I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Portland, Oregon as a travel destination… but if stuck there, I would recommend Portland’s Japanese Gardens.  It is poetry in life and living Japanese art.  The gardens are a contemplative beautiful place filled with moss ridden artfully composed bonsai trees and Japanese sentries.

The walkways and landscapes were stunningly choreographed.  Admittedly a better time of the year to go would be when the leaves are flowering and with more color – probably October.  Definitely worth the visit if in Portland – probably the best thing in Portland to see and do, in my humble opinion.  Frankly, I hope never to have to go back to Portland… while I’m sure it’s not altogether true, it sure seemed like the bum population must outnumber the working class.  But that was just our observation staying in downtown, as we had to step over and around the abundance of people sleeping on, in, and around the streets. It was disconcerting and uncomfortable for us.  Would never go back.