Portland as I saw it.

Dawn and I recently went to Portland, OR for our vacation. We chose Portland because Brandis had given birth a few weeks earlier. (You'll meet Elijah later) This was my first time visiting. I'd heard a lot about the city and was very excited to be going. I wanted to check out the city and I wanted to see the new baby boy.

I knew Portland was a funky place. I've seen documentaries on the city. Some of the stories I've heard were about the homeless population and the many runway kids that got stuck out their with no place to go. I did see a lot of that, but the folks I saw on the street seemed to enjoying the freedom without being hassled by locals or the establishment; they just seemed free. I noticed that a lot of the people who were homeless had beautiful dogs. In fact the dogs were even allowed to enter certain stores and even restaurants. The city it self is very liberal.

The city has great eateries, lots of art galleries, strip joints and very cool neighborhoods. It has the feel of a smaller NYC. Brandis said it's more like a small SF. The people I came in contact with really love their city. The place seem to evoke creativity. How cools is that.

Walking around with my camera in
tow, I felt like I was on assignment for a swanky magazine. I tried to capture the essence of the city. I'll let you be the judge of that. I took pictures of street cars, buildings, out side cafes, people and bicycles. Everyone commuted on a bicycle.

Portland also has the best of both worlds. It has the mountains and the ocean. The people there are very friendly. Everyday when I would go out, people said hi, or complemented one of the many t- shirts I wore. I did attempt to take a picture of a young lady that was siting in a doorway. She had a sleeping bag and seemed to getting ready for bed. I approached her in a gentle manner and kindly asked her if I could take her picture. She kindly said "no thank you".

Dawn likes the city so much said she wouldn't mine relocating. Can't do that just yet though.

One of the most interesting things I like about the city is it's personality. The street performers add so much to a city. The "Bucket Drummer" was just one of the many that allowed me to photograph them. The other was the "silver man". This guy stood perched on a pedestal without moving. I thought he was a real statue. But once I tipped him, he began to juggle these balls that he pulled from his stash. I couldn't believe it.

The trip was wonderful. It can certainly be consider a beautiful thing. Please enjoy, and if you see an image that stands out for you, please add a comment.

PEACEB2U
Michael aka, Binkabi Sankofa .