over the east side. We ate at Hot Lips and Laughing Planet. Scott took beautiful photos at the rose garden and at a dog park in Sellwood where the dogs can play in the river.(!!!) We walked by the library and took a picture of Rox’s special column.
After Portland, we drove through the mountains to a resort community outside of Bend called Sunriver to meet up with my family and go to a legal conference. I went to CLEs (that’s “Continuing Legal Education classes”) and met attorneys while Scott rode all over the lava land trails with my sister’s significant other. In addition to spectacular skill there was also a spectacular wreck – thankfully on the last day – which made the return journey a little rough. Nobody was seriously hurt, though witnesses say Scott actually flew. Apparently there will be a video forthcoming that will show Scott’s cycling badassery. I’ll keep you posted.
I did manage a few extra curricular activities in Sunriver as well. There was an absolutely gorgeous hike with the rest of the Stebbins women, which would have been slightly more awesome had there been fewer mutant mosquitoes, and a float down the Deschutes river in inner tubes with my mom, some siblings, and a cooler full of Ninkasi Spring Reign. Best of all, Scott and I had our own little cabin with it’s own private hot tub, and a tame deer that stopped by in the morning to eat the scrub by the driveway and let us stare at her from a foot away.
We also played the new songs for a tiny private audience, which was appropriately appreciative. (supportive families are good for musicians)
It was a really excellent experience. Obviously. I will try and talk some photos out of the photographers on the trip to post shortly.
I love the feedback. Must revisit Portland soon. About those shiny business people and tourists at Stumptown: are they perhaps scruffy bikers and downtown punks in costume?
We wondered that as well – like maybe they were in their I-had-to-grow-up-and-get-a-job clothes, but they weren’t necessarily older than the previous crowd, just shinier.