portland.

This weekend was full of city firsts and the realization that Portland is absolutely fascinating. I got a glimpe of the posh side of Portland, the hippie side, the night life, and the morning vibe. How could I live so close to such a fabuous city and not know the half of it?! I loved it. All of it. I wouldn't want to live in a city long term, but it might be fun for a while.

9 friends and I had a girls weekend. We started off by dressing up and going to a posh tiki bar in the pearl. Rich people can be rude. We asked a lady if it would bother her if we put a chair on the end of our table, and she said yes. "Why, yes it would bother me." Oh well, the drinks were good and some people got parrots on sticks to take home as a souvenier.

Next we rode surreys ("with the fringe on top") on the waterfront. It was a blast, pedaling and people watching and shouting clever comments with the people we passed. It even had a bell that dinged.

We ate dinner at Henry's tavern. (FYI, gorgonzola fries are to die for.)

Dancing at Dixie's. HA. I am so not the kind of person who enjoys going to clubs or bars, but not gonna lie, this was fun. It is basically a classic rock bar so we sang/danced to wonderful songs, old and new. It's fun to throw your hands in the air like you just don't care every once in a while. As long as you're surrounded by friends who will protect you from creepy men you don't want to dance with. The night life is not my cup of tea, but it was fun and fascinating. (Have you ever seen a person wearing red and white striped pirate pants, with lacy red underwear over the top, articles of "clothing" that look like they were from a costume shop, and who has green and purple hair? Yup. Portland.)

And then we stayed the night at the Benson hotel, one of the nicest in Portland. Our 2 room suite overlooked the city, and I realized how fun it would be to live in the city for a bit (but just a bit). It's exciting to hear a man on a unicycle playing bagpipes outside your window. All you have to do is open the window and stick your head out to see.

Day 2: I got to be a coffee snob. We went to a coffee shop that has one of 7 elite espresso makers in the world. Okay so I wasn't a snob, but it was still exciting. I felt so cool walking around downtown Portland with my coffee in my hand.

Last but not least...Saturday market. Where else can you buy a spoon ring, eat food from a food cart, watch a man stuff himself through a tennis racket, see people wearing underclothes outside of their normal clothes, and doing whatever the heck they want?

It makes me laugh how cool I feel after spending 24 hours in Portland. Especially because the things that make Portland cool would be scofffed at anywhere else. Portlandia rings true. It's not the lifestyle I would prefer to live long term, but it would be fun for a while.

But I'll never be a hipster. I appreciate them, but I will never be one.