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My First Day In Portland

March 07, 2007 // 3 Comments  // Add yours »

I'm in Portland, Oregon for the the week for the Associated Collegiate Press National College Newspaper Convention.  I recently signed on to become the online editor of my school's newspaper so they offered me a free trip to come out here for the convention, and I couldn't refuse.

The trip out here was kinda rough.  I had to get to SCSU by 4am to catch the bus, and I had decided not to sleep the night before.  The temperature this morning was brutal.  It couldn't have been more then a couple of degrees above zero, and we had to wait outside for the bus until 430 so it really sucked.  The plane ride was like any plane ride, minus any type of movie or visual entertainment.  We transfered in Chicago, and by that time I was so tired I could hardly stand.  We finally made it to Portland around 4:30 in the afternoon and grabbed a taxi to the Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel, where we all unpacked and took it easy for about an hour.

Once everybody was settled in we met up in the lobby and went out to find a place to eat dinner.  We ended up going into this small restaurant/wine bar down the street from our hotel.  I made the mistake of getting a pizza, which was tasted alright but was NOT what I'd call a pizza at all.  I should have learned by now that I should never get pizza out of NYC metropolitan area or Chicago.

From there we walked around for a bit, and split into our own little groups to go do some shopping.  I wasn't really in a mood to spend money on stuff I could buy back home so I walked off on my own and explored the city a bit.  At night we all just hung out in the hotel and went swimming in the pool and hot tub.  Now I'm just taking it easy and I'm gonna head to bed soon.  I'm really exhausted from all the travel, and I'd like to get a lot done tomorrow.

Portland's an interesting city.  It's about 80 miles in from the Oregon coast, and it's nestled in between evergreen covered mountains on both it's North, South, and East side.  There's tons of parks within the cities boarders, and lots of trees and vegetation.  There's many restaraunts/Starbucks/bars and theaters.  I've noticed a lot of young homeless/run-aways hanging out all over the downtown area.  I'm assuming that Portland must be a very homeless-friendly city because it seems to me like they flock here.  It's not that they bother you, you just can't help but notice them everywhere.

Portland's known for it's abundance of micro-breweries.  But I haven't been to any just yet, I'll try and go visit some tonight.  Some of the other things I'd like to do while I'm out here is visit the Oregon coast, and either take a trip up to Mt. Hood or Mt. St. Helens.  I'm limited on time because I have to do some things at the conference during the daytime.

I shot some video but unfortunately I forgot to bring the wire I need to get it online.  I'm going to try to find one while I'm out here so check back later.  I also didn't get to take too many pictures today.  We were moving around at a fast pace and urban settings don't excite me all that much.  I'll shoot a lot more tomorrow.  Check the Newest Pics album.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Portland, Travel | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (3)

Comments:

If I preach anything about life, you KNOW it's: DO NOT EAT PIZZA OUTSIDE THE TRI-STATE AREA

Nobody ever listens to meeeeee

Posted on: Mar 8, 2007 3:08:20 PM

I always tell every one not to eat pizza away from home. Once upstate New York, my dad and I got a piza that was so doughy and soggy we were like, "Ilk, this is nasty!"

Posted on: Mar 8, 2007 4:21:15 PM

I used to live in Portland. If you get a chance check out Powells bookstore on 10th and Burnside downtown. It is one of the largest bookstores there is. I think you would enjoy it. Also, if you like coffee joints and I don't mean Starbucks check out Anna Bannannas. They also have a good Chi Tea.

Posted on: Mar 8, 2007 11:40:17 PM

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