Curious encounters in Portland

I love downtown Portland, but for some reason I don't get the chance to go there very often. So when I spent all day there yesterday with Mom and Matt, I was really excited. Part of my excitement was due to one of my birthday gifts from my parents: a copy of Oregon Curiosities by Harriet Baskas, which describes many interesting things that call our state home. When I read through the book -- in three nights -- I noticed that a good portion of the "curiosities" listed could be found right in the Rose City.

We arrived in Portland at about 11 a.m., parked near the Lloyd Center and ran down the sidewalk to catch the MAX train to our first stop, the Oregon Historical Society.
On the third Saturday of every month the museum hosts a free day, and there were several interesting exhibits. Across the hall from the restrooms, a series of historical photographs pictured students of Benson High School (Matt's old high school) in the 1920s. Upstairs, two smaller exhibits showed memorabilia from the battleship U.S.S. Oregon from its launch to its retirement and the first car completely built in Oregon. "Oregon, My Oregon" showed Oregon's history from its "discovery" to its settlement and ending with issues the state faces today. Downstairs, "Hungry Planet" showcased photographs of families from different countries with a week's worth of food, accompanied by smaller photos of family members preparing a typical meal. Finally, "Puppetry: An Out-of Body Experience" exhibited the work of Michael Curry, who created the puppets for the Broadway production of "The Lion King."

After the museum, we made our way to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where "Sand in the City" was going on.
The sand-sculpting contest, sponsored by Yoshida's Sauces, was a benefit for Kids on the Block, an organization that uses puppets to educate elementary school students about non-violence and non-prejudice. There were a lot of really interesting sculptures, including one of Mario! Then we went to Pioneer Place for lunch.

After lunch we rode the MAX down to the Saturday Market, located under the Burnside Bridge. There were many interesting things there for sale, including fused-glass ornaments, ceramics and tie-dyed shirts. We bought some cinnamon roasted almonds, which were pretty good. After a little while, we caught the MAX to the Lloyd Center for some shopping.

Throughout the day, we passed several continuously-running drinking fountains. The four-bowled fountains, known as "Benson Bubblers," were a gift from lumberman and civic leader Simon Benson, who hoped that their presence would encourage people to drink pure water instead of liquor. While the success of that goal is debatable, I drank out of six different fountains during my time in Portland; the final stop was at Benson High School, named after Simon Benson.After the mall, we stopped at Powell's City of Books, the country's largest brick-and-mortar bookstore. The store has three levels consisting of a total of nine color-coded rooms and stretches for an entire city block, making navigation difficult without a map provided by the store. I made my way upstairs to the Pearl Room, which contained a huge assortment of music books and photography books, then had trouble finding my way back to the Green Room where my parents were browsing through books about Oregon. We didn't buy anything on this trip ... maybe next time. On our way out, we bought a newspaper from a homeless woman. The publication, entitled "Street Roots," is written, produced and distributed by the city's homeless and discusses relevant issues.Our final stop before leaving Portland was the median strip at the intersection of Naito Parkway and Taylor Street. There, a hole of dirt surrounded by cement is labeled as "The World's Smallest Park."Mill Ends Park was established in 1946 when Oregon Journal newspaper columnist Dick Fagan noticed that a light pole destined for the hole located near his office never showed up. Fagan planted flowers in the hole and began writing columns about park "events," many involving a resident leprechaun colony. Although Fagan died in 1969, Portland Parks and Recreation still maintains the park, which became an official Portland park on March 17, 1976.