Portland F

Free
Monday, January 9
I will say one thing for this Portland Project--it does get me out and about. At first I thought F would stand for Funk today, because that is how it felt--very low energy. But I pull myself out of it with the promise of finding something free to do. I turn to my "Portland Basket" with newspaper clippings and brochures and such, and come across a ripped out section of a travel page from the New York Times. And luckily it had a subhead which read: What to do free. Perfect!

It had just one listing. Jamison Square. The Times said Portlanders "will take almost any decent day to sit on the square's benches and smile into a shaft of sunshine." Um, well, it's been raining since last Thursday, but I like the rain, so I set off. It's actually on my street just 10 blocks down. I get there and it's absolutely deserted. The fountains that the Times said went off every few minutes appeared to be off, but then who needs additional moisture. The sidewalks are like watercolors with the reflection of a vibrant totem. I notice I am getting adept at taking photos and holding an umbrella at the same time. I walk around for a few minutes. Now what? Home?

As fate would have it I am at a streetcar stop and we are in the Fareless Square, which means I can rail around downtown for free, an unexpected bonus. I chat with a guy at the stop who is a streetcar enthusiast, a nice encounter I would have otherwise missed. I get off at my favorite free cultural institution, the public library. It's an old-style library with large windows, marble steps and polished wooden hand rails. I've been to some of the newer libraries in Vancouver and San Francisco and, to be honest, they left me cold. But this library is warm and homey and full of patrons on a late Monday afternoon. I hop on the Max (light rail) and go one stop before getting off and walking to the US Bank Tower, the tallest building in Portland, and ride the elavator up to the 30th floor for Happy Hour (I know, I know... now I have to come up with a new plan for my H-Day) at the Portland City Grill, where the drinks are a little pricey, the food incredibly cheap, and the view, 100% free. I get the last available window seat in the lounge and as I sip a beer and look out at the view, I see something high above fast approaching. I actually wonder if it is a bird or a plane. Turns out to be four balloons tethered together taking a free ride on the winds and heading north.