Portland: Me Likey

Maybe you’ve already been there, but last week was my first trip to Portland, Oregon. And while I was confined to a conference room or banquet table of whole grains most of the time, I loved the bits of it that I saw.

Right off the bat, I loved that there was green grass and leaves on trees. Wisconsin is piled under snow and the sky is a backdrop for dead-looking branches.

In the few hours of free time that I had, I took a cab over to the Japanese Gardens, which are supposed to be some of the most beautiful and authentic in the country. I took these photos with my cell phone, so just imagine how lovely they are in person.
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Is it strange that every time I see the phrase, “slippery when wet,” even if it’s stamped onto a bamboo sign in serene Japanese garden, I think of Bon Jovi?
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Second favorite spot? Powell’s Bookstore, a vast collection of new and used books. From Nancy Drew to obscure new poets, this store had it all. I could’ve wandered for hours.

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I also loved that every few feet there was a card tucked under a batch of books with an employee recommendation or miscellaneous note scrawled across it. It felt so…unBarnes & Nobles.

And my third favorite? Actually, this may be the part of Portland I remember the most…

Bob Moore, founder of Bob’s Red Mill whole grain products. I can’t quite explain my fascination with him. I think I am just so in awe of how, at age 40, he took a huge risk and changed the direction of his life…simply because he wanted to. And his steel cut oats are really good. In fact they won the 2009 World’s Best Porridge Contest in Scotland.
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Speaking of food, I have to mention the outstanding meal I had at Andina, a Peruvian restaurant.

This is a lamb stew (the menu describes it as “An old family recipe; lamb shank slow-cooked in the traditional Northern Peruvian style with cilantro, black beer, ají Amarillo, onions and garlic; served with a bean stew and salsa criolla) with Peruvian bread and three dipping sauces – peanut, passion fruit and jalapeno/cilantro.

I ate this meal alone, after several people at the conference and hotel recommend it. And I was totally okay with it. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it. But it was my first time dining alone in a tablecloth-kind-of restaurant and it was much less awkward than I expected. I’m just so glad I did it.

As I am with everything in Portland.

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