Epicurean Excursion Sept. 2011

I love this tour!  We drank Chocolate, coffee, ate pizza with habanero soda and after many many more stops, ended with self serve frozen yogurt at the new Tartberry!  Yum, perfect on a hot summer day.

Lunch at PAPA HAYDN

There is nothing like lunch at Papa Haydn on a summer afternoon.  This is the best place to sit and cool off with a fresh salad and tall cooler.  Love to indulge in their fabulous desserts too.  A great first day in Portland.

The Portland Effect

Ever feel like things are out of sync?  Perhaps I was trying to make life and time fit my schedule.  The universe has a way of keeping me in check; causing me to stop and re-assess.

My friend Susan and I had planned a get-away trip to explore Portland, OR.  She hadn't been there in over 30 years and didn't know quite what to expect.  I, on the other hand, researched, scheduled, planned to try to squeeze in as much as possible.  It was obvious to Susan that I love the city and wanted to show her a good time.  Too much!  OCD? 

Susan took care of the flight plan and for weeks prior, we made a long list of shops, restaurants, events, sights etc. we were going to experience.  So much, so little time...we were booked on the red-eye into SFO and then a connection to PDX.

On the day of our departure, Susan calls me around lunchtime; our flight to SFO is cancelled!!!???  What?  So she sweats the details, finally getting us on a flight to Kona, then Phoenix and PDX.  We'd arrive just about the same time as originally planned.  Ok, then, relax, deep yoga breaths.  We leave HNL a few hours earlier to catch the flight to Kona.  Kona airport hasn't changed since it was built decades ago. 

Nevertheless, we sit and eat our $6.00 hot dog and thankfully, some spam musubi that was supposed to be for her friend working at SFO.  Waiting for departure at 10:45pm...still waiting in the plane at 1:00am!!!
Skipping over the gory details, we arrive at the Hilton Waikoloa Village resort at 4:00am.  Lovely resort, nice room and we splurge on room service breakfast after 3 hours of sleep.  When I wake, Susan is already outside calling the airlines to re-book us.  I was really to call it quits and just come home to HNL.  I call the Inn @ Northrup Station, assuring them we will be there, 24 hours late!  The rental agency cancelled our car. 

But, since the re-booking worked out, we actually did leave Kona at 10:45 pm, a day later. 
Phoenix airport is huge!  We make it to PDX two days late. 

It was a fantastic trip, we had a blast and shopped, ate, drank and played.  Susan got the "Portland Effect" in her blood.  Portland is constantly improving and I am always impressed.  We ate wonderful food at first rate restaurants, shopped together--we discovered we have similar tastes, which makes it all the more fun and gratifying.

The lesson here was to "go with the flow" and not try to arrange life according to my schedule.  What happens will happen.  I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the experience with Susan.  I hope that the next time (if there is one) we'll be able to have more fun and find new places, foods and learn from it all.