Today was our first day of exploring in Portland. At breakfast, we did some research on the attractions of Washington Park – there is a surprising number of them. We found out that the Japanese Garden was, unfortunately, closed until March 2016 and also that the park shuttle was only running on weekends. I guess that is to be expected after Labour Day. We decided to start at the Rose Garden and decide where we should go from there.
We made our way to the park, trying unsuccessfully to stay off the highways – it turns out that almost everywhere in Portland requires some highway travel. We found a parking spot right by the entrance to the Rose Garden and used Portland’s parking app to pay for an hour of parking. We walked around the 8,000 rose bushes, of which there are over 600 separate varieties, and I took a ton of pictures. The aroma given off by the roses was absolutely divine and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring.
After the Rose Garden, we decided to head to the zoo. I again used the app to pay for an hour of parking – I assumed that it would be enough time to explore. As it was the second Tuesday of the month, the admission was only $4 per person, which we both thought was an awesome deal. We wandered through the several of the areas – with me snapping pictures like a mad woman – and then I realized we were running out of time for parking, so I added another hour. As the second hour was running out, we made the decision to stop for the day – mainly due to the heat and being tired. Since we ended up missing quite a few of the exhibits, we decided to add it to our to-do list for next year’s trip.
Mountain Goat
Polar Bear
Visayan Warty Pig
Caracal
California Condor
Southern Gerenuk
Lion
Hippopotamus
Southern Ground Hornbill
Reticulated Giraffe
By this time, it was after two, and we were both quite hungry, so I programmed my GPS to find Industrial Café. According to my GPS, we were only two miles away…two miles that would take up over fifteen minutes to drive. Yet again, we were routed via the highway and even when I got off the stop-and-go traffic of the highway, the GPS tried to put us back on it. I really wish there was a city street only option sometimes. We eventually found the restaurant and I did an awesome parallel parking job, right around the corner – only to find out that I was illegally parked. We continued up the block and I found an even easier spot to park in…and it way legal – yay! We walked back to the restaurant and grabbed a seat by the window. The restaurant is decorated in, what I can only describe as, a steampunk motif. Mum had a Muffuletta sandwich with a salad and I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries. It was absolutely divine.
After lunch, we headed to Kohl’s to look for a couple of things that Mum was interested in. Yet again, I was able to find quite a few things, while Mum was left disappointed. After our shopping, we headed back to the hotel to rest before dinner. We decided to go to Fire on the Mountain Wings’ Fremont location as we have had better luck with parking there and it also has table service. In keeping with tradition, I ordered fried pickles to start…I much prefer the pickles when they are cold so I only had one. Mum also kept with tradition and had her wings with the spicy peanut sauce. I decided to step outside the box this year. This is partly due to their having new sauces that I haven’t tried, but mainly because I cried last time I ordered my wings with El Jefé. I ordered four boneless wings with Bourbon Chipotle, but I’m pretty sure that they gave me six or seven wings. The sauce was absolutely delightful and I grabbed a bottle of it to bring home with me. I also brought home a bottle of Raspberry Habanero sauce…no El Jefé this year.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and, before too long, were ready for bed. This would be the reason that I am a day late posting. Thank you for reading and I will talk to you all soon.
L