Rick

I got back from a weeklong trip to Portland on Sept. 24. It was a good trip. I did a lot:

Japan Fest 2006 in Beaverton
Portland Symphony
Savion Glover performance
Portland Zoo
OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)
Saw a movie (The Science of Sleep)
Walked all around the Pearl District and NW Portland
Drove around the forest park
Hiked at the gorge
Went out to dinner a few times
Toured the Japanese Gardens (yea!)
Portland Art Museum
Portland Historical Society
Stayed in Powell’s City of Books almost an entire day

It’s a small city. It has some pretty residential areas, but warehouses, loading docs, and industrial zones are around every corner. It’s definitely a working port city. This compromises its scenic beauty a bit. (San Francisco avoided this by locating its industrial zone south of the city.)

Lots of young people are around, which was a refreshing plus coming from Carmel. I’d also like to explore taking classes at the Northwest Film Center should I decide to relocate there.

About the weather: It was cloudy or partly cloudy 5 out of 8 days. It rained a little bit nearly every day, and most of 1 or two days. Two of the days were perfectly clear. That’s just the northwest for you, so you have to accept it.

All in all, it was a really good trip.

My college brought a few professors to SF to give us some classes for a day. We had homework readings and all! It was fun to be surrounded by smart, creative people again. I had some good conversations with people at the cocktail hour and at dinner. Makes me miss my old college days. It was also fun to see some old friends again. I normally avoid reunions like the plague, but this wasn’t bad at all. I may even go back to Williams for our 20th class reunion in a few years. We’ll see.

Can’t be beat for world-class museums, music, and live entertainment.

...even with the audio tour. Contemporary art is often highly conceptual.

A $20 entry fee plus a two-drink minimum. An hour and half show featuring four comedians.

The exhibits were OK, but there’s really not much to see here. It’s a big, empty building with a lot of history.

I heard a lecture on Soto Zen founder Dogen (13th century) by Taigen Dan Leighton on February 19, 2006. I had a hard time staying awake during the lecture (this might have been due to the carbo-coma induced by the pad thai lunch I had just before). The zendo has a beautiful bamboo floor. It was remodelled in late 2005.

I’ve heard it’s best to river-raft down the canyon in late September because it’s quieter – fewer engine-powered rafts. Any suggestions for rafting companies that use human-powered rafts?