Happy Good Friday!

The quest to find hot crossed buns in Portland was not so difficult! (Certainly not as frustrating as the Marmite search of last week). I snapped up a box of these delights quickly when I saw then in trusty Wholefoods. I love their seasonal baked goods. 

I am obsessed with Hot Crossed Buns and am so excited to have one with a cup of tea later! I'm always nostalgic for English foods. It's gotten worse recently so probably exacerbated by all this change and living somewhere new.

This weekend? We're planning on going an Easter service at the Cathedral here in Portland on Sunday, and I'm making a traditional English Roast Leg of Lamb for dinner too. Saturday we are going to probably go on a hike or do something outdoors. The weather is spectacular, and I can't wait to get outside.

An Evening in the Rose Gardens

TJ was working late this week preparing for a big presentation. He came back for an hour for dinner, and we grabbed some food and took a 10 minute car tide to the Rose Gardens to spend some time together.

Leaving the Pearl and going into the woods is such a lovely feeling. It's instantly transitional, and feels so calming. Coming from NY its a huge change to be breathing fresh air and listening to the silence of nature within 10 minutes of leaving the house! I was sad to leave, and cannot wait to go back.

I am so looking forward to moving into our own place out here. Oh, yes, we got our apartment! After the struggle that was trying to find a place to rent in Portland, we got an apartment we fell in love with in the North West.

I really stalked Craigslist like a pro to find this place. My real tip would be to reply to listings and see them as soon as possible. I think we were the first to put in an application. When we saw the place it just spoke to us, and we knew we could see ourselves living there! It's a nice upgrade from our place in Brooklyn. Washer/ dryer, dishwasher, bike storage, front and back garden... :)

It's such a lovely, quiet and treelined area, close to the fun of 23rd street, but calm enough to keep your windows open. I am really looking forward to settling in and nesting.

Food Carts in Portland: My Introduction

The bonus of being put up in corporate housing in the Pearl, is that sometimes we can meet TJ for lunch.

Dexter and I went to pick him up and walked down to Fuego to grab a burrito and sat in the sun for half an hour. The blossom is out in full bloom and it really is a beautiful temperature outside!

I am loving the Portland food carts. I have yet to really spend some time with them, but what I have seen so far I love. Close to our apartment and just south of the Pearl are the SW10th and Adler food carts. It's set up in a parking lot with food pods lining the edge set up in little converted mobile homes.

Yummy Indian food here! More about that later.

This burrito food cart is in the Pearl and all on its own. As you can see Dexter and TJ were quite impatient waiting for their lunch. It was really yummy!

Ice Cream Wonderland at Salt & Straw

You simply must go here. I don't care if its raining and the line is long. Do it.

The line was wrapped round the building, but moved quickly. Soon enough, we were greeted by a server who had a bouquet of small spoons in her hands inviting us to try as many flavors as we wanted.

Pear and Blue Cheese? Olive oil? Blueberry maple pancake? LUCKY CHARMS?!

I had the lucky charms - which was a St. Patrick Day's special - and it was divine. They made the waffle cone right there, so its just slightly warm, and the icecream tasted like cereal milk, and had lucky charms marshmallows peppered throughout.

It felt like I had been whisked back to early Saturday mornings when I was little! I can't wait to return and try something new.

Micro-brew or Die at Deschutes

This brewery is just round the corner from our apartment with corporate housing, and during one of our first walks around the block, we discovered it. It was really busy, and like some sort of beer Disneyland, from the looks of it.

We went in for dinner with our friend (that's her blue baby bump here) who was in town visiting her sister. It was unhealthy pub food - ie lots of fried stuff and meats - but it was still tasty and they had a good portobello burger. Portobello burgers are my new veggie go-to, for all you other aspiring vegetarians out there.

The beer selection was large and somewhat intimidating, but lots of fun to get involved with. I think I'll be back for a flight of beers at some point soon!

In photography news, I have signed up for my class at the Pacific Northwest College of Art  and will be starting in April!

The Eurasian Diaries: Finding Fresh Tofu

I'm half Chinese. I may not look it, but mother was born and raised in Hong Kong. A lot of what I consider comfort food is Chinese. No not P. F Chang style Chinese, but real ginger, sesame, garlic infused fresh veggies and steaming rice. AHHHH it makes me so happy to think about.

(Side note re PF Chang's - there is one literally right outside our apartment building in the Pearl. I don't trust it).

Coming from NY, we are spoilt with a large Chinatown and many Asian grocery stores to choose from. When TJ came here to interview, I took it upon myself to research to see if there was a Chinatown. I was happy to discover that there was! And it seemed like there were places to have dim sum too. However, when we moved, I started to see if I could find somewhere to get my supplies, and couldn't find any. This started to panic me a little, until by way of Yelp, I came across Anzen Hiroshi.

So I took a little bus ride over the river to the East and found this little Japanese grocery store. It was small but well stocked! I was quite pleased to find everything I needed to make Ma Po tofu - including a little bag of Szechuan peppercorns. You don't get much choice, but I was so happy to see Asian things I left with my Chili Bean Sauce in hand and a smile of my face.

Photography: Baby bump in Portland

I'm trying to develop my photography skills. I am trying to go beyond Instagram... daring I know. I love instagram, by the way.  I just want to learn how to use a real camera. Aperture, Depth of field, Shutter speed, etc. 

I'm looking for some basic classes, and I have found a few places that offer them. Pro Photo has some, PNCA has continuing education classes and also New Space has some too. I just need to pick one. I'm very excited to start this new chapter of my life!

Before I left I took some maternity pictures for my friend Jenn, who is due very soon. See above. I was happy with the light in that picture and she looks like such a beauty with her bump. So stunning. Maternity pictures are so gentle and sweet.

This week, my friend Vita was in town visiting her sister for the Persian Naw Ruz celebration. I took some bump pics of here when she was over at my apartment having a chat. I love bump pictures. There is something quite intimate and feminine about them. My computer is still in transit so I couldn't do any post production on this (the wrinkle on the bump!) But I love the colors and the shadow. 

I can't wait to learn how to use my camera properly! 

Ps. A short Marmite update: I ordered some from Amazon for a staggering $11.66. It arrived this afternoon. I am so happy.

Expat Rants: Where is the Marmite?

I would love a Marmite sandwich, why thank you.

So yes, there is a food theme with this blog, and you will have to forgive me about that. Being a stay-at-home-plus-one, I only have a few things I absolutely have to do to not FAIL the day.

1. Walk Dexter
2. Make sure there is food to eat. Or at least a dinner plan for when TJ returns after a hard days work
3. This is the vaguely 'creative' sphere of yoga - friend search - photography - job hunt - etc I don't have to do all of these but I should probably pick one.

*Postscript on negative points
-1. Any watching of Netflix series (eg Walking Dead) beyond one episode means I score one negative point and must do one more activity listed on 3.

There is a little insight into my current philosophy. Right, back to food.

I have been craving Marmite, and have look everywhere and cannot find it. Why is this? Usually, even in the smallest of towns, there is a small pot of over priced Marmite on their shelves. I have been to 5 big supermarkets and have been cruelly rejected. What is Marmite? Marmite is the one thing I want that I cannot have. So I want it even more.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I need it on my toast. Anyone have any hints on where to find Marmite in Portland, OR? I am suffering from a vitamin b12 deficiency and need help.

Friend Interview. Frinterview.

Moving to Portland and not knowing a soul is a bit intimidating. But it didn't stop me. I figured I would meet people and stay in touch with friends separated by distance.

My experience is that everyone knows someone in the Pacific Northwest. Some people know people in Portland. They are all always very happy to connect you. This morning I met this wonderful Portland based photographer Ashley Forrette. We had a long chat over a cup of earl grey tea. She stumbled into photography as a hobby and now is a full-time photographer based in Portland. I love her images, they are so light kissed and happy.

She told me about a number of exiting creative happenings around Portland that I am excited to check out. The Portland Art Museum hosts free lectures by photographers, gallerists, historians, curators, and collectors every month. You bring a lunch and meet interesting people. It's a winning combo if you ask me!

Lardo (what we call fat people in England, if you are really mean)

Ignore the sandwich. Take a look at these fries...

I went across to the east side of town today to do a little exploration of the Hawthorne area. I was starving hungry as usual, and so went into a place called Lardo for some lunch.

These fries. Oh my. Well,  they have been tossed in sage, rosemary and pecorino shavings. Then they add roasted red peppers and hot yellow peppers. Oh and then some pork rinds, just for fun.

I will just say that this was shared between two people, as an 'honestly I'm not that greedy' side note.

If you are a big time carnivore, then you will love this place and its piggy menu, honestly for me these fries stood out as the real star in this place!

Dexter enjoyed the left over pork rind.

Yoga Pearl - How I keep sane from day to day.

As you know, we moved here because TJ was offered a new job, and they moved us. This meant that I had to quit my job in NY and move without any other offer of employment for me.

This might sounds like the dream of dreams. Let us set the scene quickly - you've been working a job in NYC for 2 years, you are not allowed out for lunch, you arrive its dark, you leave, its dark, you cram yourself into the miserable subway for half an hour to go to and from work, you hurry back to walk your dog (who is angry you have been gone so long), and then you watch television for 2 hours in a blur, eating something expensive in front of the TV, before you start the whole sorry business over again the next day. Living the dream eh!?

Ok, that perhaps the most negative spin I can put on it. It was a lovely job, with great co-workers, and we did some awesome stuff and all in all, I was sad to leave. But excited to as well. I have been struggling with this feeling that I have been wasting my life, and deviating from what makes me happy.

I get to spread my wings a little and re-learn what makes me tick. It's not working in the dark for 9.5 hours a day. It's nature, family, friends, creating things.

Back to yoga. I don't want this post to be some new-age nonsense about how I moved to Portland and FOUND myself. No, this is more like, So, you moved to Portland, and you are used to working 9.5 hours a day, now you are here in a strange city, you know no one, and your husband goes to work and so WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR TIME NOW???

This yoga studio is right in the heart of the Pearl district, and 3 blocks away from my apartment building. They also have the most amazing deal for new students. It's $50 for 30 days, and its all-you-can-yoga. This week, I have been going every day, and its

a) nice to have somewhere to go and something to do
b) exercise DUH and
c) have you ever tried heated yoga before? it's amazing!

At the risk of sounding like the afore mentioned hippy, its made me reach a new level of calm and brought my yoga practice to a new level of understanding. I'm addicted. It's great to have something productive to do that has so many benefits!

They also have a cafe with raw juices and kale/quinoa type lunch bowls, I have yet to try, but plan on it soon. Every time I come out of class I am starving hungry ...  and right opposite is a rather enticing burrito place ... so yea that happens some times...

When Kiki comes to visit we eat Voodoo Doughnuts

I'm lucky to have friends that do amazing things. My friend Kiki, is a very talented actress. She was part of the broadway tour of War Horse, which just happened to be stopping by Portland.

So she stayed with us and we did a little exploration of the city together. It was TJ's first day of work so we wanted to get him a little treat. So we chose some delicious delights from Voodoo Doughnuts for him.

It was also the finale of the Bachelor which is not exactly the sort of thing that men like to watch. Ever. So we needed to keep him sweet.

These doughnuts are delicious. That's basically all I have to say about it, and if you come to Portland you absolutely must have one.

You can see a silly video we made about the smell of these doughnuts here.

Roses are Red

Portland is known as Rose City. I thought this was just a way of tarting up the place, so that people who didn't like the rain could feel better about themselves... however... it is actual a really rose-y city!

These rose bushes are everywhere and just gorgeous. They look fake. Like fake hollywood roses.

So although we were having some trouble finding a suitable place to live, we did see these rose bushes in front of basically every place we saw, which made it a little better.

Pacific Ocean Beauty

We were a bit bored of looking for our new home, so this weekend we decided to take a trip out to the coast.

I'd never touched the Pacific Ocean before, so I was pretty excited to put my toes in the water and experience it.

Driving out was a magical time. There are not really suburbs in the same way as I am used to in America, once you are on the open road, there is a lot of farm land, and then thick evergreen forest that leads to the ocean.

We traveled the 3 Cape Scenic Drive and I was just blown away by the scenery. I was in total awe of the nature and just felt so calm and serene. Enjoy this picture of Dexter at Cape Meares.

Note the haystack rocks and the pine trees spilling into the ocean!

House Hunting... Renting in Portland, OR

Looking for a rental apartment or rental house in Portland? Hahahaha Good Luck!

For some reason, we found it super hard to rent a place in Portland. It's a city that really wants you to buy. The real estate offices don't list rentals, and there is no such thing as a broker. So we felt a bit out on a limb all on our own looking for a place. This was extra hard because are so new to the city we have no idea about neighborhoods.

From what I have experienced there are 3 options:

1. search on craigslist, where you will find listings by owner

2. wander round and look for 'For Rent' signs out side of buildings managed by companies

3. walk in to a new high rise where they have a leasing office

We saw places to rent that were just all over the spectrum. From hideous nightmare horror movie to adorable victorian cottage to creepy damp smelling duplexes to brand new high rise with granite finishes... they whole process left us exhausted and somewhat defeated.

Portland's East / West divide is just really evident to me. Where I was super happy to move to Brooklyn from Manhattan, I just didn't like how spread out the East was in Portland, and how far each area was form each other. Or how far it seemed from the center of town. I mean the bridges are small, but for some reason, it felt like a completely different city once you crossed them.

I think we are used to living in a busy city, and our Fort Greene apartment in Brooklyn was on the main strip with lots going on. My thoughts were that we would find the move too jarring if we moved out to such a residential area. That we needed some time in the West to readjust to living in a greener, cleaner city.

So we have our hearts set on finding a place in the NW area. Wish us luck!

Bridal Veil Post Office

I should probably start of by explaining a little about the relocation over here. My husband was offered a job, and he accepted. The company had flown us both over for him to interview him, and we both liked what we saw. The offer came with a good relocation package that moved us out here in good time and helped us considerably with the entire process.

He is, um, well, he is massively paranoid justly concerned about safety, so lets just say for the purposes of this Blog he is called TJ. When I first met him, he was wearing a baseball hat, and I thought he looked like TJ from Recess. 

Right, so TJ and I have actually already been married twice (to each other). First we went to the court house in NY, and then we had a small ceremony in Brooklyn. His family is American, and mine is mostly all from England. So we are having a third (and final) wedding in May this year. So while I refer to him as my husband, he isn't really in the eyes of God, because we haven't had the church ceremony yet. 

We relocated at a pretty difficult time for us personally, planning this wedding in England, and just generally it all happened very fast. So I was making our invitations and trying to get them letterpressed, and sent out so they could all arrive giving guests the appropriate amount of time to consider and respond. I designed them in Brooklyn, had them printed, and shipped to his parent's house in NJ then calligraphed the envelopes and brought them in my hand luggage to post in Oregon. Don't get me started about return addresses. We didn't have one and it made me want to scream.

The point of this post is that we got to mail them from Oregon. And when we had been here for the interview we had taken this trip up the Columbia River Gorge and passed all these beautiful waterfalls and then stumbled across this magical post office.

So we took this wonderful trip back there to mail our invites! This post office is tiny, and the village literally only has this one small wooden building to mark its existence. The lady inside was so lovely and friendly, and she sold us some pretty stamps (roses, butterflies) and hand stamped the envelopes herself. Because TJ was such a good sport at this obscene romantic indulgence, I let him buy some Muscle Car stamps for our personal use.

All in all the trip was delightful and we stopped by the Multnomah Falls for another breathtaking waterfall, before headed back home.

Corporate Housing. Next to Wholefoods.

Corporate Housing in Portland. Well. It's like a hotel. The entrance smells like fancy hand cream and has a small art gallery.  They serve coffee in the morning and tea in the evening and I just love hot drinks, so this is a big deal for me. Welcome to the Pearl District, Portland Oregon.

The large one bedroom at the Louisa we have - its huge compared to our place in Brooklyn. This place is in a neighborhood called The Pearl, which as far as I can tell, is the TriBeCa of Portland. I will be slowly exploring this area block by block.

So the size of this place. I mean it has a room dedicated to a washer /dryer. I can go in there and close the door. I could actually take a nap if I wanted. In NYC this room would be sold as a second bedroom.  It makes me realize that this decision to move was a good one, and it brings me comfort. It is my happy place. My other happy place is in the kitchen where there is a dishwasher.

We are here for a month until we find our own place... but in the mean time, I will enjoy my high end finishes and walk in wardrobe thank you very much! I am playing what I refer to as 'someone else's life' as this is the first time I have lived in a NEW building like this, in such a trendy area. 

The plane with pets

Packing up the house was relatively painless, and it was a rather lovely experience having people do all the hard lifting. Our little Brooklyn apartment looked like someone else's when we left. One last sweep through, and it was time to close the door on our life there.

I thought I should write a post on how to travel with pets. Or how to travel cross country with pets. 2 pets: one dog, one cat. Plus one husband.

So the key thing to remember is bag size. My cat was a starving little rescue kitten who never really realized his full potential of being 'cat' sized. He's remained kitten like, so he fit perfectly in the bag we got. This would have been ok if we didn't have to take him out of the bag to go through security.

I had tricked him into a harness earlier by offering treats and capturing him. Then I put on a leash. He wasn't really having any of it and as I held him close he flipped out, trashing, scratching my arms and lacerating my left wrist. The spectacle was regarded with amusement by the bored TSA staff, who found it funny. I purell-ed my arms from finger tip to arm pit.

Achilles, who never really likes to be told what to do, jumped back into his bag and stuck his head in the corner, in total denial of the whole incident. He spent the rest of the journey counting his lucky stars tucked safely under the seat in front of me.

Now the dog was fine. Dexter tolerates being in his bag for hours - a trick that comes in very handy when traveling on the subway in New York, or say, a long brunch with friends. So he sauntered through the airport without a care in the world. 2 hours into the flight, however, he was bored and wanted out. He started cartwheeling the bag around our feet and became a bit of a problem. So we took him out and he sat on my lap for the rest of the flight.

This is how I developed lack of feeling in my legs for the next 24 hours, and why I walked like a cowboy for sometime afterwards.

As for the Husband? Well he was happily watching his iPad and required no other special consideration.

We arrived in PDX, stiff, but excited for our new adventure together!

Coming up next ... Life in Corporate Housing.