So there I was, itching again to take a little scenic day trip to Portland and my newest travel buddy, Tim, had some great ideas for my arrival. I got out early and boy was it freezing and dark! I braved the cold and got my buses downtown to get on the train. Once on, I enjoyed some rest but also checked out a fun movie - the new Honeymooners! Once there, I met up with Tim who took me to this cool fountain which we waited for it to spout, (that took a while), and hit my fave Saturday market. Having some delicious Mexican food, Time and I watched the steel drum band that performed. You couldn't get a better seat than ours - it was right in the front!

Tim took me to some great guitar shops, (he used to work for one himself), and I got to be in the 2000 dollar and up room, (very snazzy guitars!) We checked out this great coffee shop with games, computers and local art. I really dug the mural wall. We headed out and walked around a bit then Tim took me on the Max through downtown, (lots of great transportation in Portland !)

Tim showed me the newly created (in the last 5 years) Pearl District. A great park, condos, stores and restaurants make this cul-de-sac very inviting, but as Tim pointed out, "it drove out the cool funkiness it had before, as its gotten way too expensive."

We headed next to the Hawthorne district where the real fun began! We checked out cool shops and then ate the yummiest crepes at this French place. (I had beef stroganoff crepes - yummy!) A sweet snack rounded out our visit at the Ben & Jerry's where Tim sweet-talked some ladies to take our picture. And then it was time to head back. But I had an awesome time and I won't forget it!

Mariam