Today I took a walking tour of rainy Portland's many downtown districts.  I was in fact the first ever client of a new walking tour outfit, hosted by the delightful Hillary . The tour spanned Downtown, the historic district, the ex-warehouse Pearl district, Chinatown, the riverside and the Skidmore district; and covered Portland's history, pop-culture and modern details.

I drank from one of the many Benson Bubblers, a rather wasteful series of drinking fountains that come in stands of 4 and are permanently on; so-named for their pioneer, a gentleman who wanted to rid the city of drunken workmen who just popped into the local bar "for a glass of water."

One of the more entertaining features of Portland is the streetnames that were borrowed by local resident Matt Groening for characters in The Simpsons - I walked down Flanders St and Lovejoy St, and passed signs for Terwillager on the way in.

In the late afternoon and early evening I visited the Bohemian district surrounding Hawthorn Blvd, where I am staying.  It's a much nicer and cleaner version of Haight Street, minus the stoners but with just as many bums (who, by the way, beg from me, indicating that my scruffy beard does not yet distinguish me from high society).  Here I ate and finished my sampling of all the local microbrews from one particular brewer.