Portland I

I arrived in Portland, OR yesterday. I spent the day with my son, Christian, who moved here last month. We walked around downtown Portland - lots of homeless people. Had lunch at the Pita Pit - kind of like a Subway, except with pita bread, plus you can get hot things (not warmed in the microwave...). Then went to Powell's book store which takes up a whole block in downtown. I only made it into 3 of the many rooms - overwhelming! Then, we went and saw The Soloist which was excellent.

By the way, if you haven't tried it yet, you should check out Priceline for great travel deals. I stayed last night at the Silver Cloud Inn just outside of downtown - 2 1/2 star hotel (according to Priceline) and by naming my price I got the room for only $60. The next few nights I'll be staying at the Doubletree Inn at Lloyd Center where the Knit and Crochet Show is being held, so I didn't get any special deals for that, but on my last night in Portland, I'm staying at a 3-star hotel near the airport for only $45! Crazy!

Here's a photo from my current hotel room (at the Silver Cloud Inn):

Not much to look at (except my rental car on the left), but very adequate.

Today we're hiking to a waterfall. It's supposed to rain this afternoon, but that's o.k. I don't mind getting wet. Before we go there, I'll be visiting Knit/Purl in downtown and the needlepoint store that's next door.

By the way, I'm reading a very funny book about losing weight: Jen Lancaster's Such a Pretty Fat.