Today was our public transit day. We started out with some leftovers at the hotel and then headed over to the MAX line, which was a quick walk from the hotel. The weather was cool and slightly overcast, but the forecast promised nicer weather as the day wore on. Our first stop was Starbucks for a coffee for Mum and a Chai Tea Latte for me, before heading to TJ Maxx for some shopping. Yet again, I did quite well, but this time, Mum also got a few things. Our next stop was Payless, followed by Macy’s – these stops were not as productive, unfortunately. By this time the library was open, so we headed over to take some pictures.
After exploring the library, we headed to lunch at Blueplate Lunch Counter. We had put this restaurant on our list of places to visit on our first trip; however, we had never been able to make it there on any of our prior trips. I had a homemade Eastern Connection soda – made with orange, ginger, lemongrass and lime leaf – to start, followed by Northwest Sliders. Mum had the grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. We both enjoyed our lunches, finishing them fully, and wished that we had come here sooner.
After lunch, it was time for our annual Powell’s Books visit. We normally allow for a couple of hours for browsing, but only spent about thirty minutes…partly due to our not wanting to walk around lugging our purchases for the rest of the day. Once we were done at Powell’s, it was time to head back to the hotel. One issue that I have with Powell’s is that it is several blocks from the MAX line. We stopped partway along for a pit stop at Target and also grabbed lemonades at Starbucks. Once we were refreshed, we continued the couple of blocks to the MAX stop. Luckily, there was a bench and Mum was able to rest while we waited. On the ride back the hotel, we had a great view of Mt. Hood as we crossed the river, and, as we were leaving the MAX station, I caught a glimpse of Mt. St. Helens…very cool.
Around seven o’clock, we headed back downtown for dinner. We decided to return to Frank’s Noodle House – a Food Network stop that we visited last year. We started with an order of spring rolls – a necessity at any Chinese restaurant. Mum followed with Kung Pao Chicken over noodles, and I had Cashew Chicken with rice. We both had our meals at spice level 4, although I think it was a tad bit hotter last year. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and turned in for the night. After walking almost 10 kilometres, I’m surprised we lasted as long as we did.
Thank you for reading and I will talk to you soon.
L
