The Dream of the 90s is Alive in Portland

Sunday morning we drove the few hours to Portland. We checked into our hotel and headed out to explore the city. The Portland Satuday Market was happening downtown so we meandered through the aisles and aisles of artists booths. We scored a few good things including this fan that was necessary to beat the heat:

The homelessness and drug use in this city was shocking. We were harassed a couple times, cursed at, and watched people doing heroin and snorting coke on the sidewalk. The homeless had tent villages set up along sidewalks that made it difficult or impossible to pass. A few hours of all this and we were ready for some respite. We headed back to the room, cranked the AC, and I was able to make a decent dent in my schoolwork while Rachael applied for jobs. 

That night we called an Uber and headed back into the Peal District for dinner and cocktails at the Portland City Grill. It was fantastic. After dinner we walked the two blocks to the infamous VooDoo Doughnuts and got dessert. 

The walk to VooDoo Doughnuts and being harassed by the homeless while standing in line was uncomfortable. We called an Uber right away and tried to stay away from everyone while we waited for the car. I think this was the first time I've actually felt scared and uncomfortable in a major city. While we waited 7 minutes for the car we were approached for money a handful of times, saw a man walk around us with breakaway shorts... broken away..., and saw people walking by with knives. 

I'm hoping there's some sort of explanation or action  plan for the situation in Portland. I thought the city would have been fun and artsy, but being harassed and cursed at just for walking down the street was enough to make me pretty much throw in the towel on Portland. 

We got up early the next morning and hit up a farmers market before heading for the coast!