Portland, OR

I flew into Portland, Oregon this morning and it was love at first sight for me. I don't know Portland's feeling on the matter.  Oregon from above is breathtaking, straight from Outdoor magazine. Mount Hood seemed as though it was in touching distance and i could almost smell the damp wood and fern of the forests that surrounded it.  It appeals to the romantic side of me that would give up the city in a NY minute to go live in the woods with some big hairy woodsman and chop logs, cook on an old Aga and drink copious amounts of wine after spending the day Kayaking. Alas, i have to be back in NY for meetings by Wednesday so it's unlikely.

I am stopping in Portland en route to a friends wedding in Union, WA which is about 2.5 hours drive north from here.  It's actually closer to Seattle but i've been there and have always wanted to visit Portland.  So i flew a day in advance of the wedding to relax and will take an easy drive up there tomorrow morning.

I certainly need to relax, yesterday i avoided a catastrophe of epic proportions and my heart is still trying to get back to it's resting rate.  In short, i nearly set fire to my bridesmaid dress. (Gosh Elicia oh lovely bride-to-be, i hope you are not reading this!!)  It was like something out of a bad movie similar to 27 dresses or something equally pitiful and crap .  I was tired/ hungover sightly and was packing. I put one of my bedside lamps on the floor to look for a rogue shoe under the bed. When i found it, i took the dresses i was bringing to the wedding, the rehearsal dress, the post wedding brunch dress and of course The bridesmaid Dress that was in a black plastic suit cover and threw them onto my bed.  Then i went out.  I had planned to be out all day but before heading into the city for a work meeting i popped home for something. Shortly thereafter i smell what i thought was burning hair. I explored the apartment and my life flashed before my eyes when i saw the light of my lamp muffled by dresses.  I pulled the dresses off and found one of the them completely stuck to the lamp. I now have a scorched $300 dress that i have only worn once and had planned to wear for the rehearsal dinner with a hole i could put my fist through. The cream vintage underslip has a matching hole and i have a pink skirt with slight scorch mark.  What about the Bridesmaid dress though...well, at first i thought it made it out unscathed but unfortunately not.  To my horror, utter horror, the lamp had burned the plastic cover and it was stuck to the dress. I pulled it off and it left me with about a 2 inch patch of burnt plastic attached to the dress.  It took several hours of painstakingly picking at it with tweezers to remove it.  The dress is cornflower blue so it was very noticeable. Now i am left with what looks like a 2 inch fluffy bleach stain on the front of the dress where the top layer of the fabric was pulled off and i am going to just hope that the bride doesn't notice.  It will be funny after. Hilarious in fact. Right now...i am shitting myself she'll see it.  I could of burned my apartment down...i hadn't even thought about that. Idiot.

So i've spent the day unwinding. I took the Max Light Rail to Downtown Portland and took myself on an outdoor public art walk.  I sat and had a 'Honkin' Huge Burrito' in Pioneer Sq and watched an outdoor concert while i got my bearings.  I got hit on, which was flattering. What is it with me and the jobless and homeless?

Talking of which, Portland has that in common with Seattle. As with Seattle i've notice a large youth homeless population here. More meth and heroin addicts than you see in NY where the homeless seem to be of the older boozed up variety. I think it's unexpected and perhaps more noticeable because it's in stark contrast to the wholesome, green, healthy Portland that the city promotes.  Does everyone own a mountain bike? I've spent the whole day sneezing just because the air is so fresh and my nose is completely freaked out.

It seems more shocking to see a group of strung out crack addicts huddled around a coke can with the glorious Mount Hood as the backdrop rather than compared to some back alley on the L.E.S where it's almost expected. I have seen more open drug taking here in one day than i have seen in a whole year in NY. At the same time, every panhandler i've met today (i've met a few!) have been incredibly polite when i've declined to give them any money. (I bought one guy a burrito instead )I get called a bitch at least once a day in NY.

I stopped by the much recommended Powell's Book Store which is the largest second hand book store in the country, possibly the world and spent far too much time getting lost in the travel section.  I also stopped by Voodoo Donuts, a donut hole-in-the wall place i heard about from a guy in the camera store where i bought the ridiculously attractive Leica Lux-2. Ma, bad. I only went in for a battery.  Voodoo's slogan is "The Magic Is In The Hole". You can buy panties.  I'll be sending the donut photo and little blurb into Bret at The Blog Nut

I walked through Chinatown, Old Town, Pearl District which i liked a lot and reminded me a lot of Austin, TX.  I finished up by walking along the river and over the very cool Steel Bridge.

Now, after a work out in the hotel gym i'm all about cable TV.  

Miles travelled: 2,896 

Currently Reading: Sellevision - Augusten Burroughs

Currently Listening to: 'Portland, Oregon' - Loretta Lynn, 'Mount Washington' - Beth Orton

Movies Watched: Drillbit Taylor  - Owen Wilson/Apatow number.