beej's travel tumbles

P-P-P-Powell’s

Powell’s is the greatest place in the entire world. Have I ever said that before? It’s true. I’m sitting in Powell’s Technical Books (Park and Burnside, or Park and Couch, depends on how you look at it. Definitely between the two.) because the PC at the hostel is pretty awful, so I paid $5 to get some time in on a decent computer.

 Rode MAX up to the Lloyd Center (lol shauna?) only to find out that the Stumptown Comics fest isn’t until this weekend. Nick (of PBF fame) is making an appearance tonight at Floating World Comics, so I might go check that out.

Last night, it started to rain pretty hard around 8:30p. I grabbed my umbrella and went for a walk in the Alphabet District. It was great, I saw a bunch of places where there were signs saying “Apartments Available.” Maybe this housing slump is good for something after all. Hopefully it’s still like this in September/October.

I still worry about finding a job here, but I really don’t think it will be all that difficult. If I have some money saved up (a few thousand at least) before I move, I’ve got a feeling that I’ll be fine. No car, and no insurance payments, so I don’t have to worry about that. Instead, it’s a $76 TriMet pass. That’s a bit cheaper than what I’m paying now.

I’m kinda tired. Cool Portland Fact: There’s no sales tax in Oregon. WYSIWYG when it comes to prices.

I’m off for now, maybe I’ll post a little more tonight, or at least upload some more pictures to Flickr. Takes a long time, though.

Neat: I’m halfway through Max Barry’s Company right now. Great book. 

Holy Crap, Batman!

So, I think I’d like to live anywhere in NW Portland when I move here. I’m staying at the NW Hostel (425 NW 18th) in the Alphabet District. There’s an awesome coffee shop across the street, it’s great. Downtown is well within walking distance, and it’s maybe a five minute walk down to Powell’s. When I move, I definitely need to be close to Powell’s. You can grab one of any thousands of books and read it for free, regardless of if you buy the coffee or not!

I got a call from Jesse, who says they punk’d Jeremy when he called in for some DSL problems. Lulz! Jesse says he’s headed on vacation the day I get back.

There’s a few places around the Alphabet District that are advertising apartments, there’s one on 17th and Davis (i think) that’s only $350. That’s good - other, nicer places will likely be $400-$500. With no car payments or insurance, I think I can manage that.

I think I might go find someplace close by to read. The coffee place closes at 8p, so I left around 7:50.

Tomorrow, I’ll explore more of NW Portland, and maybe go hang out in Washington or Forest Park.

Portland, v2

It’s vacation time. I’m headed back to Portland, OR. I’ll use Tumblr to keep track of my travels.