Portland Scenes

During our overnight trip to Portland, we had one nice day and one rainy day. We took advantage of the weather on the first day when we arrived. After grubbing on donuts at Blue Star Donuts, we walked around downtown and checked out the scene. I enjoy looking at the architecture of a city, so I was able to photograph some of the Portland buildings and get a nice feel for the area. I have been there plenty of times over the years, but I hadn't walked those exact streets before. 

After walking around, we headed to the International Test Rose Garden. The Rose Garden in Portland is the oldest rose garden in the country; they opened in 1917. The parking there is a problem, as its very limited and you do have to pay using the meters. The area is so popular because many attractions are located in one area. The Japanese Gardens, the kid's playground, and the Children's Museum is also there.

The rose gardens were breathtaking. I couldn't stop taking photos of all of the flowers, and glancing around, I noticed everyone else was taking pictures, too. There was a view of downtown Portland and the roses seemed to go for miles. Considering this attraction is free, it sure seems worth checking out. You only have several months in the year to visit, when the roses are in bloom, so plan accordingly. A short walk away is the playground, the perfect spot for the little ones to blow off some steam.

If you've visited Portland, you know about the many food truck pods that are everywhere. It's hard to get hungry in this town, where the food choices abound. We were waiting for a table at Slappy Cakes, and the wait was forty five minutes. Luckily for us, across the street were a bunch of food trucks. Since they were going to text us when our table was ready, we were able to walk around. My husband was feeling hungry, so he ordered some Carne Asada Tacos. They had covered picnic tables and heaters for the customers, making it very convenient indeed.