Sunday, July 27, 2008

Monday, July 28, 2008 - Mama wanted to ride the MAX ...

... so we walked a block from the apartment and boarded the 17 bus to the Bijou Cafe, site of our first ever breakfast in Portland, an ultra delicious brunch to tell the truth. Nothing has changed at the Bijou, Saturday every bite tasted just right, satisfying the two of us to a T. Next we walked a few blocks east, then south, to the MAX stop at SW 1st and Oak, to wait on a shady metal park bench. I sat down beside Mama, leaned back, and took yesterday's photo of the sky and trees.

We sat there about 25 minutes, deciding which MAX to catch, the Red or the Blue. Mama wanted to go as far as possible, so we decided to go to the western end of the Blue Line, out in Washington County, to Hillsboro.
MAX_Mama
Here's Mama! Note her useful and beautiful carved cane and my ever-present rolling black bag.

We rode from a few blocks west of the Willamette River to the middle of suburban Hillsboro, around an 18 mile ride. When we weren't in the tunnel that goes through the West Hills, Mama sat like this the whole way.
MAX_Mama_close

In Hillsboro, when the MAX car announced end of the line, we got off and boarded the waiting Blue Line to Gresham, as far east as the line goes. Mama announced that we'd get off at PGE Park and not go all the way to Gresham--she felt like that would be enough for one day. So we did get off, and then walked over a block and caught a 15 bus home. All told, we had an enjoyable meal and over three hours entertainment, for under $35, including the brunch and tip. Mama wants to go again, and so do I. Next time, we'll ride east and make a bus connection, too, maybe heading north, maybe south. Or we'll ride the Red Line to the airport. It's so great that we have options.

UPDATED TO ADD: The MAX is Portland's light rail. From TriMet dot org, TriMet's MAX Light Rail system connects Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro and the Portland Airport. Trains run every 5-15 minutes roughly between 4:30 a.m. and midnight.

9 comments:

Louis la Vache said...

"Louis" remembers Hillsboro from his visits to Portland . It's fun to take little excursions like this. When "Louis" et Mme. la Vache have out-of-town visitors who don't know what BART is, we take them on a little tour like you and Mama took on the bus.

Louis la Vache said...

Oops! "Louis" wrote bus - instead of light rail! "Louis" will go to the corner for an hour without ice cream to atone.... :-)

Jill said...

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday Lynette. The brunch sounds divine. If Eric (PDP) ever comes to Portland, lets meet up with him and take him to someplace special for dinner! Since I rarely eat out in Portland, I'll leave that detail up to you!

Jim Klenke said...

What a wonderful way to spend a day. Just taking in the sights.

Anonymous said...

It must be nice to be able to do this. We have next to nothing to compare here in Ohio. Not even railroad beds.

Nice story and very nice photos.

WendyB said...

Aw, Mama's having a good time!

GMG said...

Hi Lynette!
Sorry for the absence these last weeks, but unfortunately it wasn’t due to some summer holidays… ;))
Thanks for your comments on Blogtrotter, now at the MoMA for Art and New York lovers! Hope you enjoy and wish you a great week! I’ll try to get back here to enjoy your pictures with some more time during the week!

Andrea said...

Looks like she is enjoying herself.

brian stout said...

great post! i like to take mass transit for an outing....