UPDATED: February 12, 2021
This is the 7th of a series of posts
dealing with my 2017 trip to Portland, Seattle, and vicinity. I’ve made minor
corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public).
Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of two years later or
to add further clarification. These are
indicated by “NOW”.
Slower day by my standards. Woke up around 4:30
having had about 7 hours sleep, good for this trip. I considered sleeping more
but someone was snoring and my pillow fell off the upper bunk (I hate having to
sleep on upper bunks)
I got a daypass at Providence Park MAX Station
then walked to Director Park (Teachers Fountain there was empty, though it was
running later), Mill Ends Park and Salmon Street Springs (actually running
despite the early hour). I crossed the Willamette River via Hawthorne Bridge
and back. On the way back I saw a couple of "Draw Bridge" signs so I
drew a bridge in my notebook and took a couple photos of the drawing and the
signs.
Unlike last year the fountains at Ira Keller Park
were working. I returned to the hostel and traded in a "breakfast" card
for bagel and free beverage with refill. There was only one bagel left (orange
pumpernickel I think it was). Rather than wait I accepted it and a tea. I
overheard that the refill could be a different drink so I made the refill
orange juice. Due to construction causing a bit of back and forth, I walked
tomorrow's path most of the way to the BoltBus stop so I'd be prepared tomorrow
when I'll be more weighed down.
More walking then a B Loop Portland Streetcar (I
believe the Portland Streetcars are owned by the city, though they accept
TriMet daypasses). I took it to the stop across the water at Tilikum Bridge (I
could have gotten off before Willamette River but was killing time to factor in
when things open). I took the Aerial tram uphill and back. I should have
probably taken more shots at the top before returning especially given the
$4.70 price, which wouldn't be so bad if our dollar was better.
I accidentally got on a NS Line Portland Streetcar
but realized my mistake before the next stop, doubled back, then took a B Loop
train to the Vacuum Museum at Stark's Vacuums. In previous years this free
museum was a thin corridor but it was very well packed. But it was reworked
into a wall space with three rows and way fewer, albeit better described
vacuums. Still given how fewer the range of vacuums are (with a big enough LCD
screen you can get the entire museum display in one photo, I must say this new
museum, well, sucks as figuratively as the vacuums use to literally. Even as a freebie
I cannot recommend the reworked museum unless you happen to be in the area
anyway,
I took a 6 bus (all remaining transportation this
day TriMet) to Title Wave Books, a library bookstore. Like most library stores
items are cheap. Unlike most library bookstore, you can find some really neat
stuff there. I got some comic trades, a DVD, and an encyclopedia of the comics
series Fables. To kill time heading to not yet open stores, I walked instead of
taking the bus to the Mississippi shopping
area, getting a bottled ice tea along the way (partly to fill the bottle
with water during later trips). On Mississippi, CD/Game Exchange was open
early, and Bridge City Comics also opened just before 11 am start time.
[NOW: Title wave Books and CD/Game Exchange have closed.]
I took the 4 bus downtown, thinking it eventually
went along Hawthorne. I overheard the driver tell another passenger it didn't,
so when he transferred to a 14 so did I. I got off near the hostel from my first Portland
trip, then visited Hawthorne Blvd Books, another CD/Game Exchange just off Hawthorne
(got more DVDs), Hawthorne's Powell's Books, then switching to Belmont, Movie
Madness. I didn't find DVDs there at a price I was willing to pay at the
current dollar strength but did take photos of movie memorabilia.
[NOW: CD/Game Exchange has closed.]
I mostly walked, partly took the bus to Sandy
Blvd. There before reaching my destination I had lunch at a Jack in the Box
where the bus stopped. i walked to Cosmic Monkey (comic shops) and then took a
12 bus back downtown, where I visited Floating World Comics and Cameron's Bookstore.
I relaxed a bit at Salmon Street Springs, walked
to Bill Naito legacy Fountain where there was a Saturday Market, returned to
the Springs and cooled off briefly there. Someone had the wrong idea of why I
was there and was unlikely to believe the truth so to avoid any further
conflict, I walked to Mill Ends Park, then Ira Keller Fountain, Director Park,
Target, the Everyday Music on Burnside (the one I visited on Tuesday), the
Saturday Market again, and Mill Ends Park one final time (due to how early my
bus is tomorrow I'm unlikely to visit tomorrow).
[NOW: I was right about not being able to get to
Mill Ends Park the next day.]
I had dinner at the Fifth Ave Subway (same one as
Wednesday) then visited Powell's (sneaked in a couple of indoor shots that I
think represent the layout of the store pretty well) then Director's Park. I
took a Red Line MAX train back to Providence Park MAX Station. I briefly
wandered some more then returned to the hostel. Earlier in the day I found that
for breakfast cards you can use then for $3 off items but not cumulatively. So
this time I checked and you can use on $32 or less items, and used a second
card for a free cookie.
I reworked my bags. While I bought a lot of DVDs etc.
in Portland, not as much as two years ago so I should be okay for the BoltBus. Someone
had tossed my beer bag but left the beer in the fridge but I found the bag at
the top of the recycling bin and retrieved it. As I was typing this in the
drinking area, a guy talking to some women went through a period of laughing
loudly at his own words but he quieted down.
[NOW: I wanted that bag as a trip souvenir, as
there is no Fred Meyer’s in Canada.]
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