Honeymoon Lite: Caffeinated Bliss and Micro-Adventures in Portland

Me and Anna recently went through a period of time filled with a lot of disappointment and letdowns. Plans going awry, people bailing on us, tension, and job insecurity. All things that pointed us to pray more and praise God. But, we also found ourselves very sad. We desperately needed something to go right. So, I proposed a trip. We talked about traveling to see family and going somewhere somewhat familiar. But, seeing our finances are not amazing, we decided against an extended period of travel. Instead, Anna proposed we go to Portland for a day. Not wanting to drive, I had the idea of getting us train tickets. Neither of us had ever ridden a train before. So, I got us roundtrip train tickets, an air bnb, and we were off!

Train to Portland

The train from Seattle to Portland is about four hours. So, we decided to use that time to take in the ride and decide what we would do over there. Anna wanted to go to a crystal shop, and I wanted to go to a video game store. So, we elected to go to the Lloyd Center. From what it looked like online, it seemed to be very alive, and would likely have what we both wanted! We also knew we wanted to take in as much local stuff as we could. As for the train ride, it was beautiful. It was like seeing what I had known my entire life from a new perspective. The forests we passed through, the lakes we saw, the towns we passed, it was great. I had seen the train many times driving to and from Olympia. It was somewhat surreal seeing the freeway from the train. Passing all of the traffic that I had been in my entire life. Now, the tickets I got myself and Anna granted us a private room, allowing us to have peace and quiet on the ride to and from Portland. We didn't find out until the ride back, but we actually got a free three course meal with our ride! We were assigned seats next to a couple strangers. They were nice, and the food was very OK! I had an appetizer of shrimp, and entree of steak and veggies, and dessert of cheesecake. I am honestly shocked that the amtrak shrimp didn't kill me haha.

Arriving in Portland at 1:50PM, we immediately got an uber to our airbnb so we could decompress before going out. Our host was kind enough to let us get there early since the normal check in time was 4PM. Upon arrival, we settled in and freshened up. It was a cute house with a sauna in the backyard along with a little garden. We then went to the mall, Lloyd Center, and were met with what looked like a shell of its former self. Most of the stores were closed, the ones being open looked like sketchy fronts and big corporate stores. Me and Anna did go around and explore a few of the open ones. But, we left after being off-put by a magic shop. The owner tried coming off nice (i think?) but kept trying to get me to learn magic, really not my thing.

After leaving, we walked to what Google said was a crystal shop. When we got there, I let Anna go in and I went next door to a pizza restaurant to use their bathroom. When I got back, I realized what we thought was a rock shop turned out to be a black magic shop. Me and Anna got out right after I returned. We then went to a vintage shop, with someone who was much more kind than the black magic shop guy. She, being the mom of the owner, told me about some nice places around Portland that we needed to check out. Two of which we got to seeing. After leaving, we went to a huge vintage store about ten minutes away. We found Anna a cool cat shirt, and a Living Colour cassette tape! We then walked over to a video game store that I got a copy of Super Mario 64 for my DS. After that, we had some nice local ice cream while waiting for our Uber home. Although it was only 6:30PM, we both wanted to hangout in our airbnb and watch Spongebob. So, when we got to our airbnb, we got gym stuff on and went to the sauna. Unfortunately, the sauna was not very hot. So, we just went back inside and took a shower. It had one of those shower heads that had water come straight down, rather than at an angle. It was a rather heavenly experience. Then, we ate pizza, watched our show, and slept.

Next day, we got packed and went straight to an interactive art museum that the vintage mom of owner lady said we should check out. It was super cool. It had a color deprivation room, a cave looking area made of plastic bags, a floor that made art as you walked on it, and, Anna's favorite area, the Secret Garden. This garden had a phone booth where you could record a secret to share, and it would not be added until a month after sharing. It is a cool thing. The artist made the space because they claim that carrying a secret is psychologically draining. That area is meant to be a safe space to share your experience with others. There were other areas, but these are the most memorable to me. After this, we went to a vintage mall that the receptionist at this art museum told us to check out. It was a half mile walk, and definitely worth it. We spent a couple hours looking around, and found many cool local crafts. It was definitely the biggest vintage store I'd ever been in. To conclude our travels, we went to the Oregon Zoo. Although we were only there an hour, the walk was still enjoyable. We saw an elephant, birds, a tiger, some monkeys, and many other cool animals. Then, we got an uber to our train, and off home we went.

All in all, Portland was alright. Being with Anna and away from home was fun. That little daycation was desperately needed, and I am so happy we did it. But, I do not think we will be going to to Portland again. Very meh place. But, we now know so we don't need to wonder. If we do go again, it'll likely be against our will haha.

Thanks for reading!

John 3:11-18