For a spectacular view of the city, make sure to stop in for a drink at the
Portland City Grill,
on the 30th floor of the US Bancorp Tower, the tallest building in the city. The place was packed when we arrived
around 5 pm yesterday, right in the middle of their popular happy hour. The waitress told me that folks line up at the
elevators on the first floor at least a 1/2 hour or so before the doors open at 4:30. The happy hour runs from
4:30-6:30 with incredibly low prices on decicious appetizers like spring rolls and sushi. Just be prepared to work and
negotiate with other diners for a table and chairs, depending on the size of your party. Try to get a window seat or
one of the spacious booths surrounding the bar. The main dining room requires reservations and serves steak and seafood
dishes with an Asian flair.
Postcard from Portland #3
I’m continuing to enjoy the ease of getting around Portland. I
think I should have bought a three-day or weekend pass for the bus, but I didn’t see any advertised. It’s okay though,
as it is still quite affordable to get around. (And I’ve been lucky with a few rides from friends as well.) The
event at Powells was great, as was roaming the towering shelves of the biggest bookstore I’ve
ever seen. After the event we went to Fernando’s Hideaway, a Spanish
restaurant on First Street. Tapas that got thumbs up from the group were the crab cakes and lamb. I really liked the
sangria although folks I was dining with said they have had better. We didn’t stay to watch the salsa dancing on the
second floor, where they do offer free lessons on Thursdays and Fridays.
Today the rain stopped long enough for me to do some walking. I made my way south on Hawthorne and cut over to
Clinton and 25th, where I met
Weblogs Inc. blogging
pal Sarah Gilbert at Henry’s Cafe. Sarah, along with
the so very adorable Blogging Babys Everett and Truman, welcomed me to
Portland over coffee and pancakes. It’s been nice to visit a city where I know some locals. Traveling to a new city by
myself is always such a thrill for me — I love exploring unknown turf. But I’ve found that having knowlegable
navigators on the ground to call in case of emergency or to share coffee in a cafe has been such a great bonus. It’s
something I’ll keep in mind as I continue to plan my European adventure…where do I have friends on the ground to
assist?
Pancit Bihon
Having looked over that site on the Philippines for awhile I really began to work up an appetite for
some good pancit. My mother works with a nice woman who prepares various Filipino dishes
for us and brings them as a surprise every now and then, but it’s the weekend and she’s nowhere to be found. With that
being said I went in search for a good mouth-watering recipe to prepare the noodle-dish in the comfort of your
own home. My mouse clicks stopped at this blog called
delectation.
The blogger, Claudine, was born in the Philippines which makes her a semi-reliable source. Before leaving
for college she begged her mom for the secret
family pancit bihon recipe. Lucky for
her taste-buds and ours her mom kindly bestowed the ingredients and instructions of the delicious dish to her daughter,
which Claudine now shares with the world. Perhaps their exchange wasn’t so dramatic, maybe Claudine just
asked her mother to show her and she did, but some recipes are worth keeping secret. The recipe is a bit time
consuming, but worth your time in the kitchen.
Thanks to Claudine I finally found out the name for those tiny limes/lemons they use to spray over the noodles,
calamansi. Mmm…
Luzon’s Mountain Tribes
We don’t give the Philippines or some of its people and cultures nearly enough props here at
Gadling. I was born on Luzon in Angeles
City somewhere around the now extinct Clark Air Base which was destroyed in the 1992 volcanic eruption of
Mt. Pinatubo. My memory won’t allow me the simple pleasure of remembering one single thing about the Philippines
from the first five months of my existence which has imbedded a deep-rooted desire to go back. Perhaps I’ll even be
able to visit all of the 7,000 plus islands, but for now I’ll focus on Luzon.
For many the Philippines has long been associated as a destination with numerous beautiful, sandy beaches,
beautiful women (sometimes cheap prostitutes), and delicious foods like lumpia, pancit, chicken adobo, and
almondigas to name only a few. Metro Manila is
the bustling capital area which after a few days could potentially become overwhelming and tourists looking for an
escape tend to head north. To the north there is a culture and people quite different from those residing in the city.
This web site is one of the better featuring some pretty awesome photos and info on the different
regions, especially Luzon.
The mountain tribes of Luzon are made of many groups, the
most notable being the Bontocs and the Ifugao. Little has changed in their tribal communities as they hold on to old
traditions and skills like woodcarving and weaving clothes. The homes of the Ifugao are built on piles and the
bedroom, kitchen and storeroom are all used in the same space. A sacrificed pig’s skull is placed outside the home to
please the gods. During funerals the tribes celebrate the passing into a better life and six years later dig up the
bones to do it all again. Defintely a culture worth visiting and if you’re lucky enough you may bump into someone
willing to show the bones of their grandfather.
Postcard from Portland #2
I’m learning that it wouldn’t be Portland without some rain, so I’m definitely having the authentic weather
experience here. I have no clue what day or hour it is, but I’m enjoying myself so far. I’m staying in the southeast
part of the city, at the Hawthorne Hostel. Since I arrived late last
night, they gave me the security codes by phone yesterday so I could get in on my own. It was a weird but still rather
wonderful welcome to let myself into a warm cozy house and settle in for a good night’s rest. Which is exactly what I
did. The house is toasty and comfortable, and despite sleeping in a dorm room with about four other females, I slept
like a baby. The hostel can accommodate about 30 and I’m sure in summer months it’s packed to capacity, but so far I’ve
only seen a few other folks wandering around. Because of the cold damp weather I’ve decided to just lay low and catch
up on work this afternoon at the hostel, then head downtown to
Powells later on. I did get out for an early breakfast
this morning at Gravy, a great little brunch place that
actually serves lunch and dinner too. The place has neat design details, like curtains made of fabric patches and old
ties, and antique flatware that reminded me of my grandmother’s…another place with a homey atmosphere, making Portland
really feel like a home away from home.