The Willamette River and this area has a rich history. I have read countless books
on (and by) mountain men who trapped the Willamette Valley for beaver pelts.
Nice to see that link to history here
displayed by the beavers in bronze and that
tramline to Beaverton. en.wikipedia.org - Portland,_Oregon
The city is known for its climate, ideal for growing roses; and also known for its 'abundant outdoor activities',
liberal political values, and coffee and beer enthusiasm.
Sorry, but none of these items were high on our list!
Portland is home to the most total breweries and independent microbreweries of any city in the world (source: Wikipedia),
with 58 active breweries within city limits, as well as 600+ food carts and food trucks which contribute to the
unofficial slogan 'Keep Portland Weird'. But I had to drive into and out of the city for our hotel, so
there was very limited beer tasting for us. The streetlife was fun to explore.
This is more our thing: books! I had made the occasional online order here, but never recorded its location. We came
here because we saw no bookstores while walking
and asked people for a good quality bookstore. Books galore!
An abundance of books here at Powell's Books, both new and secondhand. Powell's City of Books claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world, occupying this multistory building on an entire city block in the Pearl District.We left with a good selection, even though this was only our first day and we had to carry them along
for the next few weeks. I vowed to return
for more!
The Portland Saturday Market is an outdoor arts and crafts market in Portland, Oregon. It is held every Saturday and Sunday from the beginning of March through December 24, in Tom McCall Waterfront Park underneath and also south of the Burnside Bridge, as well as within an adjacent plaza just across Naito Parkway, extending west to the Skidmore Fountain. (Wikipedia)
It was here that I was first confronted by the amount of people living rough and sleeping in the streets, quite astounding.
Street artists trying to make a buck.
Skidmore Fountain. The market extended across the street.
Now this is a streetphoto I am very pleased with! The street artist was playing a lively tune and this girl
picked up
the tambourine, and while her mother cheered her along, she kept running circles and banging that tambourine!
Photos © R.Leeuw
