Beautiful Days

There's something to be said for the dreary weather that Portland is known for and that is it makes the gorgeous days that more enjoyable. Though, I have to say it's not nearly as bad as people have warned me or maybe I'm just immune to it. Either way, I hope the previous statement doesn't bring an onslaught of miserable gray drizzle-filled days. Back to my point, today the sun is out, the weather is on the warm side, and the flowers are blooming. It's truly beautiful and reminds me why the Northwest really does have a lot to offer.

If I was in Manhattan on such a beautiful day I would be heading outdoors and take in the rays. Probably grabbing a book, taking the Zsash and heading over to the river or Central Park. It would be glorious. On my way home, I'd probably stop at some shops along the way to pick up some food to make for dinner. Here it's actually not so different. Portland is all about the parks. When I say all about, I mean "all about" - every neighborhood has its own park. I'm not talking about smallish parks that litter New York City like Madison Square Park (Shake Shack does add to its appeal), but I'm talking about large sprawling parks complete with luscious green lawns, huge trees, tennis courts and walking trails. The one near me actually has three reservoirs and plenty of trails that lead up into a mountain through massive trees. You don't even know you're in a city anymore and it's just a 10 minute walk away. It's nice.

While I can walk there just fine - it's about a mile away. I know because my pedometer tells me so. Don't laugh. I got the pedometer so I would get walking again. Portland can be a walking city, but it's not immediately obvious. Probably because everyone prefers to bike here. Anyway, back to the park. I can walk there, but Zsash can't really walk there and then enjoy all the trails. Today, I drove Zsash over and we walked on some of the trails and she sniffed more trees than I care to count. In short, it was great for her. For me, I got to soak up the sun, get some exercise, and remind myself how much I love nature in a place that's so naturally beautiful.

I do love nature, always have except when I was in New York I tended to appreciate it more and go out of my way to seek it out more simply because it wasn't immediately evident. New York is a landscape of buildings - many are beautiful, but there's something to be said for not having to look down a street of tall buildings just to get a glimpse of some green.

Off to read Vanity Fair on the deck. Northwest it's not so bad.