Portland, Part 4: Oregon Zoo

 

9/22/25 Asian elephants, Oregon Zoo

Despite the many times I’ve visited Portland, I had never been to the Oregon Zoo before. It’s truly a world-class zoo with a well-designed walking flow and beautiful exhibits that enable the animals to be seen while still giving them lots of space to roam.

I spent the most time observing the Asian elephants – three adults and an adorable baby! They can eat from timed feeders, which keep the animals moving from feeder to feeder. I had so much fun sketching an adult elephant up close while she fed. To observe more of the exhibit, I walked above the feeding area, and I could see the baby playing, mom nearby.

Masai and reticulated giraffes

The Masai and reticulated giraffes, too, had an excellent, large space where they could be observed no matter where they went.

The Oregon Zoo is now on my list of regular places to visit when I go to Portland.

Mountain goat, black bear, bald eagle

Portland, Part 3: Hollywood Theatre and Sellwood-Moreland

 

9/20/25 Hollywood Theatre, Portland

When I wasn’t touring Portland with family or sketching with USk, I went out on my own to explore areas of Portland that I had not sketched before. One was the magnificent Hollywood Theatre, which I had seen once years ago when Greg and I were driving through the city on our way to somewhere else. I couldn’t remember its name or neighborhood, but I had always hoped to get back to it someday.

Serendipitously, I was driving through the Hollywood neighborhood on my way to somewhere else again, but this time I made note of the location. When I went back later to sketch it (top of post), the afternoon light was getting low, and the ornate façade looked even better than it had in the morning.

9/21/25 Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood, Portland

Moreland Theatre

A friend had mentioned the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood as being both walkable and sketchable. It’s a charming neighborhood that still has many traditional homes, and other former residences have been transformed into coffee shops and other small businesses. I did see signs of old houses being taken down and replaced by multi-story developments, but those were the exception instead of the rule.

While the morning was drizzly, I sketched some bright yellow trees from my car (above). When the rain stopped, I took a long walk up and down the main drag and eventually sketched the Moreland Theatre (at right), which was celebrating its centennial anniversary.

Although I didn’t see any turning maples, this neighborhood had lots of trees that were glowing bright yellow when the sun eventually came out (below). Walking and sketching – my favorite way to explore a neighborhood when I travel (or anytime)!

Sellwood-Moreland

South Lake Union Market Under the Spheres

 

9/27/25 South Lake Union

When we had planned the sketch outing to South Lake Union, we didn’t even know that the Saturday Market had moved from its previous Denny Park location (where USk met last year) to the center of Amazontown near the Amazon Spheres. It was a fun bonus to sketch some market people (and a dog).

Of course, it’s hard to ignore the Spheres themselves. I sketched them in my own sketchbook, but I also sketched them in the traveling sketchbook (below) that is circulating among USk chapters across the country (thanks to Kate Buike for coordinating USk Seattle’s and USk Tacoma’s participation). South Lake Union seemed like an appropriately iconic spot in Seattle to represent in the book.

My contribution to the traveling sketchbook.

Despite the day starting out with iffy weather, we still had a fantastic turnout and were rewarded with sunshine in time for our throwdown!

(I’m interrupting my Portland series with this post; back tomorrow with more from Portland.)

Portland, Part 2: Eastbank Esplanade with USk

 

9/20/25 Eastbank Esplanade with USk Portland

A highlight of my Portland visit was joining USk PDX at the Eastbank Esplanade for the group’s regular monthly sketch outing. On my visit last year, I missed the regular outing, but Vicky had kindly organized an ad hoc meetup just for me. This time, I got to meet more sketchers and enjoy the fantastic view from the Willamette River’s bank.

Reminding me of the Ship Canal in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, the Eastbank Esplanade is a popular path for walkers, runners and bike riders. I sketched a few buildings on the skyline, the Tillicum Crossing Bridge (distinctive in that cars are not allowed), and the USS Blueback submarine that is part of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. With the short time remaining before the throwdown, I walked away from the busy path and spotted a sketcher beneath some trees that were just beginning to turn.

As I always say whenever I travel, the single biggest benefit of being part of the Urban Sketchers community is being able to meet up with other sketchers wherever I go!

Many thanks to co-admins Ali (left) and Amy (next to me) for organizing the fun outing!

Reunited with Vicky!

View of the Tillicum Crossing Bridge, USS Blueback and Portland skyline from Eastbank Esplanade

Portland, Part 1: Touring with Family

 

9/19/25 Portland Japanese Garden

As mentioned yesterday, I spent several days in Portland, Oregon, last week. The primary purpose of these (now annual) trips is to visit my brother and his wife. We were able to spend quite a bit of time together on this trip, which I appreciate more and more as I get older.

Since I wanted to put priority on simply enjoying the experiences with them, I didn’t sketch as much as I might have if I had been alone. Still, as fast as I am, I managed to get at least one sketch at each location that we visited together.

First up was the fabulous Portland Japanese Garden (which I last visited during a family reunion in 2017). While in Seattle I’m gearing up for leaf-peeping season, Portland still felt like summer (up to 10 degrees warmer than Seattle every day), and the garden’s lush foliage was still mostly green. I seem to sketch the koi whenever I visit, and this time I also sketched the moon bridge over the central pond (top of post).

Still mostly green

9/21/25 OMSI resident

Another favorite Portland stop is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, which I spent more time sketching during a 2014 visit. This time, my only sketch was a live Madagascar gecko in the natural history and paleontology area (at left).

Potentially the most interesting and unique experience I shared with my family involved birds. Every autumn, a huge flock of migrating swifts roosts in Portland for a week or two before moving on. For many years the birds chose a certain elementary school with a tall chimney as their roost of choice. This year, however, the swifts moved to a different location – another school with a tall chimney, Abernethy Elementary.

The return of the swifts is a much-anticipated event that locals celebrate almost like the Japanese tradition of hanami during cherry blossom season. Families pack picnics and spread out on the school grounds before dusk, eagerly awaiting the birds. Then right before sundown, the swirling spectacle begins as the thousands of tiny birds dive into the chimney for the night.

We arrived shortly before sundown and found a place in the grass. Just when the swifts were expected, though, a large murder of crows passed through the neighborhood on their way to their own roost. A few dozen swift scouts showed up, and some dove into the chimney as expected, but the rest of the flock never came. We speculated that the scouts spooked by crows sent out a memo that the flock needed a different roost that night.

Although we were disappointed not to see the spectacle we came for, I still enjoyed being there on a lovely, warm evening, participating in and sketching the crowd’s festive atmosphere (below).

9/21/25 Waiting for the swifts

Rewards Aplenty in Portland

 

9/13/25 My new laptop

I made a short visit to Portland last week, and I have lots of sketches to share from that delightful trip. The week leading up to my departure, however, was taken up with a long-dreaded, onerous task: Making the transition from my old laptop to a brand new one. Typically, this task is time-consuming and tedious but relatively easy to manage. The difference this time was that the new machine runs Windows 11, which added a whole new level of onerous, sometimes aggravating tedium.

By the time I left for Portland, I was in celebration mode for conquering most of the Microsoft beast (still one task to go). Before I launch into all my Portland sketches, I’m starting here with a celebration croissant. By pure happenstance, the hotel where I always stay in Portland is within walking distance of the bakery that purportedly makes the best croissants “this side of Paris” (one reviewer said): Ken’s Artisan Bakery. After trying two, I must concur that the croissants are at least as good as Rosellini’s in Seattle, which are the best I’ve eaten outside of France.

9/19/25 Ken's Artisan Bakery

Always one for further pastry research, I needed to also sample Nuvrei, another acclaimed bakery not too far from my hotel. This one came recommended by my nephew-in-law. The chocolate croissant there was excellent but still not quite as good as Ken’s.

9/21/25 Chocolate croissant from Nuvrei

Some readers may recall my personal Portland donut tour last year. Since the city is not necessarily known for French pastries as it is for donuts, I didn’t feel compelled to sample and review all the best croissants (though if I had found one more bakery nearby, I would have been tempted to call three enough for a proper comparison). I did, however, go back to Blue Star, the winner of last year’s donut tour, as a fitting final reward for courageously wrangling my operating system.

9/22/25 Apple fritter from Blue Star Donuts

Again and Again

9/17/25