Across Country: Portland

We have just over a week left before we make another cross country road trip. It's hard to say goodbye to all of the great friends we have made and all of the cool places we have grown accustomed to visiting and seeing on a daily basis. I know the pups are going to miss the awesome city parks here and the no leash laws. I'm gonna miss the spectacular views that follow me everywhere as I drive through the city and the countryside. Both Tim and I are gonna miss the abundance of delicious beers and ciders and wines that the Northwest seems to effortlessly produce. I'm gonna miss my art store job a lot. I'm sure Tim is gonna miss the always perfect running weather. Not to say that we aren't really excited to be back at all of our old haunts and to be able to have all of those familiar faces, places, smells, flavors, and feelings again. We definitely needed the break to be able to appreciate it all once more. And now we do. We've changed, but just the right amount to be able to come back and see it all a little differently, in a better light.

This time things are quite different. We will not be selling everything we own. We won't be renting a U-haul either, because we have some amazing friends here that own a moving company(Redefyne Moving). The planets aligned and they secured a move to the East Coast and were able to offer us a great deal. That means that we don't have to rent a U-haul or move any of our stuff ourselves. I've got to say it's the best way to move, to have someone else do it all for you is just tops. So we get to drive in a practically empty car, Spike the Honda Fit. We have bought him all new tires and changed his oil and he is all ready to go. We'll be taking the northern route, passing through North Eastern Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, a tiny bit of Maryland and West Virginia, and finally Virginia. We'll stop to see Mt. Rushmore and a few other landmarks. It will only take three nights and four days this time, as apposed to last time when it took 6 long, long days. All of our drives our relatively short, only about 12 hours a day except for the last leg from Chicago to Richmond. I can see that being a very trying day on the animals and us, clocking in at nearly 14 hours of driving without stops. But then it will all be over, and Julian and Iggy the cats will go to live in the woods for a while with my Mommy. Tim and I and the pups will stay with my sister for a bit until we figure out where and how we want to live. So in that aspect the move is pretty similar to last time when we had no jobs and no prospects. But this time we will have friends and family to help us along, and the advantage of knowing our way around a few of the cities.

This last week we have a few things left to do. Besides finishing packing, we have planned one last trip. We are going to visit Crater Lake and the Umpqua National Forest's hot springs. Then we'll stay the night in Bend, OR and take the next day to explore Bend and the Oregon deserts a bit. For the rest of the week we have planned to just enjoy the city. There will be lots of eating and lounging in the sun. Maybe a little shopping at the Saturday Market and at some vintage stores on Hawthorne. Mostly just relaxing because we know our lives are about to get pretty hectic. Truthfully, that's when we thrive. So now it's ready, set, go time.

This past week Tim and I decided to take a three day trip North. We aren't really the city vacation type, but we figured we should give Seattle and Vancouver(British Columbia) a try. We wanted to do a mix of touristy things and a little bit of just driving around, exploring the city on our own. As usual, we took the pups.

We started with Seattle, which is just a short three hour drive from Portland. On the first day we went to the Experience the Music Project Museum, which was particularly underwhelming. They might as well rename it the Nirvana Museum, but even then it would be lacking. Besides the Nirvana exhibit, there was a Jimi Hendrix exhibit and a AC/DC exhibit that was closed for remodeling. The other main part of the museum was an upper floor that felt like I was walking into a Guitar Center. They had lots of stations set up with different instruments that one could play. And they had these "Jam" rooms where groups could go in and, you know, just jam. Well, I can do that at home, thank you very much. I'm sure for most people who don't play any music themselves and really have no real knowledge or interest in music and it's histories, this museum would suffice and even be exciting for them. But for Tim and I, it seemed a complete waste of space, time, and our $30. I could have walked into a Guitar Center for free.

The one redeeming quality of this museum was a special exhibit that was attached to the Sci-fi half of it (which I didn't mention in the previous statement because it was literally just a gift shop and an Avatar room). This special part was the horror movie exhibition that had a bunch of artifacts and videos and things. It could have been a bit better, but compared to what we had already seen from this "museum," it was impressive.

After the EMP, we had a really bad lunch at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it, the West Coast just doesn't know how to make good(or even edible) Chinese food. After lunch we thought about going to see the Space Needle, but after driving by it, we decided not to waste our time. It looked smaller than the Eiffel Tower at Kings Dominion. Really, really silly and small. Instead we took a drive through the city and ended up at Pikes Place Market, another touristy attraction. We were not that impressed, although the weather was quite sunny and warm, the market just wasn't what we had envisioned. We found ourselves outside of the original Starbucks, and, mainly because I had a gift card, decided to check it out. It was actually the best Starbucks we had ever had. They must put extra flavor shots in or use better coffee or something, because it was definitely better than normal. After a failed drive around the city to find a nice park to walk the dogs, we retired to our hotel, generally disgruntled.

The next morning we were excited to get out of Seattle and head towards the border. We thought for sure that Canada would be prettier, cleaner, and all around better than Seattle. Boy were we wrong...

Vancouver was set right up against some gorgeous mountains and their parks did seem quite nice, but the people, oh the awful people. We thought drivers from Maryland were aggressive. Well I have never been beeped at, cut off, and flicked off so many time in one drive before. It was insane! They were just plain rude. We again tried to find a dog park so that the pups could run around, but I suppose since we have been living in Portland we have become spoiled by there gorgeous park system. All of the off leash areas were just fenced in mulch areas like back in Richmond when we used to go to Byrd Park. So disappointing! Even though driving was generally nerve-wracking, we decided to take a few hours and tour the city. We drove from the water to the mountains and then to the hotel.

The next day we wanted to ensure our last stop would be a good one, so we went to the Granville Market. It was loads better than the market in Seattle! Cleaner and more varied, it had a lot more charm than Pikes. We got some decent falafel with real tahini (and not that crappy tzatziki that they serve with it all around Portland). Then as we were leaving the market, we saw across the street a store for an acrylic paint that is made in Vancouver. We went in and I talked to the man who makes the paint(kromaacrylics.com) and, long story short, by the time we left he had given me a jar of crackle medium and a book about the Granville Market! Having good falafel and talking to the paint master completely made the trip worth it in my book!

On the drive home we stopped for lots of milkshakes and french fries. It rained the whole time we drove. While I wouldn't say the trip was that great, I am glad we took it because it has affirmed our original decision, that Portland is tops in the Northwest. It's the bees knees really. A shiny gem comparatively. I'm so glad we live here and get to soak up all that the city has to offer us, even if they don't have tahini.

Our pre-vacation dinner the night before. Nachos!

Arriving in Seattle.

The Space Needle, another let down, Seattle.

Scary alien in the horror exhibit.

Super scary Creature from the Black Lagoon mask!

Critter!

I think that's an alien from that movie with the aliens.

Edwards Scissors Hand's hands!

A stick from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I took picture because I know how much my sister and brother love Buffy.

Jack Torrance's ax from the shining. It wasn't very sharp...

Needs no description.

They had a scream booth that took
our pictures while we screamed.

Pikes Place Market entrance.

At the first Starbucks.

Very original.

Mmm... caramel frappucino...

Mmm... mocha...

Driving to our hotel in Seattle. I have no clue what mountain that is...

Passing Seattle again on our way to Vancouver. Stupid tiny Space Needle...

The Cascades followed us the entire way from Portland to Vancouver and back.

The Canadian Border.

Had to switch the GPS over to kilometers. Except they would spell it kilometres.

I still have no clue how to convert these to miles.

Haha, Richmond. There's always a Richmond.

You can see the city skyline up against the mountains.

They like to build vertically in Canada.

My favourite color of boats.

Yep, a Chevron floating in the water.

The big mountains make the big city look so little.

Argus!

Weird statues.

They only had like two bridges. That's not enough bridges for a whole big city like that!

A london bus.

Canadians like weird statues.

Haha haha, cheque.

Haha haha, Owl Drugs. Most of our driving around was just laughing at silly things.

After about an hour of driving, Tim refused and made me drive for the rest of the time we were in Canada.
So I would just laugh and wave my arms about wildly when the other
motorists would beep at us and make their rude gestures.
This is my confused face.