10 Things I Learned in Portland

I took a weekend trip to Portland with a girlfriend and had a great time. Neither of us had been there before so it was an adventure. We screamed tourist by standing on the corner with umbrellas (can you  imagine?!) and maps trying to figure out which direction was east. Here are a few fun facts I picked up along the way.

1. The Japanese Botanical Garden is supposed to be one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. It was pretty, but I think it would have been more impressive when the plants and flowers are actually in bloom.

2. Ditto for the Rose Garden.

3. The iPhone camera is pretty decent. No editing here!

 4. I am impressed by bridges. Living in a desert, I don't see them often and I think they are cool.

 5. Portland has cooler toilets than us. I had the privilege of using this one at a restaurant. It had a heated seat (nice since it was cold outside) and different fountain options. There was even a dryer for after using the fountain.

6. Powell's bookstore is one of the biggest in the world. It takes a full city block and has 5 stories. Since we went there to use the bathroom I had to exit quickly because I was totally overwhelmed.

7. There are lots of boutique shops that sell really unique items like these tennis ball chairs. After posing for this picture, we noticed the "Please do no sit on chairs" signs. Oops.

8. Wicked is AWESOME!

9. There cherry blossoms were in bloom and they were lovely. And we didn't have to pay $9.50 to see them.

10. Portland is cold. And windy. And rainy. I was sorely unprepared for the weather. My souvenir was this pair of gloves from the Saturday Market. We were freezing and it was the best $10 I spent on the trip.

I think next time I visit Portland, I won't do it in March.