Portlandia

Something I've been trying to focus on lately just in terms of personal growth, is not just talking about doing things, but actually doing them. It's a lot more difficult than it seems (like blogging regularly). It's so much easier to talk than it is to actually set a plan in motion, but I'm really proud of all the things I've done this past year. One of the biggest things I'm proud of though is the trip Estrella and I took to Portland in August.

For the first time in my life I had vacation time at work and a little extra money, and I got this idea in my head that I should go on vacation. As soon as that idea sprouted I knew that it was totally possible and I really wanted prove to myself that I could make this happen. So I did! I called Estrella and asked her if she'd want to go somewhere with me, and after she said yes we kicked some ideas around and ultimately we decided on Portland.

It may seem like a little thing, but just the fact that we actually went still makes me so happy. This could have easily been something we talked about forever without ever doing, but we actually got up and went. And I fell completely in love with Portland.

We stayed at an AirBnb in the Hawthorne District, so it felt like we got a pretty good sense of what it would be like if we lived there. We were only there four days but we stuffed them to the brim; we went to Powell's and got lost in the sea of books, saw the Portland Art Museum, ate at food trucks, ate Voodoo Doughnuts, went to a movie theater that was also a restaurant, saw Rx Bandits, and walked around parks enjoying the Pacific Northwest. Portland reminded me of the Bay Area in all the best ways: strangers making conversation on public transportation, compost bins, heavy emphasis on local & handmade things. I was (and still am) smitten.


Lemonade at LAX before take-off



Door of our AirBnB

The city composts! Insert heart-eye emoji here.

When I move to Portland I'm buying this creepy house and painting it blue. 

Lending library on the sidewalk!

The best food truck title ever.

Vacations call for mimosas and cold brew.

Yolko Ono, the best egg sandwich I've ever had.

POWELL'S! 

A book store so big it requires a map. Basically heaven.

Estrella playing Petrichor for me on the piano outside Portland Art Museum. 

Line for Voodoo Doughnuts.

The doughnut pay-off. Not pictured: the doughuts covered in Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops that I ate later.

Salt & Straw composts.

Sylvia Plath street art.

Rx Bandits at the Hawthorne Theater

I got the set list!

Still dreaming about this breakfast skillet.

Estrella and I decided that if we lived in Portland, this place would be our Sunday brunch spot.



<3

That time Estrella came to LA and I didn't take any pictures of her

Nowadays when I get to see Estrella we have so much to talk about and there are so many things we want to do with our short time together that I completely forget about taking pictures. Usually I at least get a couple but this time I took not one picture of her or us together! I realized later that we usually take our selfies while we're sitting on the pier, which didn't happen this time because she came to visit me so there was no pier.

Regardless, it was so nice to finally have her here in LA! We saw a Poem Store which was so special because we were together the first time we ever saw a Poem Store at a street fair in Oakland, and I've actually never seen one anywhere else. We also got some ramen at Daikokuya and explored Little Tokyo and Olvera Street for a bit before her train. It never seems like we have enough time! Hopefully the universe and our schedules will align again soon.

Riding the Rails

Last Monday I went on the most spontaneous mini-vacation I've ever planned. It might not actually count as spontaneous, since Estrella and I had been trying to find a time that worked out for a visit for practically the entire summer. The longest-planned most spontaneous trip ever? I think it still counts as a spur-of-the-moment trip because I decided to go the day before, and I bought my ticket just over 12 hours before my departure time.

Anyway, last Monday was finally a perfect storm of schedules and I made my way to Santa Barbara via train. I'd never taken the train in this country before (not that I can recall anyway, I think my mom may have mentioned that we took a train trip once when I was a toddler), and I was surprised at how easy it was. And shocked at the amount of leg room I got! I caught my train at Union Station and a few short hours later I was reunited with Estrella in SB.

I don't have many pictures to show for the trip because Estrella is camera shy and I just wanted to spend time with her. Next time!

I only stayed in Santa Barbara overnight because I had to be back in LA to start my new job (!) but I'll definitely be making the trip again with some more time.

<3