Portland Day Trip (23 Jul 2009)
Finally, I had my Portland day trip plan cames true on this morning, I had been thinking for having a tour at Portland downtown a few weeks ago, but I was just too lazy to put it on plan, still my face is still weird until today and today weather wasn't warm for me, but I needed to keep my plan as I don't leave too much time in Oregon now.
I woke up earlier at this morning and prepared a packed lunch for SL, so that he could have it in office while I was not abled to perpare lunch at home for him. Then, I just made sure I had everything ready for my Portland day trip, my passport, sunblock, some money, camera, guide book, etc. Good, I was ready to go at 9:30am.
That is a Tri Met station near to our apartment, I got a day pass with $4.75 from ticket vending machine, this grant me a day on public transportation usage, which include train, bus and carstreet, though I only used it for go and back journey, then I was walking all the way in Portland town.
From Orenco train station, it took me about 45 minutes to get to Pioneer Courthouse Square station, where I planned to start my day trip, I think this would be the best start point for everyone as tourist could find a visitor information center there, where we can find a lot of useful information there, there also with some staffs are waiting to help us and answer our enquiry.
After collecting some maps from Visitor Information Center, I just had a rest at Pioneer Square and gathered all information to organise my trip planning with those information. Also, I found some booth were set up at the middle of square, I think there would be some performances would be going on at there.
This is a Weather Machine at Pioneer Square, I found it was interesting :D
Then, I just walked around the Portland downtown from Pioneer Square to Portland Art Museum, South Park Block, Chapman Square until Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, I liked to stay longer at park and had some walk around the park, because there I could have some information reading and enjoyed with greeny plants. And, I liked to see those statues in the park, which would tell me some history or interesting story.
When I was at Sounth Park Block, I found two statues of former US presidents, Lincoln and Rossevelt, they are two features that appear in Night at the Museum one and two, such a coincident to see them together at the same park :D
Abraham Lincoln
Theodore Roosevelt
Old Church, near to South Park Block
When I was at Chapman Park, I heard a big group of yellow cloth people were cheering with some instrument playing and walked to a building, they were singing and cheering there for a while before they moved on, I found it was so special and took some pictures of this event. Well, I wasn't really sure what they really celebrated for, but I found they were at Waterfront later of my trip, it was a beverage festival, I think they might be celebrated for it.
At Chapman Park, I saw the famous Portland's Elk Fountain there, it was just standing at the middle of street in front of the courthouse. This Elk Fountain was used as a drinking area for elks in pass, but later people were against to remove it during road re-planning, then this fountain stays until now.
I spent longer time at Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which is a big park, all along the Willamette River of Portland downtown and old town, there I found many geese on the field and I think they were cleaning the grass there :P
A boat parking place at the park
At the middle of Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, there is a Salomon Street Spring just right in front of SW Salmon Street and a lot of people were playing water there, I am thinking if this is actually a common event in US for playing with water in a park as this is the similar concept as Seattle's International Fountain.
While I walked until almost the end of Waterfront Park, it is near to Chinatown, but I didn't spend long as I had visited to this area with SL two weeks ago. Now, I just feel that is really different between travel alone and travel with partner, it would be more fun to travel with SL, why I didn't feel so when I was alone six years ago? I was used to love travel alone before, as I liked to plan my own trip and had my personal tour, but it wasn't that fun to me now.
A square at old town, which I found it was beautiful :D
A gate of Chinatown
Finally, I just walked back to Pioneer Square, which was my starting point. At my original plan, I was thinking to have some window shopping around Pioneer Square, but I found there were too many people asked for money from public and I found kind of afraid because they look really demanding until I was worried if I would get into trouble :( Therefore, I ended my trip earlier than I planned.
While I was walking toward Pioneer Square and ready to back to Orenco, there were two people asked me if I would like to have an short video interview with them on something about national invention topic, I wasn't so sure with this, therefore I just refused it to avoid embarassed myself, sorry to them :D
Some interesting fountains around Pioneer Square
I woke up earlier at this morning and prepared a packed lunch for SL, so that he could have it in office while I was not abled to perpare lunch at home for him. Then, I just made sure I had everything ready for my Portland day trip, my passport, sunblock, some money, camera, guide book, etc. Good, I was ready to go at 9:30am.
That is a Tri Met station near to our apartment, I got a day pass with $4.75 from ticket vending machine, this grant me a day on public transportation usage, which include train, bus and carstreet, though I only used it for go and back journey, then I was walking all the way in Portland town.
From Orenco train station, it took me about 45 minutes to get to Pioneer Courthouse Square station, where I planned to start my day trip, I think this would be the best start point for everyone as tourist could find a visitor information center there, where we can find a lot of useful information there, there also with some staffs are waiting to help us and answer our enquiry.
After collecting some maps from Visitor Information Center, I just had a rest at Pioneer Square and gathered all information to organise my trip planning with those information. Also, I found some booth were set up at the middle of square, I think there would be some performances would be going on at there.
This is a Weather Machine at Pioneer Square, I found it was interesting :D
Then, I just walked around the Portland downtown from Pioneer Square to Portland Art Museum, South Park Block, Chapman Square until Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, I liked to stay longer at park and had some walk around the park, because there I could have some information reading and enjoyed with greeny plants. And, I liked to see those statues in the park, which would tell me some history or interesting story.
When I was at Sounth Park Block, I found two statues of former US presidents, Lincoln and Rossevelt, they are two features that appear in Night at the Museum one and two, such a coincident to see them together at the same park :D
Abraham Lincoln
Theodore Roosevelt
Old Church, near to South Park Block
When I was at Chapman Park, I heard a big group of yellow cloth people were cheering with some instrument playing and walked to a building, they were singing and cheering there for a while before they moved on, I found it was so special and took some pictures of this event. Well, I wasn't really sure what they really celebrated for, but I found they were at Waterfront later of my trip, it was a beverage festival, I think they might be celebrated for it.
At Chapman Park, I saw the famous Portland's Elk Fountain there, it was just standing at the middle of street in front of the courthouse. This Elk Fountain was used as a drinking area for elks in pass, but later people were against to remove it during road re-planning, then this fountain stays until now.
I spent longer time at Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which is a big park, all along the Willamette River of Portland downtown and old town, there I found many geese on the field and I think they were cleaning the grass there :P
A boat parking place at the park
At the middle of Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park, there is a Salomon Street Spring just right in front of SW Salmon Street and a lot of people were playing water there, I am thinking if this is actually a common event in US for playing with water in a park as this is the similar concept as Seattle's International Fountain.
While I walked until almost the end of Waterfront Park, it is near to Chinatown, but I didn't spend long as I had visited to this area with SL two weeks ago. Now, I just feel that is really different between travel alone and travel with partner, it would be more fun to travel with SL, why I didn't feel so when I was alone six years ago? I was used to love travel alone before, as I liked to plan my own trip and had my personal tour, but it wasn't that fun to me now.
A square at old town, which I found it was beautiful :D
A gate of Chinatown
Finally, I just walked back to Pioneer Square, which was my starting point. At my original plan, I was thinking to have some window shopping around Pioneer Square, but I found there were too many people asked for money from public and I found kind of afraid because they look really demanding until I was worried if I would get into trouble :( Therefore, I ended my trip earlier than I planned.
While I was walking toward Pioneer Square and ready to back to Orenco, there were two people asked me if I would like to have an short video interview with them on something about national invention topic, I wasn't so sure with this, therefore I just refused it to avoid embarassed myself, sorry to them :D
Some interesting fountains around Pioneer Square
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