THE bus ride.... and the hostel in Portland

November 4th, 2009 (Part Deux)

Have you ever ridden a Greyhound bus? Chances are that if you have used Greyhound, you probably also have an opinion about it. We were pretty excited to read about all of the improvements to the Greyhound Bus lines. Who wouldn't be amped for a brand new, clean bus with WiFi, power outlets, not to mention the standard amenities like a handy fold-out desk and overhead lights for some QT with a good book.

This... was not that bus. I did manage to read by the light of my iPod, after a rousing game of peek-a-boo with my 2-year-old neighbor from the seat in front of mine.

On to Portland! We arrived 3.5 hours later at the Greyhound station in Portland (about 11:00 PM), found a cabbie that spoke enough English to get us to the "Portland Pensione," and realized that the only thing worse than the last 4 hours with Greyhound... were the next 4 nights at this hostel.

Jackie would like to add...

"We don't mean to be Negative Nancys or Debbie Downers or Sober Sallys but... once you see these pictures, you'll feel the same way!"

The Pensione is just outside of downtown Portland. Actually, it's 6 blocks from the tram that will take us into the city. By tomorrow, we'll come to the conclusion that the only SAFE way to and from the hostel (motel, really) is by taxi. We unloaded our bags, chatted with our new best friend and motel manager, Roxy, and made our way across the parking lot to our room... and quickly dead-bolted the door.

The Room. Where do I begin... We have a standard main room with a bathroom. The laminate floor looks fairly new, and clean! The bathroom floor doesn't, and isn't. Somehow we have cable and HBO to boot, but the hilarious part is that we're watching it on a 14" TV. Beyond that, we have a Queen-size bed with a few hairs and stains... So yes, we slept FULLY clothed; sweatshirts, pants, socks, the works. We're both glad we brought our own pillows, as Jackie pulled a couple of hairs out of the one on her side. The sink is not that bad, as long as you prefer some of your water to squirt sideways. The shower is fine but doesn't drain; we're both glad we brought flip-flops. The spiders are nice. We have a chandelier with 2 out of 5 working bulbs, but that's plenty.

Now that I've spent most of this post griping about our hilarious plight... I should mention that we have spent 90% of this stay laughing our asses off at this situation. That said, we're looking for suggestions on how to spend our weekend here in Portland!

xoxo

j & k