Weekend trip to Portland
Posted 02-19-2008 11:24 am
by Admin Admin
Just got back from a weekend trip to Portland, primarily to see Ornette Coleman who performed on the opening night of the Portland Jazz Festival.
It was a wonderful weekend--the weather was sunny, and I heard some great music, ate some wonderful food, and saw some good friends. I stayed at the Hotel Monaco, one of my preferred hotels in Portland. It's been my favorite Portland hotel since it was the Fifth Avenue Suites, but I hadn't had a chance to stay since it switched over to being a Monaco last year (it's still part of the Kimpton Group). The decor is a bit brighter and more colorful, but otherwise, it's pretty much the same great place it always was. Part of why I like this hotel so much is the size of the rooms--most of the rooms here are two-room suites, with a separate sitting area and large bathrooms. My suite on the 9th floor faced east, so I had a view of Mt Hood when it was clear. One downside however is the amount of construction going on in the neighborhood--the jackhammers were out in full force, even on Sunday morning. Hopefully that part of the 3 or 4 construction projects I counted in the immediate vicinity will be completed soon--but it's definitely something to consider if you're planning to stay there in the near future. I met one of my friends who lives in Portland for a bite to eat before the concert on Friday night. Our original plan was to eat in the bar at Higgins, but it was packed at 5:30 and we couldn't get a table or seat at the bar or in the restaurant itself so we walked down to the Heathman Bar instead (I'm looking forward to trying Higgins the next time I'm in town--it's one of those places I've been meaning to go to for years). We managed to get a table and found out that if we ordered right away, we could get happy hour prices on the bar menu--definitely a great deal, especially the crab cake for only $2 (happy hour is from 4-6 PM). The concert was fantastic--I'd never had a chance to hear Ornette Coleman live before and I was mesmerized by the improvisational flights he and his band took together and separately. I particularly enjoyed his choice to have three bass players in the group, one standup, two electric. Ornette's son is on drums, and Ornette himself plays alto sax primarily but occasionally picks up the trumpet or the violin. Now in his late 70s, he is truly a living legend. I also attended an interview with him and his son earlier in the day which was very interesting--he's definitely not a linear thinker! The next morning I got up and had an early breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot, the Bijou. I then set out to walk over to the Pearl District and spend the morning browsing at Powell's (an amazing bookstore where you can spend hours--and lots of money if you're not careful ;-)). On the way I took time to visit the Chinese Classical Garden, which I'd never had the chance to visit before. It's definitely worth a visit if you enjoy Chinese gardens. Saturday night, I had dinner at Fenouil in the Pearl. I'd heard great things about this stylish French restaurant and I was not disappointed. From the lobster beignets appetizer to a delicious entree of scallops to a wonderful dessert of tarte tatin, it was all wonderful. It's a bit of a walk back from the Pearl to the Monaco but I needed it after such a great dinner. Sunday morning, I finally went to Mother's for breakfast with a couple friends. I've been wanting to go for years but everyone has always said, oh the line's too long. We got there right as they opened and so were able to get in on the first seating. It was well worth it. I had a special of lemon poppy seed pancakes that were fantastic. So it was a really nice trip--great music, great friends, great food. I really like Portland.
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