Blazing Trails in Portland

Downtown Portland

 I want to write about what an amazing time I had in Portland. It is all of things I want a city to be, environmentally conscious, abundant outdoor activities and good beer. A friend of mine said that Portland was the city version of me. I went there with enormous expectations and it really met them all, but somehow it was disappointing. It took me a while to put my finger on the problem but eventually I came to the sad realization that I'm just not cool enough for Portland. If someone asked me about Portland, I would 100% recommend the city. I liked it. I just didn't love it but like some poor teenage girl is hearing right now, "it's not you, it's me." It is city of hipsters. Endless people ride on their skinny tires with baskets like Dorothy and Toto. I'm not cool enough for a bike basket. People have dyed hair strands, piercing and hot pink fishnet stockings. I'm not cool enough for fishnet stockings. Within hours of being in Portland I had processed this disappointment and adjusted accordingly. Whenever I am in a new place I always try to blend in and let the city drive my experience. This time, I had to blaze my own trail. I decided to seek out the things that I love and see how they measure up in Portland.

Washington Park's Rose Garden

Stop number one was the city park. As a New Yorker, I have had the luxury of spending time in Central Park and the lesser known (and dare I say better) Prospect Park in Brooklyn. These are two of the finest city parks and it pains me to say this, but Portland's Washington Park puts them both to shame. New Yorkers say that Central Park gives them an escape from the city but that's just bullshit. If you look up you see skyscrapers, if you listen you hear a taxi blowing on the horn and there are 3 million people crowded on the lawn on a sunny day. Not exactly my idea of an escape. Washington Park on the other hand is a real escape. I really did not feel like I was in a city at all. Granted Portland is a small city and the park is up on a hill overlooking the city and not right in the center of it all, but it is still an escape nonetheless. The nature trails were secluded and rarely did I have to share them with others. The rose garden is hands down the most spectacular flower garden I have ever seen. If you have an ounce of interest in flowers or gardens this place will blow your mind.

My Food Truck

Stop number two was lunch at the food trucks. These aren't your Daddy's food trucks filled with grease and parked outside some construction site. This was a block, all four sides of the block bumper to bumper food trucks of every imaginable variety. I had the most incredible veggie sandwich. As a vegetarian, I have had a lot of bad veggie sandwiches in my day but this one was by far the best I've ever had and only cost me $5. You feel like you've hit the food lottery when something tastes so good and was so cheap. It definitely doesn't happen often enough.

Columbia River Gorge

Stop number three took me out of Portland to the Columbia River Gorge. People always say that Portland is an outdoor lovers paradise, but Portland isn't really. The area around Portland is undoubtably an outdoor lovers paradise with Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. Unfortunately you can't access either of them using public transportation so I hopped on a guided tour of the gorge. The tour included waterfalls and a view of the gorge that convinced me that the words gorge and gorgeous are appropriately linked. The view from the Vista House left me imagining Lewis & Clark paddling down this gorge sensing that they are approaching the Pacific Ocean. Bottom line, you might not be cool enough for Portland but in the spirit of Lewis & Clark explore around and you're bound to find something that is just right for you.

Paint Your Nails!

Nail art has become a fun and easy twist to your regular, every day nail polish. More and more nail art is becoming popular, from unique hand painted designs to store bought stickers such as Sally Hansen Salon Effects, which you can get at any Target or CVS store.  Tons of designs and colors are offered, leaving you with endless possibilities for your nail art. While I LOVE hand painted designs, they can be really tricky and frusturating. So, I experimented with some nail stickers, cutting them into diferent sizes and placing them on my nails in different ways.

(Sorry for the terrible quality!!!)

This makes nails look hand painted, but are much easier to do. The one downside to this is the stickers do not last as long as regluar polish, usually peeling at the sides of my nails.

However, while hand painted designs can be tricky there are a few designs that are fairly simple enough that anyone can do. So get creative and go paint your nails!

The ATL

A few weeks ago I wrote this happy-go-lucky post about being delayed in Asheville. There were stories of laughs with the airport bartender and stranded travelers. Tonight, all I have to say is, “Fuck you Atlanta.” Three times this summer you have screwed up my plans. I hate you. I strongly disliked you in June but in July, I HATE YOU.  I hate your southern accents, your sweet tea and your restaurants that serve heart attack specials. I didn’t even want to come to your stupid airport. I was supposed to go from Albany to Newark to Seattle, but another southern town screwed that up and I would miss my connection in Newark. That is how much I hate you Atlanta, I would rather spend time in New Jersey than with you.

Here was my conversation with the United Airlines Representative:

Him: We can put you on a Delta flight through Atlanta

Me: Atlanta? Can’t you put me through Chicago or Denver or Minneapolis?

(My Dad: Hey, it looks like there are storms headed towards Atlanta)

Him: Nothing available through Chicago

Me: Aren’t there storms headed to Atlanta?

Him: No Ma’am the only storms are in Houston. I booked you on the Atlanta flight

Me: Silence

(My Dad: laughs)

So, here it is 10:58 at night and I am sitting on the floor and wondering why on earth someone picked out this carpet. There isn’t even a pattern. It looks like some 3-year-old cut up a bunch of carpet pieces and put them together. Okay, that’s not fair to 3-year-olds. Every time I get up to check the departure time it changes so I have stopped checking in hope that it will remain constant. So far it’s been 9:05, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55, 11:07, 11:30, 12:15, 12:45, and last time I checked 1:02. I am sure it has changed since then but I refuse to give in.

I have done everything possible to pass the time. I bought some Atlanta postcards and wrote them out bitching to friends about being stuck in the Dirty South. I spent an hour wandering around a tiny bookstore. I ate too many snacks. I avoided the airport bar because by the time my flight is ready to leave I will be bombed and they probably wouldn’t let me board anyway. I have walked up and down the entire B concourse so much that I should get a medal and a free t-shirt. The gate next to me is boarding now, Birmingham, Alabama. I am so delusional at this point that I actually just thought about going to Birmingham. I can’t get the “free” wifi to work so I can’t watch Netflix or stalk people on the Facebook. I am sick of my ipod. If I start to read Phantom of the Opera (who buys that at an airport bookstore?) I’ll fall asleep. Side note: If the over/under on the number of women reading 50 Shades of Gray was 1,000, I would bet the over. Every time I see one of them they have this really annoying look on their face. I want some dude to pull out a playboy magazine and sit around flipping through it and see what kind of looks people give him. I have had too many, “where y’all headed” conversations. I lied to the last 3 people. I told one of them I was going to Iceland, another Albuquerque and the most recently to Des Moines, Iowa for an international farmers convention on corn. I should be an actress.  Speaking of actresses, my flight attendant was a dead ringer for Jennifer Aniston. She looked so much like her I thought it was part of one of those shows where celebrities act like real people. Maybe I should go buy an US Weekly and catch up on my pop culture. What I really need is a naked midget to run though the terminal with hapless security guards chasing after him. That would pass the time.  

Okay, I think I got all the bitching out of my system. Thunderstorms happen and I know that I would much rather sit here than be riding in a big metal thing in the sky with lightening on the prowl. I would like to call up that representative from United Airlines and say, "My Dad's a better weather predictor than you are" but that might not be the best example of my maturity. Logically, I know it’s not you’re fault Atlanta, but I’m not going to forgive you. Just ask Chipper Jones, three strikes and you’re out.

Update: It is 7:46 am EST and I have finally arrived at the airport hotel in Seattle. My luggage is soaking wet. Luckily, most of my clothes are in waterproof stuff sacks but I had to wring out the few that were not. My pack (which has a rain cover on) is drenched. I think someone left it lying face down with the rain cover on the ground during a torrential downpour and the back of it just got saturated. There is nothing like carrying around a 40 lb backpack with soaking wet straps. This trip is not starting off on the right foot but I am optimistic that after a nap things will be better. If not, I hear Portland is big on the beer. 

Fringe For All!

Every summer season there is a new bathing suit style that takes over, and this year is no exception...it's all about the fringe.  Fringe bathing suits are everywhere, from celebrities to your every day fashionista. This bathing suit trend is one that everyone can enjoy and flatters every body type. From flat chested girls (ehmm) to the bigger busted (...or the lucky ones), fringe is a fun detail to add to your beach look  giving you a laid back yet trendy style with no effort at all!

L*Space Audrey Halter Top
$68
Karmaloop

Vix Tri Fringe Top
$100
Revolve Clothing 

Acacia Montauk Fringe Top
$92
Vidasoleil

L*Space Dolly Bandeau Fringe Top
$72
Revolve Clothing

The Joy of Camping

My tent

A friend of mine recently returned from an ecotourism conference in the Philippines where he gave a presentation on the joy of camping. As I am getting things together for this trip to the Pacific Northwest, I have been thinking a lot about camping. I am hoping to do 5 or 6 days of camping in Olympic National Park in Washington. Most camping and hiking horror stories happen because people are not adequately prepared for their adventure. You can find checklists online that can help you pack all of the essentials but the best to thing to bring with you camping is your common sense.

Hiking in Denali NP

Last summer in Denali National Park I watched a video about bear safety in the park and I was amazed by the stupid things people did. They talked about people approaching bears so they could get a better picture and were hurt or killed. I was hiking a trail near the Eielson Visitor's Center in the rain last summer when a bear crossed the top of trail about 1000 yards ahead of me. He or she disappeared in the fog that had rolled in and covered the trail. This is when stupid people would continue on up the trail trying to get a better picture of the bear. Thankfully, I was born, or more likely taught, some common sense. Of course I wish I could have gone to the top of the trail. I had been hiking for an hour in the rain and was looking forward to reaching the top, but standing there in the mist and the fog I realized that I had no idea where th bear really went. I was disappointed for about 30 seconds until I thought, "hey, this is their home and who wants strangers intruding in your home. " I turned around and headed back down with a story about how I saw a bear in Alaska. That's a much better story than my parents telling someone their idiot daughter got mauled by a bear.

Wedge Sneakers, Anyone?

Seems like women are doing yet another thing better than the guys, rocking sneakers. Just keep an eye out and you'll see more and more girls wearing sneakers of all kinds, but my FAVorite right now is the wedge sneaker. At first glance I was like, eh..what am I gonna do with these? Where am I going to wear them? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed a pair. The hidden wedge usually isn't any more than 3 inches tall, so you get the perfect amount of height with the laid back look of a sneaker. These little miracles are popping up everywhere in all different colors and designs which only makes my decision on which pair to buy more and more confusing. Don't listen to the naysayers of this amazing concept, they're wrong...really, really wrong.  This trend is one all girls should be excited about. The height of a pair of heels meets the comfort of a sneaker? Hallelujah, the heavens have answered!

Nike Sky High Liberty Dunks
$130

Steve Madden 'Olympiaa' Wedge Sneaker
$99.95
Steve Madden

Jeffrey Campbell 'Venice-Hi' Wedge Sneaker
$164.95
Nordstrom

Opposition Wedge Sneaker
$69
Bakers

Planning vs Winging

Good planning = Good packing

I am in the midst of planning a two week trip to the Pacific Northwest and once again I am struggling to balance the planning and the winging. I am a planner by nature but I have a friend, Franjo, who's motto is "Wing it Franjo style." He is always trying to get me to plan less and be more spontaneous. I have to admit when I have allowed myself to wing it, it is a lot more fun. I am always afraid that if I don't make a solid plan I will end up wasting precious vacation time waiting around or trying to figure something out that I could have figured out beforehand. I don't know how to pack for winging it. Planning is so essential for good packing, especially if you are on a budget and can't afford to buy everything when you get there. I have planned most of my transportation and most of my lodging  for this trip. I have left about 5 days unaccounted for and I plan to wing it on those days. Please note I just said "I plan to wing it" and feel free to laugh at the hypocrisy of that statement.

Winging it in O'ahu gave me this view!

I will step off the Amtrak in Portland and go to the hotel I booked but I am going to stroll out of the hotel and see where the wind takes me. I hear food trucks are great so I am going to explore around until I find one. I want to do some camping while I am in the area but many of the campgrounds don't allow reservations. This is ideal for winging it. The planner in me wasn't totally comfortable with that idea so I booked a hotel for the first two days I am in that area so I can go and check out the campgrounds. I know there are travelers who throw in a few pairs of socks and clean underwear and hop on a plane. I am always envious of those people. I wish I could be more like that but the more comfortable I get with traveling the more I loosen up. On my first trip to Europe I had a 6 hour layover in Stockholm and I was hesitant to leave the airport to explore the city for a few hours. Today, that would be a no brainer. Who would sit in an airport for 6 hours if you had the opportunity to visit a new city?

I have less than a week until I leave and I will spend hours organizing a folder with printouts of all of my reservations, maps, schedules and type up a general itinerary to leave with my family (always a good idea when traveling alone). I will make an insane packing checklist, revise it and rewrite it multiple times. This trip is definitely heavy on the planning, but I hope when I get there the winging will take over. Next time you're thinking about vacation give yourself some security and make a few plans but be flexible and allow yourself room to enjoy those unsuspecting moments and "Wing it, Franjo style" every once in a while. You won't be disappointed.