Just two weeks before our big trip to Manila and Beijing, Marc and I decided to fly to Portland for the weekend.  Thus, very early on Dec. 10, 2011, we boarded a UNITED flight from SFO to Portland International.  To be honest, I was quite excited about the trip given that it was going to be my first time in Portland and the State of Oregon.  I cannot believe it took me over twenty years to visit this neighbor of California to the north.  The flight only took an hour and a half.  The return trip even took less.

Luckily for us, we both got upgraded to First Class on the outbound leg.  Upon arrival in PDX International, we toured the airport a bit and checked out the Columbia store inside the airport.  Among our objectives during our visit was to purchase a winter coat for Marc.  He needed one badly for our upcoming trip to China which we will be visiting in the middle of its glacial winter.

After the brief tour of the airport, we proceeded to the Hertz Office to pick up the rental car Marc had previously ordered.  Then, from there, we checked in at our airport hotel nearby, the Fairfield Inn by Marriott.

The Airport Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Portland, Oregon

The check in was quick and warm.  We were given our keys and welcomed to the hotel with a breakfast buffet of bagels, pastries, pancakes, cereal, yogurt, milk, nuts, milk, juices, eggs, and sausages.  It was just what we needed before we proceeded with our cultural blitzkrieg of Portland and its most important attractions.

Here is what one of the hallways looked like.

Another hallway perpendicular to where our room was located

On our floor, the hotel visitor could get some ice from the machine on the left and buy some soda cans from the machine on the right.

We were assigned room 326 facing the street where our car was likewise parked.  I must say, I was really impressed by the area where the Portland Airport was located.  It looked vast, clean, and upscale.  I particularly loved the bare trees, the leaves which had fallen on the ground, the color of the foliage, the fog, and the freezing temperature.  The whole scene reminded me of the America I saw on TV and in the movies back in my childhood days in Manila.  I was enjoying myself tremendously at this point.

The entryway of our hotel room.

The room's entertainment center.

The complimentary coffee

The double beds

The chair next to the window, the air conditioner/heater and our bed

Given the freezing temperature in Portland (28 degrees Fahrenheit, that's below 0 degrees Celsius) at the  time of our visit, we only had the heater on and not the air conditioner all throughout our stay in the hotel.

The desk in the corner of our room

The vanity and the mini closet reflected in the mirror

The tub and shower inside the bathroom

The toilet

We only stayed in the Fairfield Hotel for a very short time.  We were very happy with the quality of the hotel though and we wouldn't mind staying here again should we return to Portland any time soon.

After freshening up in our hotel room, we headed out to explore Portland and its environs.  First on our list of must sees was the Multnomah Falls which I used to see in travel brochures and magazines.  I couldn't believe I was seeing for myself for the very first time.  It was a magnificent sight.

Here I was at the entrance to the Multnomah Falls.  It was really here where I realized how cold it was in Portland.  I thought the temperature in Oregon was going to be similar to the Bay Area given the proximity of the two places to each other.  Boy was I wrong.  It was a good thing I took my thermals and winter jacket with hood.  Even then though I was still freezing, really freezing.

The museum which housed a small exhibit about the Multnomah Falls and the gift shop at the base of the falls

Here's the entry to the path leading up to the bridge right above the lower falls.  I was really not properly dressed for this trip.  All the tourists I saw were bundled up for the freezing cold and ice with beanies, scarves, and boots.  I, on the other hand, was wearing my black leather dress shoes on this day.  Totally, totally not right for walking on the slippery path up the mountain and across the bridge.  Anyway, I learned and survived.

The trail leading to the bridge.  The colors of the trees along the way were simply beautiful.  Given that it was really cold in Portland, it was the first time I really felt the real winter in the USA in a long, long time.  Winters in San Francisco are generally mild and short.  By the end of January, coats are no longer necessary and by end of February, it is really like spring already.

Here's how the trees looked along the path.  This picture doesn't really do the colors justice.  The leaves were really very green.

A closer view of the falls, both upper and lower

Salmon could be found in the cold waters of the river below the falls

Another salmon

And more salmon

From Multnomah Falls, Marc and I drove to the nearby Bonneville Lock and Dam.

A turbine on display on the grounds of the Bradford Island Visitor Center

We visited this center on the grounds of the Bonneville Lock and Dam.  It had an interesting viewing area for people to watch salmon as they swam and spawned on the man made ladders beside it.

Unfortunately given the time of our visit, not one salmon could be seen.  Anyway, this is how the viewing area inside the visitor center looked.

The window gives visitors a view of fish as they swim up and around the ladder.

This is actually how the ladder looks from above the center.

An exhibit about the salmon that travel to the ladder

More salmon on exhibit at the viewing area of the Bradford Island Visitor Center

The Pioneer Place Mall in downtown Portland

With Christmas just two weeks away, Portland was abuzz with activity inside and out.  There was a huge Christmas concert with an equally big crowd gathered to watch it at Pioneer Square.  Inside Pioneer Place Mall, people were busy shopping and some Scottish bagpipe players performed to the delight of mall visitors and shoppers.   I must say, it was nice to be indoors during our visit to Portland.  It was so cold outside!  San Francisco's winter was nowhere near as cold as Portland's.  No wonder it snows in Oregon during the winter season.

The US Customs House in downtown Portland

Pioneer Square with a huge Christmas tree in the middle is actually behind this building.  Now Pioneer Square is Portland's version of San Francisco's Union Square and all the major retail stores like Nordstroms, Macy's, Banana Republic, and Columbia surrounded it.

A Christmas concert was held in the square in the afternoon of our visit.  The area was packed but the music in the air was simply divine.

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The entire lobby smelled really sweet when we went to the hotel.  The scent came from the gingerbread castle behind me.

Just look at this building.  So modern and clean.  I would love to attend an event here when in Portland.

Right after exploring Pioneer Square, we explored the area by the river in downtown Portland.  Along the way, we passed by these weekend markets.

Some Christmas decor at the Woodburn Outlet Stores in Woodburn, Oregon.  Since one of the reasons for the visit to Portland was to purchase a winter coat or jacket for Marc, a visit to this place was a must for us.

To be honest, given that it was night time when we went.  The temperatures went down even more making us totally shiver from the cold.  It was quite difficult to linger in the outdoors to admire all the decorations.  We had a lot of fun though.  And to think, there were no sales tax on purchases in Oregon.  What a deal!

The outlet mall was full of Chinese tourists and the stores full of customers were North Face and Banana Republic.  Marc finally found the down jacket he was going to use and wear in Beijing at a very reasonable price. I kept vacilating whether to buy one jacket for myself or not.  In the end, I decided to just wear what I had in my closet to save money.

How I wish Christmas lasted longer.