The Rose City

Peter E.

November 28, 2009 - 11:15 AM

I did not spend Black Friday camping out at Walmart at 4am for the best deals. That's not my style (in more ways than one). Rather, I slept in and spent the afternoon trekking around Portland on foot. My Aunt Wendy and I bused to downtown Portland to hit up some favorite spots, explore new ones, and work off some Thanksgiving weight.

We meandered the streets towards Powell's Books. Powell's, for those who have not been there, is large. There's many adjectives that come to mind, but large seems to be the best to describe Powell's. As an English Major, I don't feel like a kid in a candy store, I feel like a kid in a candy factory. Powell's spans a whole city block, and multi-storied rooms are packed with new and used books rising in shelves fifteen feet high. Within minutes I am overwhelmed with new reads I want to pick up. On this visit, I found a harder-to-find book, Beer and Circus, I've been looking for for my thesis (the book looks at problems with big time college football and undergraduate education). As always, it was a successful visit to Powell's.

After our Powell's adventure, we made our way up Burnside to Washington Park. I had been to Washington Park years ago, but it was great to rediscover everything it has to offer. We climbed several flights of stairs to a statue overlooking downtown and Mt. Hood. We then descended into the park making our way from trail to trail passing the rose garden, zoo, Japanese garden, and the edge of neighborhoods. The forested park switches from lush wilderness to immaculately manicured gardens flawlessly, but one thing is consistent: it's beautiful. I was quite jealous of Portland residents that get to exercise in the park regularly (there were many on the trails). On the other hand, I am spoiled by Eugene's many incredible running trails and parks, so I won't complain too much.

As the sun set, we finished the evening with a walk back down the hill to the Pearl District and then returned to Washington Park to meet the rest of the family for Zoo Lights. It was entertaining to watch my little cousins go wild, running from exhibit to exhibit amid holiday lights. Finally, to cap the night we headed downtown to the Deschutes Brewery Public House. It was a great way to cap a truly Portland day: local bookstore, park, boutiques, and food. That's my idea of a Black Friday outing: local, on foot, and non-stressful.