Last weekend was spent with my good friend Julie in Portland, a trip I’ve been meaning to take for three years now… Part of the reason I came to UPS was that I was so close to both Seattle and Portland, but still hadn’t had a Portland adventure!
Part of the draw to Portland for this particular weekend, besides it being too early for the onslaught of homework, was a Gillian Welch tribute concert with members of the Portland Cello Project. It was an amazing concert and have been listening to Gillian Welch non-stop since my arrival (my apologies to my housemates who suffer through my high-volume wailings of Gillian songs through the walls). And the ladies from the Portland Cello Project who played were entirely too cool… maybe they need another cellist…
And Portland is such a great city to get lost in! Especially on bike… they city has made Portland extremely accessible via bicycle—to the point that driving a car is so frustrating its better to be on a bicycle. I’m happy to see that Tacoma is working hard to make this city more biking accessible, because it really does make the city experience ten times better. And there are so many beautiful community gardens everywhere. It was great to see these green spaces and self-sustaining communities in the midst of this urban jungle.
One of the green spaces Julie and I stumbled upon was the Tryon Community Farm near the Lewis and Clark campus. I swear to you, it’s a fairy-land. There were these beautifully crafted structures around the property including a cob healing arts room, an open communal kitchen, and a stage. A seriously gorgeous space that Julie and I could have spent days on.
And so much youthful energy! Young kids opening up their own food carts and playing music in the streets. I was lucky enough to spend my Sunday afternoon with my friend Luke and two other guys he plays music with. An absolute manian on the upright bass and then a fiddler trained in Turkish styles. So much fun… I’ve never jammed with two other fretless, bowed stringed instruments before and it was some of the most fun I’ve had! Needless to say, the weekend left me satisfied and utterly exhausted. Looking forward to going back!