| Portland February 2015 - Day 3 |
| After Cartlandia we went to McMenamins White Eagle Saloon & Hotel to check out Sarah's friend's band. This joint was amazing. It's been in business since 1905 and some people even say this place is haunted. The only thing haunting was how good this band was. Sarah's friend (the lead singer) was great and the guy playing the harmonica was amazing. I was certainly impressed and happy Kelly took us here. |
| We found another tattoo shop and Jenny and Sarah went to get their Umphrey's McGee tattoos redone. I was think about getting one, but bailed out. So Kelly and I walked down the street to this cool bar with a sweet outdoor area. I could get used to this. |
| While we waited for Jenny and Sarah to join us, Kelly and I sat outside and talked. I won't get into details, but it was real nice to spend some one on one time with her. Kelly and I don't often get time along to hang out, so I enjoyed every minute of it. Besides the outdoor area, this bar had a real cool layout. There were 3 floors in all and we went up to I guess what would have been the attic. The walls were purple and the decor was interesting to say the least. But it was a good time with some of my favorite people. You can't beat that. |
| There was some very interesting fuzzy purple wallpaper on the 3rd floor of this bar. It was so interesting that I had to place my face up on it in order to get a better grasp on the situation. And you know what? Although it brought me closer to the fabric, it didn't bring me any closer to the answers. I couldn't figure it out, so I sought a second opinion and asked Jenny Reck to also place her face on the fuzzy wall. She did, but we were nowhere near a sound conclusion than we were in the first place. Damn you fuzzy walls! Why are you here!?! What is your purpose? Why have you chosen us to fall victim to your dastardly ploy? God damn fuzzy walls. |
| There was some conflicting information going on with this locked door. The top of the frame said Teachers Lounge but the door said Shower. Are they one and the same? I wanted to find out, but like I said, it was locked. But one thing that I was able to find out (thanks to Jenny) was that there were TIE Fighters on the bathroom wall. That instantly made this one of the coolest bars ever. Any bar with Star Wars stuff is OK in my book. |
| I "settled" on a cart called Cheesesteak Nirvana (I put settled in quotes because I frickin' love cheesesteaks and probably would have gotten one anyway). I also got a chorizo taco from some Mexican cart that Jenny bought food at. I don't know what she got from that truck, but she ordered it spicy and it was waaaaaaaaay too hot for me to handle. I think my mouth is still burning from that beast. Sarah also got a cheesesteak. I don't know what Kelly got. You expect me to remember things without having a picture of it? |
| Home |
| Portland is known for their food carts, so we decided to grab some dinner at a place called Cartlandia. It's a parking lot with over 30 different food carts. Unfortunately by the time we got there, most of the food carts had closed for the night (we were later than the normal dinner time), so we didn't have many to choose from. Maybe someday I'll be back to try the Maine Street Lobster or Voodoo Doughnuts. Who knows. Maybe... |
| We went inside the Blue Room Bar to grab a beer and I saw this guy in the corner sitting all by himself. He looked like he had been there a real long time and needed a friend, so I cozied up next to him. Although he didn't say it to me, I know that he appreciated my gesture of friendship. Before I left, I encouraged him to eat something because he was looking a little thin. He was still in the corner when I left. I hope he's doing OK. |
| There is a city named Milwaukie in Oregon. Notice that it is spelled a little different than the city that I call home (Milwaukee). But I was still a little excited to see a familiar sight. I don't think that we spent too much time in Milwaukie, but it felt just like home. |
| This place makes their own whiskey so I happily consumed it until I found out they had bottles of Rainier beer. My goodness! Why didn't I realize this sooner? From here on out it was game over for any other beverage. Only pure spring waters from the Pacific Northwest combined with golden barley and verdant hops to produce a beer rich in taste and texture could satiate me tonight. We were in and outside, listening to the band and talking with randoms around a fire pit. This was a great night. Truth be told it didn't really matter what we did because I was with 3 wonderful people. But it was an added bonus seeing this band. The harmonica player could really wail. So far this was turning out to be an outstanding trip. One that came out of nowhere and one I will never forget. |
