Portland pics

Wanted to share a few pics from our week in Portland but was unable to upload them at the hotel, for some reason.


One of many great things about Portland is how green and incredibly scenic it is. It's truly gorgeous--and people there are apparently very keen on it staying that way. (Development and growth within the city is very, very tightly managed). This makes it a walkers paradise. (There's even a very thick book on Portland Walks!) For a city of its size, there are more parks, walking and bike paths in Portland than just about anywhere else in the country.


Mike calls this look her 'Nick Nolte' look.


And here she is a few hours later in Seaside, Oregon watching runners from the Hood to Coast relay cross the finish line.


Kell, M and Audrey in front of the festivities


Ever the good sport but tired all the same, Audrey chills out on a walk at the end of a long day...


..and Kell uses the world's largest bathroom key to access a disgusting roadside toilette. Gee, I wonder how many varieties of e-coli bacteria have colonized that key? Oh--and did you know that they now sell 'bestselling' ###### handbooks in gas-station bathroom dispensers for just $0.50? Let Amazon just try and beat those prices.


Auntie Kelly reads Audrey her bedtime story while daddy and mommy sneak out for a date. If you are ever in Portland, you simply must save your pennies by skipping 3-5 crummy fast food meals so as to afford a stop at Paley's (out of this world in every way.)


Grabbing a bite at the Daily Cafe. They make a mean grilled-cheese (Tillamook, of course) on whole weat. Notice the beer M is drinking? 'Arrogant Bastard Ale'.


And here we are in front of the world's largest independent bookstore, 'Powells'. It's 3 stories high and runs the length of an entire city block.


Our last dinner in Portland was at Manzanas in Lake Oswego (Great food; M gives the NY 2 enthusiastic thumbs up; The Alaskan Halibut topped with crispy leeks was incredible and we almost licked the creme brulee bowl. The waiter ordered Audrey some ice cream (without asking us first) but we had to give her a few bites. Seriously, the sugar had a scary affect on her, keeping her awake for hours even after she was dead tired.)

Goodbye, Portland. We love you.