Welcome

I just realized that I never posted about my trip to the future.

I have this really fun and great friend from college who has always given Jack and I great recommendations for traveling anywhere in the country (but especially west of the Mississippi). So naturally, when Jack and I decided to cash in on our travel vouchers from getting bumped on last year's trip, we consulted the travel-wise Jeff Brandon on our next venture. When I told him we decided on Portland, he told me, "Portland is the type of town that is so cool it makes you feel like we have been living in the past in other towns."

Sweet.

I had a window seat and a movie to watch on my Continental time machine to the future.

It was awesome.

What did I see in the future, you may ask?

1. All manner of beauty. Let me tell you- it is just beautiful in the future.



2. And it turns out, you eat at recycled elementary schools in the future. And they're REALLY cool.





3. The trees are as big as they are beautiful in the future. They really make our trees look shrubby.


4. There are enormous bookstores that take up entire city blocks in the future. Good news for my friends Bethany and JennO.


5. There is also all manner of deliciousness in the future. And restaurants named Veritable Quandry and Bijou Cafe that serve up all kinds of organic, fresh, local yumminess. (This was my eggplant appetizer)


6. Did I mention the beauty? This is Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach- about an 80 mile drive from Portland.



7. Earth flags in the future? I guess this kind of makes sense. But maybe not really.

8. If you're a vegan, the future is the place for you! There are all kinds of vegan choices everywhere you go- even at the doughnut shop. The bad news, however, is that the future of desserts seemed to be grim. They had nothing on Southern Maid Doughnuts and there is no Bluebell ice cream in the future. That was the only sad part. But on the flip side, there is much less temptation to neglect your health. Which brings me to #9...


9. You can bike anywhere and everywhere in the future! I am most excited about this. Jack and I rented bikes for a day and biked to and in Forest Park (the future's 5,000 acre park) and then around town. There are bike lanes everywhere and you are respected as an urban cyclist. It's nice, I'm telling you. And green.


10. There are cries for peace in the future. As I ran across the Willamette River, I joined in that cry, asking for Peace to reign in that place. I can't wait until it's realized.


The future was great. I highly recommend you get your flux capacitor and your Delorean and get back to it. Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.