Portlandia

Place: Portland, Oregon

We spent a day in Portland, Oregon. There are two major draws to the city: Powell’s Books, a three-block colossus dedicated to the written word, and the lack of sales tax. We were pulled by the latter. It’s a great place to pick up big ticket items and sidestep hundreds of dollars of extra costs, particularly since Washington has a high sales tax rate.

There are a few things you notice right off the bat about Portland. First is the public transportation. There are road lanes dedicated to buses and a light rail that goes almost everywhere. Team that up with the self-sorting recycling bins on every street corner and you have a very green city. 

The next thing we both noticed is the helpfulness of the people. In roughly two minutes, we saw a young man give up his seat to an older gentleman and someone assisting a handicapped person. The sales people we dealt with were efficient, well-informed, and willing to go the extra mile to help us navigate.

Speaking of service people, I have to put in a plug for the Portland City Grill. While we were in the Apple store, Ruyman asked the lovely salesman from Manchester what the best food in Portland was. His answer was emphatic: Portland City Grill. The restaurant is located on the 30th floor of a high-rise building close to the river and the views are jaw-dropping, especially on a clear day. Mount Hood in particular was beautiful. Normally this kind of scenery costs extra with your meal but the prices at the Grill were very reasonable - $!5 for a blue plate special of perfectly cooked fresh salmon on a bed of mushroom risotto, a watercress salad, and a dollop of rich chocolate toffee mousse. By far the best food we had in the Northwest!