So we slept an astonishing 10 hours(we were bone tired) and eventually headed out to use our TriMet phone apps to access the transit system. It's pretty cool actually. The Portland system involves buying and franking a ticket, but you don't give it to anyone. You just have to be prepared to show it if an inspector comes on board ( or pay a stiff fine). To use the phone app, you buy a ticket online and then activate it yourself before you board. If the inspector comes, you have to show an active ticket on your phone. Worked pretty well.
Our destination was the Pearl District, formerly an industrial neighborhood, now filled with shops, galleries, eateries, and the venerable Powells's Books - an independent new and used bookstore that takes up a whole block and is still alive and kicking. Breakfast stop was at Isabel, a mexican cafe followed by a pilgrimage to the temple to sensible shoes - the Keen Garage. We had a great time playing with features like the crank it yourself pulley shelves and the shoebox chute.
