Busy Portland Day

After a hearty breakfast, we set out on our bikes this morning for the Portland Saturday Market, a visit to the nearby Oregon Maritime Museum, and a walking tour called "DIY Portland." We've been to the Saturday Market before, but of course the booths and offerings change. A wide array of arts and crafts are on display, including lots and lots of jewelry, pottery, duct tape art, photography, woodworking, tee-shirts, flutes, candles, tie-dye, soaps, and much more.

After perusing about half of the market, we visited the last operating sternwheeler steam tug, the Portland, moored at the Willamette River in downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park. A volunteer docent led our group through the intricacies of renovating, operating, and maintaining this link to the vital past of Portland's river commerce.

After our visit to the museum we stopped by the food court at the market for a light meal before our walking tour. Ken and I split a "Healthy Burrito" and a large serving of fresh fruit, both delicious. Anara had bubble tea and a strawberry crepe, and Chris had some concoction he pronounced very good.

A little after 2:00 p.m. we headed to Voodoo Doughnuts, not to get any of their famous sweet creations, but to meet our tour guide, Kyle, from Know Your City.The tour we were taking is called "DIY PDX."

DIY PDX

Sick of big box stores and corporate chains? Welcome to Portland, OR, USA—Home to all things independent!

This walking tour is designed for those seeking to connect with the true, homespun culture of the city (which can sometimes be tough to find as a visitor). Along the way, we'll meet with some of the personalities that contribute to Portland's artisan and DIY culture, and we'll also explore some of the key policies that help foster these independent businesses. DIY PDX introduces tour-goers to our grassroots culture that embraces local self-reliance and sustainable living—and that defines Portland's independent ethos.
This two-hour tour includes:

• The history of Portland's unique food cart phenomena.
• A look at Portland's burgeoning music and literary scenes and its independent businesses.
• A visit to a craft brewery that has been in business for 20 years.
• A local roaster that transports its coffee only by bicycle, of course!

Kyle was knowledgeable and quite personable. He offered opportunities for everyone to participate. Most of the 14 people on the tour were local or regional residents. One couple hailed from the Midwest, and a young man was from Australia. We had a very large group, but fortunately Kyle had a microphone and portable amplifier, which helped.

We heard about the brief history of the X-Ray Cafe, a small music venue, and about the burgeoning craft brewing business.

Kyle ended the tour over a mile from our starting point, so we hiked back to our bikes and pedaled home, taking only a brief few minutes to wash up and change before heading out again to a barbecue/party hosted by some of the folks in the OHSU library. The couple who own the house, in Vancouver, WA, are Indian. Shyama works at the OHSU library, as did many of the guests. Shyama and her husband, Ajit, were wonderful hosts.

Shyama is an amazing cook. There was a variety of foods laid out on a large table, including salmon, beef, and tandoori chicken (grilled by Ajit), tofu cakes, Indian rice, spinach salad with strawberries, rolls, and more. After dinner a selection of desserts appeared, all yummy.

We were regaled with tales of some really unusual bicycle riding feats and death defying accidents by Kyle (a digital collections and metadata librarian).