After we left Buffalo on our vacation a few weeks ago, Paul and I flew to Portland to attend a second wedding.
I’m going to make an admission here: it was my first trip to Portland, and I didn’t love it. The downtown area where we stayed just didn’t seem all that noteworthy.
To everyone who loves Portland: I’m sorry! This is entirely my opinion and I’m sure that there are many awesome things to do there. I’ve heard there are a lot of beautiful places to see outside the city, for instance, but (except for the shuttle that took us to the wedding site) we were limited to the downtown area where our hotel was located.
There were, of course, some highlights. The night we arrived, Paul and I went to the Portland City Grill, a restaurant on the 30th floor of a building which offers sweeping views of the surrounding area. Also, there was a party the night before the wedding which was held at a great location (I forget the name now). I was able to hang out with some of Paul’s friends that I had previously met in DC and also meet some new people.
The day before the wedding, Paul and I took off on foot to walk around the city and we ended up crossing several bridges. They have a nice waterfront area where a lot of people were taking advantage of the nice weather to walk and jog in the middle of the day.
Here is one of the bridges we walked across…
…and a nice view…
…and a train that wound along by the river.
I also spotted an old grain elevator, which reminded me of the ones I saw in Buffalo.
The wedding itself was held at a great location outside the city. They had folding chairs set up on a lawn, the couple wrote their own vows, the bride’s aunt performed the ceremony, and they used microphones so the attendees could hear what was going on. (I liked that part. This is the first wedding I’ve been to where they’ve done that, and it really helps. Usually I can only hear the person actually performing the ceremony.) There was an octagonal barn nearby where the food, dancing, and shelter from the cool air was available.
Here’s a group of us in front of the barn. Paul and I are in the middle:
(The rest of the photos are in my Portland photoset on Flickr.)
Yeah, you were in the wrong place unfortunately. Portland has tons of great spots and unique things to see, but where you were isn’t one of them. Too bad you didn’t have a chance to actually see the city and venture into the different pockets of the city. I bet you would’ve liked it otherwise. Hopefully you’ll get the chance to come back again and form a better opinion ;)
Exactly what I thought! If I come back, I’ll definitely have to get some better suggestions. :)
You should go with me someday, and then I’ll show you all the little places that make it great. I agree — on the surface, it’s not that amazing. But I love the walkability, the mass transit, and the ability to quickly get out of town and be on trails. Or be in town and be on trails; there’s a giant forest in the middle of Portland (like central park, but even more forested). And there’s a sweet rose garden.
I think part of what makes Portland fun, too, are all the memories I built over so many years of living in or near Portland. But I bet it is a better place to live than to visit unless you really have the time (and knowledge) to delve in. To me, it reads like a much (much much) smaller, less crowded NYC with weirder people.
Those all sound like great things! Not all cities have such a great transportation system, it’s true. And Portland is definitely “weird” (I saw that first hand).
Ooh, I know exactly where that wedding was (I just looked now)! You were super close to where I went to college. Yes, I went to college in the middle of nowhere.