The Benson and irving Street Kitchen

Okay, so I already told you that we were staying in The Benson, a hotel built in 1912. It is a very nicely maintained Victorian property. It has a majestic staircase:

And of course, a blazing fireplace.

You can either make your Starbucks coffee in your room, or get it from the Oriental armoire.

The foyer and parlor have beautiful stained glass windows that look out on the street.

And on the ceilings, ornate inlay tile and crystal chandeliers.

The hotel is said to be haunted. Here is our spooky hallway.

And our creepy door knocker.

The elevator stations are likewise ornate and very Victorian.

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Last night, we were invited to a sponsored dinner program. It was held at the Irving Street Kitchen. Amazingly, the decor was book centric.

Of course, Doc wanted to look at them, so off he went, looking at the book cases. On this trip, he has purchased nine books for his collection. He is extremely pleased over that accomplishment.

It was crowded. Here is the bar. Doc had BBQd chicken and I had a fried ricotta and mushroom, pea, and pea shoot blini. They were both good, but the chicken was better. My butterscotch pudding dessert was fantastic, and Doc had the dark chocolate torte, which he said was great.

They have 3 or 4 of these private booths with curtains. That sounds like it could be fun.

Since the seminar revolved around oral care, we each got 2 toothbrushes that could be redeemed for drinks. Doc got hard cider and I got 2 glasses of red wine, and then we gave our leftover toothbrush to some really lovely ladies from Washington state. We didn't get home til 11 or 12 midnight.

So, tomorrow, I am going on a tour of Mount Hood and some waterfalls and cascades. Stay tuned!!!. By the way, today we went up the street to the shopping district, and I will show you what I bought later. Keep in mind that the Nordstrom chain of stores started in the Pacific Northwest. I got some fabulous bargains at Nordstorm, a place not normally associated with bargains.

See you all later!!!

Lan Su Chinese Garden

It's a funny thing - my professional conference always gives you a two to three hour lunch break. You are supposed to go to the Exhibit Hall, where all the vendors try to sell you the latest and greatest medical and surgical devices. So I cruised through and then still had 2 hours. I decided to walk across the Willamette once again and go to the Lan Su Chinese Garden.

Portland's sister city is Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu province which is famous for it's beautiful gardens. Lan Su means "Garden of Awakening Orchids". Sixty five Chinese artisans built this garden, completed in 2000.

This is the Moon Locking Pavilion. On a clear night, the pavilion is constructed so that the reflection of the moon is a shimmering spotlight in the center of the lake.

This is the Rock Mountain and Waterfall. The poetic inscription in red characters reads "Ten Thousand Ravines Engulfed in Deep Clouds." The rock is a Lake Tai Rock, which is formed underwater. The holes allow the wind to whistle through and provide comforting sounds.

This building is called The Tower of Cosmic Reflections. This is where the family would receive visitors, and the women would prepare tea and food for them. It is also called Reflections in Clear Ripples, and people would gather to play games and tell stories, while gazing at the ponds.

Here is a gorgeous weeping tree and some of the many koi - they swim up to you and beg for food.

On top of the building at the entrance, the Courtyard of Tranquility, there are two dragonfish. They swallow all evil influences and protect the building from fire.

Doorways and windows throughout the garden form views within views, creating the illusion of infinite space within a single city block. The motif of the mosaic floor is called "plum blossoms on cracked ice."

Here is a look at the lovely water lilies and lily pads that the koi scamper through.

This is a Chinese Lion. I had always heard them called Foo Dogs. But that was an insult created by the Koreans. This is a female Chinese Lion with her foot on her cub. She uses her eyes, teeth and claws to protect the garden.

This is the Hall of Brocade Clouds, another building designed to entertain guests, who look through the lattice windows to see the family's wealth and good taste all around them. This is an altar to their ancestors, complete with their photos and an offering of tea and fresh pears.

Another gate leads to the Scholar's Courtyard. It was a quiet place designed for reflection and inspiration. Notice the lotus blossom mosaic floor. It is flanked by plum trees, that symbolize resilience and revival.

This is the room where men studied for grueling examinations that would lead to a government job, as a highly prized scholar. They learned poetry, calligraphy, and all forms of art and painting.

This is the Scholar's Study - in the middle is a table where the game of Go was played between two friends while four others could watch. The two pillars comprise another game called the couplet game, where one person starts a two line poem and the other matches it - verb for verb, noun for noun, adjective for adjective, etc. The first pillar reads " Braving the snow, myriad flowers come into blossom." The other pillar says " Leading the world, a single tree heralds the spring."

This is a view of the Scholar's room from the Scholar's Study.

This is the Painted Boat in Misty Rain. This boat shaped pavilion represents the friendship and exchange between the sister cities that served to create Lan Su Gardens.

Next are the panels. The Flowers Bathing in Spring Rain are six hand carved gingko panels that depict actual gardens in Suzhou.

This panel is the exact replica of the Lan Su Garden.

And one more last fleeting look at this beautiful paradise, right in the middle of downtown Portland, Oregon.

Stay tuned for more shenanigans !!!

Playing in Portland

One or two of you may have noticed that I have been AWOL. But I have a good reason. We went to my annual professional conference in Portland, Oregon. I have never been there before, and I was looking forward to it. We stayed at The Benson, a Victorian Hotel built in 1912. I will show you some pictures of the beautiful lobby later - when I came back this evening, the bar was full, and I didn't want to be rude and take people's pictures while they were trying to enjoy Happy Hour. Here I am, at the Portland Airport.

This year, there was a twist - Doc actually came with me!!! We checked into the hotel about 2PM and went over to the Oregon Convention Center to get my bag and conference materials. It is 1.5 miles, and we crossed a very old bridge over the Willamette River. Then we came back and searched for food. We ended up at Kell's Irish Pub. We had Irish Nachos and a sausage roll.

This is the skyline looking from Old Town over to the Lloyd and Belmont Districts.

This is the skyline looking back towards the Downtown District. The really tall building is the US Bancorp Tower, and it is pink!!

This is the bike and jogging path along the Historic Waterfront District.

Here is the famous sign. It is at the end of the very old bridge, which is called the Burnside Bridge.

Doc had a very special mission - he collects antique medical books, and the world's largest bookstore, Powell's, is about three short blocks from The Benson. Here he is, checking out the stacks.

Here is the Powell's sign.

This is what I wore for the first day of the conference. It is a Donna Ricci dress that is a black and gold metallic print. I wore my Versace belt and Style and Co black and gold metallic sandals.

On top, I wore a Love 21 ivory and gold metallic blazer. I bring this outfit on every work trip, because it always packs well and looks good.

Stay tuned to see the Lan Su Chinese Garden !!