Sitting in Starbucks in Portland, Oregon. Sky? Overcast. Air? Cool and damp. It's early. 7:10 am and we're waiting to eat breakfast at Byways Cafe, a place I learned about on the Food Network. Probably Triple D. While we did a lot yesterday, to me vacation starts today.
Yesterday we caught our plane to Minneapolis-St. Paul. it wasn't raining when we left for the airport but it sure was when we left the ground! From Detroit to the Twin Cities, we were enveloped in clouds and buffeted by turbulence. Not my favorite thing, flying, and certainly not when it's bumpy! Thank goodness the three and a half hour flight from there to Portland was smooth. We arrived on time. 1:00, their time; 4:00, ours.
First stop - The Japanese Garden. The world was dripping but it clearly didn't stop people from jogging, biking, getting married, or strolling the gardens. So, we joined them.
It was a wet wonderland. Ferns, moss, groomed trees, giant evergreens, water features, rock gardens, Asian architecture and statues. Everything glistened with moisture and yet conveyed serenity. A small, perfect gem in the city.
Our next stop was The Alibi, an establishment serving food and beverages since the 1800's at this location but in a Polynesian decor since 1947. From the outside we were first impressed by the wonderful neon sign. The surrounding area, however, led me to underestimate what we would find inside.
You enter through a drumlike foyer that opens almost immediately to the bar. It took time for our eyes to adjust to the darkness which proved a benefit as that way we could focus on bits and pieces at a time. What improved vision revealed was a wealth of Tiki decor, clean and stylish -- at least from the point of view of a couple of Tiki lovers.
Roger ordered his Singapore Sling, which was on the menu and was probably the closest he's had since he started his search for the genuine thing. We hadn't planned on dining there but jalapeno jack mac and cheese for $2.95, lasagne for the same, and homemade beef barley soup for $1.95 proved to be too tempting to pass up. We left well satisfied.
Next we headed to White Eagle, a brew pub, for good beer and surprisingly, bluegrass entertainment. A great IPA and a wonderful back bar plus enthusiastic music made this a good stop. A block away was Widmer's, a much larger establishment that, while perhaps older, felt newer. Another sampling of brews, all great.
From there we headed for where we had intended to eat all along, Podnah's, another Triple D discovery. Podnah's was small, nestled in a neighborhood setting. Neither of us needed more to eat but when in BBQ land... The pulled pork sandwiches were moist, meaty, tender, and had a spicey kick. Adding the red BBQ sauce helped but my mouth continued to burn a while after we left which is not a bad thing if you like hot and spicey. Roger also ordered potato salad and pinto beans. I had black-eyed pea salad. In our defense, I want to report that we did not drink all the beer or eat all the food we ordered on this day's foray. Wasteful, yes; but, not waist full.
Our last stop was Doc George's Jazz Cafe, a tasteful establishment with all the tables displaying "Reserved" cards, a very good sign. Of course, we neither needed food nor drink but as we saddled up to the bar, we ordered decaf for me and O'Doule's for Rog. We also ordered bread pudding to share as our dessert. A trio of guitar, bass, and drums started playing at 7:30 (10:30 pm our time). We stayed for two songs and headed to our hotel.
After a bit of lost time, literally, we found our motel and crashed in a lumpy bed for the night.
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