The End of 2020 and Everything it Stole from Us

2020 is almost over. That is a statement of relief to most of us, with a glimmer of hope at the end. Some lost great and profound things this year. For others, they survived just by the skin of their teeth. For me, it was luckily only frustrating and scary. However, but the fact that I got married this year (despite having cancelled my big wedding, but lets not go there) made this year have one very great reminder. This was year of reflection and introspection for me and my (and those close to my) generation. 

The year begin with talks of this new virus. Nobody paid much attention to it. After all, isn't there always something popping up in the news? Didn't Ebola happen like a few years ago and we survived just fine? Once March came around and borders started closing and "stay at home orders" started taking shape, the world froze. Most people I knew were frozen scared, nobody traveled, people were hoarding toilet paper (yeah-- remember that?). As months went on and summer approached, we got a glimpse of "hope," people started gathering at parks. Little outdoor kickbacks started popping up, even clubs started to reopen (with food options, and seated of course). But cities found loopholes to allowing people have fun again. I took advantage of it for things like outdoor dining. Heck, we all did. 

Then, things got worse again, and man, countries didn't skip a beat when deciding to close its borders to Americans. I was not surprised. Once businesses closed back up I noticed my friends taking advantage of things like camping, hiking, traveling to Mexico, Las Vegas, Palm Springs. They were trying to find a way to escape the suffocation of restrictions, more than the virus itself. The suffocation felt like a hand gripping tighter and tighter around our necks, so I couldn't blame them. I summoned the courage to schedule a trip to Solvang, CA (as you probably saw on my Instagram page). I cracked. I couldn't take being in isolation any longer. I had not taken a trip since I got engaged in October of 2018. Two years without traveling for someone who loves to do so, is like removing the blood from one's veins. I booked a trip in a place that was low with cases, that had lots of outdoor things to do, and seemed safe. My husband and I had a blast. We drank wine outdoors, we ate out, walked around, went to the park, it was lovely. 

Suddenly, and almost as if I was waiting for it to happen, I started hearing about friends returning from their travels sick with COVID-19. As if by a domino effect, I started hearing about how those "kick backs" caused 3 of my friends to get infected. And suddenly, everything froze again. It felt like everyone around me was getting sick and I regressed to fear and frustration. Its agonizing to follow so many travel pages social media pages and wonder "how are all of these people all over the world still traveling?" I just don't get it, or maybe I do get it, but I'm horrifyingly jealous.

I'm not sure what will come in the following year. But I fear that borders will remain closed to us for a long time. Next year I predict American travelers will resort to staying within the US for a while, or hop on over to Mexico, until the world is ready for us. I have had a pending trip to England and Peru that I have hopes I could embark on as soon as I can get inoculated. As cringy as it sounds, only time will tell. How have you been coping with being confined to your home? Or have you broken free and traveled anyway? 

2020 is over, but the end is not near.

Is Portland Still Keeping it Weird? An Interview with Melissa Guzman and Richard Reyes

Portland, Oregon is a place that has always intrigued me to visit. It is a place known for being eco-friendly and liberal. I am a big fan of the show, Portlandia, that exaggerates (I'm sure) its friendly and hippie nature. Thanks to that show, my curiosity grew. Although I have not made my way that far north of the United States, I am lucky enough to have two friends (a couple) that have made it there. These two are some of my dear friends and travel buddies. According to The Points Guy website, Portland has quite a bit of strip clubs (per capita) in comparison to the rest of the country. I wonder if my friends verified that fact? In this post I will be interviewing to get some insight on a place that hopefully will not linger on my bucket list.
*Many hours have passed and by this point I am a couple of beers in and relaxing at Melissa and Richard's (and Cody and Emma's) house.*

 Rx: First and foremost, give me some background of places you have traveled, experiences and places you want to visit in the future?
MG: I think the only thing we haven't done together was New York City. I went about three times (two with family and one as an adult). It was f*cking awesome without the "parentals." I also went to San Francisco, Berkeley, Providence (Rhode Island), Toronto (Canada), Niagara Falls, Washington D.C., Boston, Las Vegas, and Miami. As for the future, I would say Madrid and Ireland are on my bucket list. Also, I always kind of always wanted to see Texas, although not sure where in Texas. I almost forgot, I went to El Salvador as a kid. We used to do such cool things. The beaches are so beautiful... but the sand is HOT (???).
RR: I used to frequent Boston every summer. I have also taken road trips to New York City (separately), Niagra Falls, Washington D.C., and one time I went all the way to Miami and Orlando via road trip (Melissa intercepts to ask: "really?!"). I have also been to Orlando, San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Atlanta. I also went to Guadalajara, Mexico and Guatemala. I would say Japan is on my bucket list, as well as Ireland, South America. I mean I want to go everywhere. Those are just the big ones.

Rx: I wan't to know if Portland is really "keeping it weird" as the saying goes? Coming from Los Angeles would you say that statement rings true to the vibe, culture, and people there?
MG: Yeah its weird, but it's not a bad thing.
R.R: Not to us from L.A. because we have a weird vibe here too, like in Hollywood. Portland has a lot of names though, such as: Bridge City, The City of Roses, Stumptown, and Rip City.

[And let me say that them telling me that beard oil is sold at bars was enough to convince me of the weirdness of Portland.]

Rx: Why did you choose to travel to Portland? What is it about Portland that made you want to visit?
MG: Thats a good a f*cking question. I kinda wanna say the first reason that drew me was the weather, although first I thought of Seattle, W.A. Then, in the talks Portland came up. Portland has the breweries, I mean c'mon. That tipped the scales, and that's where I wanted to go f*ck sh*t up.
R.R: I would say the "hipseter culture," the scenery and definitely the beer.

Rx: What are some of the main sights or landmarks that you were able to visit on your trip?
MG: The Multnomah Falls, who were named after an Indian chief. We also went to the Portland Japanese Garden, Voodoo Donuts, and Deschutes Brewery Portland Brewhouse. The good thing is that within 30 minutes you can be in city life and outdoorsy nature life.
R.R: I recall the International Rose Test Garden, for all the pretty roses. It was a nice walk.

Rx: Would you say that Portland is expensive? Or is it a place that you could go on a budget?
M.G: I definitely think you could go on a budget. However, you need to do research. I mean, you could also spend a lot on restaurant and splurge. I think it's cheaper than Los Angeles. (e.g. craft beer).
R.R: I say you can go on a budget, if you are comparing it to Los Angeles. I mean you can also drive to Portland if you don't want to fly.

Rx: Is there anything you disliked about Portland?
M.G.: I disliked the public transportation. I mean it was not faster than Uber or walking. It didn't make a huge difference. Public transport took a while although they did have options. They had a tram.
RR: I didn't dislike anything. I mean, the situation is similar to Los Angeles in regards to the homelessness situation. There is definitely a community there.

Rx: Tell me a bit about the food? Are there any dishes that are particular to that area? Is there a favorite dish you tried or a favorite restaurant you could recommend?
M.G.: Well, lets just say I gained nine pounds and regret nothing. The restaurant Portland City Grill is nice! It's pretty high up there and has a nice view. The thing with Portland is, if you serve alcohol you have to have a certain amount of food dishes available. It's the law. There is food everywhere.
R.R.: I don't think they have a signature dish. I keep recalling that tasty and had a burger that I liked. It was from Tasty and Alder. There was also TILT restaurant that had a massive jalapeno burger. It just had different styles of burgers. One was short rib, they all had cool names.  Blue star donuts was cool (Melissa intercepts to say they had the best donuts like the infamous Raspberry Rosemary Buttermilk - WTF)

Rx: As the beer connoisseurs that you are, tell me about the beer. What is the beer culture like? I feel like when I think of Portland I think of beer.
MG: Oh I loved it. One of the beers that stands out is the Pumpkin Patch Ale at Rogue Ales.
RR: There are a lot of breweries. We tried all of the beer places. We tried not to repeat for that same reason. One place I would definitely go backto was the 10 Barrel Brewing Co. I really liked their cucumber sour beer. I also really liked the Cascade Brewing Barrel. That place was memorable. They had something called "barrel aged sour beer," and because it is so strong they serve you less. Each beer is about 10% alcohol content.

Rx: Did you take any side trips? Or did you dedicate anytime in the "off the beaten path?"
MG: Did we?
RR: We went to the Columbia River Gorge, which is about 40 minutes from Portland. We rented a car and just drove there. We wanted to travel out more but got distracted.

Rx: One thing people don't understand is that the United States is so big that every state and even city can be totally different. People can be so diverse in their thinking, culture, habits, foods, etc. What was most surprising thing about Portland, or the biggest culture-shock you had?
MG: People are courteous in comparison to L.A. It is definitely hipster central, but not like in a "douche-bag" way. It is eccentric.
RR: Stoic and eccentric (Richard laughs because this was my email in high school). Well, not too much because we have gone to other cities in U.S. But leaving in L.A, people are more courteous, give pedestrians right of way, and ride their bikes. It is a big city with a small town feel.

Rx: What travel advice would you give, or what advice in general would you give to someone who doesn't travel much?
MG: I would say set up an automatic savings account. For me, there is no way in hell I would consciously save money. I am very strict with not touching my savings. Every paycheck the money would just go out.
RR: As for travel tips I would say: pack light, prepare for weather, and take comfortable shoes. I think you can travel on a budget to most places if you plan with time and do your research. I also think you can still have a good time in a short amount of time (i.e. weekend trips).

Rx: Lastly, is it true that there are tons of strip clubs there?
MG: Richard will never know.
R.R: Well-- the Uber driver said yes.

I want to thank Melissa and Richard for their time sharing their experiences with me and at the same time feeding me German beer and food during my visit. I also want to mention that Melissa's brother Steve was hanging out with us, and travel-geeking out, talking about his upcoming trip to Thailand (can't wait to hear those stories ;).

Please comment below and let me know what you think about this post, this place, what kind of things you want to see in the future, etc. Also, don't forget to follow me on social media.Until the next wandering adventure!

[All photos courtesy of Richard Reyes and Melissa Guzman]