Portland CBD & the Nines

This is our first official vacation of the year, meaning anything longer than a longer weekend. Why we picked Portland? Well, Tom’s sister, Nilenka, gave us a stay at their Oregon coastal beach house as our wedding present last year. I was planning to use it during this year’s July 4th holiday, but had to change it due to Tom’s work conflict. So I picked Memorial Day weekend to start our vacation instead.

We decided to spend couple days in Portland on our way out to Cannon Beach. I have made many flight connections here, but never step foot outside of Portland airport. So this is my first official visit to the state of Oregon!

I picked the Nines as our accommodation in Portland CBD. Tom asked me why? Because I have read a few articles about the new hotel, being trendy and new, and at a great price, why not!!! Of course, Tom has no idea he will be surrounded by pink, turquoise, and brown. Yes, the hip colors of the moment in a sleek minimal décor. I myself was surprised by how small the room size is. It is a good thing we only stayed two nights. I am so used to having a living area and full kitchen when I travel. This is good for a short stay. I love the details: the silk wall paper, the turquoise velvet chair, the crystal chandelier in the room, etc. Let’s say it this way, I will only be able to enjoy this style while traveling, as this isn’t what Tom and I would consider for our own home. We need something a bit more classic and can stand the test of time, as we won’t be able to redecorate the place each time a new trend is in the wind…

We arrived in the early afternoon, checked in and decided to stroll around the city blocks to the water front. There's a festival going on, more like a carnival, not my kind of activities. We opted for the light rail and do a local run of the nearby neighborhoods. The streets are relatively quiet even though it was a long holiday weekend. I didn’t go shopping even though the hotel is on top of Macy’s. We stopped at the Saturday market, nothing too interesting, but the people. Well, a bit outside of my normal circle…more toward gothic, tattoos, teenagers….interesting to see though.

For the evening, we decided to relax at the hotel atrium with happy hour snacks instead of full blown sit down dinner. I had wine, Tom had beer. We ordered a few gourmet items, including some great cheese prepared by the server tableside. Lovely gesture, and yes, all gone quickly. We then moved to the “library”, a nice comfy niche with a pool table. While having our dessert, we played a game of pool. Obviously, I am no where close to Tom’s. I am sure he got his experiences from his hay days with the bands…