Portland walking tour

On my last day (my flight was at 6pm) I did a walking tour with Jenny around downtown.

Our guide and one of the original drinking fountains.

"High water line"

Portland has the official world's smallest park, home to a little leprechaun. It is in the middle of the road so the photo was rushed.

It was also clear enough to see one of the mountains (not sure which one; there are 4 you can see in theory). 

On the way back I had a window seat (and one not over the wing) so got some nice pictures from the plane.

Not sure what the circle fields are.

More Portland Weird

On my last night in Portland, I went out with Karilla and Jenny for dinner and then we meet up with Charles for another drag show. So some more Portland weird.

After this we need up at a male strip club. I did not take any photos there; it seemed wrong. I also didn't realise they got totally naked. (I was very surprised to see a naked guy pole dancing; you want to be very careful doing that.)

Drag brunch

On Sunday, I meet Charles and Karilla for drag brunch and the Night Lights Lounge. We got there early and dug into the food and coffee before the show which was very impressive. It is apparently the only drag show in Portland with transgender performers. I was extremely impressed by the stunts they did in some massive heels. 

On roller skates.

Great voice.

"Britney"

I wasn't sure what to expect from my first full drag show. It was impressive. I also saw more boobs and more nipple tape than I expected. (Charles said that it was the first time he had seen them doing all that as well so I went on a good day.) If you are in Portland, I highly recommend it.

After this I went to the OMSI, their science museum but I won't recommend it. I am a bit of a science museum snob and it is probably great for little kids but for teens onwards, it's not so interesting. The most "interesting" part was display showing foetuses in their different stages. It has completely put me off having kids.

I walked around town for a bit but then had another chilled evening. (The second week I had multiple mornings with 6-9am meetings so took the chance to catch up on some sleep where I could.)

Chinese Gardens and the market

On Saturday (feeling ever so slightly worse for wear thanks to the night before), I had a little lie in and went out to Saturday craft markets. The weather was amazing and there were so many stalls to look around. It is a really cool market.

The market extends out to the river. So I walked along it to get to the Chinese gardens.

There are also some Japanese gardens but the transport there was not obvious so I decided to go to the Chinese gardens instead which were walkable. 

It is only a city block but they designed it to make it feel much bigger. (I took a tour as well as wondering around on my own).

The floors had geometric patterns which reflect the yin and yang. And there is a large pond with bridges over it in many places. 

One of the many very cool doorways.

The tea house

Many fish.

One of the pagodas. 

The moon door.

I sat outside the tea house with a mug of oolong tea for quite some time, reading and watching the dragon flies. I drifted back to the hotel and grabbed some sushi for a late lunch (the sushi was so good). I was going to sit in Pioneer Square, a big public square not far from my hotel, but there seemed to be a protest going on. As I had seen on the news a riot which started as a protest and got a little out of hand only the week before, I decided against this, headed back to the hotel and chilled out (with a nap) and dinner out. 

Friday Night in Portland

On my first Friday night in Portland, Charles took me out to Crush (a very cool gay bar near him) and then for roof top drinks and a great view over Portland.

After this and some dinner, I got my first taste of Portland weird. First we tried to get into a club with Karilla, but they didn't except ID from any one not American. (They are getting a scathing Trip Advisor review!) So we headed elsewhere but I can't remember the name of the place. Anyway, I saw my first drag show.

Some was fun, some weird, and one was more than a little creepy (she was running around with a mask on and a knife). But it was good fun.