a few days in... Portland!!

Portland was a short but great visit. We stayed with friends of Jeremy, Laura and Ted, who were amazing hosts for us. Not only did they offer us their house/backyard (we all decided to amp in the backyard since we keep late hours and some people actually go to work early in the morning) but they showed us around the city! Tuesday morning we woke up to some fresh blueberry pancakes whipped up by Ted (they have a wonderful garden in their backyard; blueberries, pumpkins, carrots, peas, tomatoes) and then he showed us the town. Portland has a great public transit system, at a very affordable rate, free! The four band mates, Ted, and myself, drove into the city, parked (for free) and then took a free train further into the city.

The actual downtown Portland is very similar to towns you would see around the bay area; like Palo Alto, or something to that effect. The buildings are just a little bigger, and most likely older; a very classy and quant downtown. The group stopped off at Powell’s Books, the legendary independent bookstore, Martin and I both made a good purchase. For lunch Ted suggested a brewery/pub named McMenamins, I believe is a northwest chain, which was by far our favorite stop yet! The food was so amazing and such a good price. $2.50, anything on the happy hour menu! With hummus, artichoke dip, 3 bean chowder, a loaded cheeseburger, and more, we were more than happy. After the walk back to the train and a short drive back home, we relaxed for a few and headed to the show!
The band played their Tuesday night show at the Mississippi Pizza Pub, a small pizza restaurant on the outskirts of Portland. Free pizza and drinks made it quite enjoyable, but even without, it was a great night. Chris, a friend of Jeremy, and our hosts Laura and Ted made it to the show, and with some help from the local kickball teams (apparently it’s a big thing out there), so we had a decent audience. The boys played late into the evening, enjoyed another slice or two and we packed up for the eve. Definitely a venue worth playing again, or at least to stop by for some delicious pizza.
Today we took our time packing up and enjoying the morning. Ted took us to a wonderful Mexican food restaurant with breakfast burritos, we did some laundry, and a little grocery shopping at the local Safeway (which always makes you feel a little more at home). I’m writing this as we make our way in to Washington, Seattle is just a few hours away!!

I've had problems with video, but hopefully I'll get a few up soon!!