Portland and the Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden is the star of Portland - that alone is worth the trip to the city.  It was also our first stop when we arrived. The garden was exquisite, and the Kengo Kuma buildings complemented it perfectly. We spent a couple of hours in the garden before heading to our hotel in the Pearl District. 

Having been deprived of Chinese food for 2 weeks, we headed to Chinatown for a late lunch. The food at the one restaurant on the street corner was good but there was not much else there in the so-called Chinatown. Disappointing!

The Pearl District is an area of downtown Portland that has undergone urban renewal from being an industrialized area to become an area of funky art galleries and upscale businesses and housing. It was a much more interesting area to walk through than the large, empty Courthouse Square, at the centre of the city. The walk to the waterfront did not yield anything too exciting so we took the tram back to our hotel, finishing off our day ith a delicious dinner at the highly recommended Tasty n'Alder around the block from hotel. The place was packed on a Monday evening but they were able to call us when a table was ready which made the wait more tolerable, and the food made up for it all.

Entrance to the Japanese Garden

The exquisite Japanese Arts Learning Center by Kengo Kuma echoes the tall vertical lines of the coniferous trees behind it

Inside the Arts Learning Center

The "Flat Garden" designed to showcase the distinctive beauty of each season

Pavillion Gallery had an exhibition about the Japanese festival Gion Matsuri inside

Strolling Pond Garden - Upper Pond with its iconic Moon Bridge 

Beautiful koi in the Lower Pond with its Heavenly Falls

Sand and Stone Garden

This is the ladies' restroom!

Just across the street from the Japanese Garden is the International Rose Test Garden - roses galore!

Superbowl!

Impressive Gate but not much behind it

Can't miss that bike lane!

Urban renewal in the Pearl District included a number of beautiful murals

Powell's City of Books - one of the biggest independent bookstores in the world with over a million titles over 3 floors

This used to be an armory - now an event space

Fountain in the Pearl District

They've kept this historic wall around what is now a parking lot - different!

One of many historical buildings in the area

Courthouse Square - where are all the people??  It was late afternoon on a Monday...

Our one taste of transit on this trip - very pleasant!