May 16th : Portland, OR. Halfway.

Mid month.. :(

Sundays are extremely slow in portland as i’ve just figured out. I was thinking between going up the hill for a good view or just chilling out at powell’s. since the weather forecast wasnt very good, i went for the latter. unfortunately, the weather cleared up. BAHHH.

indie coffee place called Public Domain, Portland, OR. The extremely high standard of coffee you’d have come to expect from portland, although i think the nutty Peru beans that i ordered would have been better off pressed rather than filtered. oil-less beans only work well on the light roast / floral notes coffees.

Well, since half the shops were closed and all that, decided to head back up and found my way back at the art market. ate at some food cart again for lunch. like i said… portland’s big on food carts.

Looks like Malaysia, but it really is, Portland, OR.

I like how portlanders are. most people try to be a certain style or another. Say the Haight-Ashbury district in San Fran, or Orchard Road. You always, always get the feeling that the people are dressed not for themselves but for those who judge them. it’s something that feels auxiliary, like a dying species that you try to preserve, or a rare specimen that does not exist outside of a certain radius. but portlanders, they truly dress the way they do, for their own sake.

i dont necessarily agree with that fashion sense but at least it’s something organic to this city, and that much i can apprciate.

Remnants, Portland, OR

Like i said, i found it really hard to express this place in a picture. there just isnt a characteristic picture of this place, which sort of contributes to its charm and makes it a very lively place. there’s just a little bit of everything. I did what alot of fellow residents were doing, just chilling at the local coffeeshop for a day. i may not have seen much, but for a few hours it felt like i blended into the web of life here in Portland, instead of garishly toting my SLR and typing my jacket around my neck.

My last picture of Portland is a place that i have been frequenting innumerate times now. I keep going back, waiting for the lighting to improve, but it never does. i tried my best, took many shots to maximise my chances but still didnt quite get what I was looking for.

The Steel Bridge possesses character beyond most other bridges I’ve seen. and that’s said in relation to other awesome bridges along the Williamette river. Most all their bridges fold up, but the steel bridge has 2 decks with independently movable middle sections. it’s abit hard to describe, but the picture explains it all.

Steel Bridge, Portland, OR

It has a really classic 30’s steel look to it. cos i think it was build around that time, when the functionality of steel was first being discovered. I love this bridge more than i should, really.

Tomorrow I head to Seattle. putting up with Pang and co. But Portland has certainly set some lofty standards…