An important lesson we learnt on this trip was to pick public transport when sightseeing in busy/small cities. I suppose it's something we've always done, but it was a conscious decision as well, this time. Especially in smaller cities, it's always a lot more fun to get a feel of the city by walking around the streets, looking for the little, obscure, interesting things, than just doing all the touristy things by car.
There certainly is a lot to see that way, in Portland. It looks and feels a lot like San Francisco, only the downtown area is smaller, and to my somewhat inexperienced eye, it isn't as clean. It also seems to have an even younger population, and a large number of hipsters.
We started our day with a trip to the International Rose Test Garden. It reminded me a great deal of the rose garden in Ooty. Roses of so many hues, sizes and kinds! We bought some lovely rose-scented souvenirs and clicked a great many pictures...
We then ate at a food cart - another thing Portland is famous for - and walked around the streets. Portland is full of shops and restaurants and bistros with strange signs. The city appears to revel in its strangeness, as also the queerness of many of its inhabitants.
A very curious but effective ride in Portland is a commuter cable car (or aerial tram) ride from the South Waterfront, up to the OHSU, or Oregon Health Sciences University's hospital. This was originally intended to reduce the commute for people working there, but morphed into a popular tourist attraction, since it affords great views of the city. There's also a great view right at the top, on the balcony of the OHSU hospital.
Last but not least, we did something very touristy - we visited a famous doughnut shop called Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, and picked up a couple of doughnuts. Yummy! Portland was a nice city and a nice break from being on the road all the time! But we had to hit the road again the very next day, for the last leg of our journey.
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