Trustd_1

Hey all,

Just thought I'd share some pics and accounts of the roadtrips my gf and I take in my S and in general. I've always been pretty conscious of the mileage I put on all my cars, past and present, but as you all know, the s2k just begs to be driven more and MORE!

Anyway, here's a few shots from our trip to Portland we took the July 4th weekend. I'm not a great (or patient) photographer, so be forewarned....

Crater Lake, super AWESOME place! No filters on these shots. The water is so BLUE, is amazing! Still snow up there too!



Obligatory shot of my bucket at the park entrance



Was supposed to be a killer shot in front of the lake, but a bunch of tourists drove up behind me, right as I was about to back up and take the shot.



Our first night in Portland



July 4th fireworks show from one of Portland's bridges

Trustd_1

Of course we had to stop by Voodoo Donuts! Sorry for the crappy pics. There's a huge line day & night. Tons of cops around too. I actually didn't get to try any of the donuts. We bought some, but it was like 2am when we bought them. I was too stuffed from all the eating we did during the day to take even a bite. My gf said they're DELICIOUS though.



Line is like 30+ deep all day!





Brunch at Mother's Bistro is a popular choice

Trustd_1

Portland's famous rose gardens, located in their version of Central or Golden Gate Park. They have a Japanese garden and big playground/picnic area too.



Shakespeare Garden



Japanese tranquility garden




Apparently, Portland is where the food truck craze really started. They're more like carts or stands. There's several parking lots around the downtown area that have them. Oddly enough, most were closed, even on Fri & Sat night. We did get to try the Gyro House. I got VIP parking too. lol



Cruised by Voodoo Donuts again. Sorry it's so blurry. As you can tell, the bike cop and my gf were really amused by my impromptu photo shoot. lol





That's it for now. Add some more later.

ExOdy

I dig your license plate. How well does the s2 fare on a long road trip? Enough space for luggage? Comfy driving for so long? Cabin noise?

s4play

Funny plate....

Portland is an amazing town, all the places you shown we used to frequent

P.S. You should go back in August when they have their Street of Dreams event. My buddy competes in it and we do a lot of custom work there.

Oh and go try Subaro Sushi next time you are there and you will never look at sushi the same way again.


On a side note, pretty cool you drove your s2000 - I have yet to make that trek in such a small car although I've driven that stretch of road maybe 30+ times in the past 7 years

Trustd_1

Chinese Garden in Portland, which is strikingly similar to the one in Vancouver









Forgot to include this pic of Portland & Mount Hood from the Japanese Garden




Had a few scoops at Salt & Straw, another one of those trendy, "foodie/gourmet" ice cream shops, like Humphrey Slocumbe in SF. My gf really liked it... even more than Bi-Rite in SF. I dunno. I'm not for fancy pants ice cream. I like Mitchell's & even Bi-Rite more. These were Raspberry-Cucumber Sorbet, Blackberry-Ham ice cream, & another creative flavor that slips my mind.

Trustd_1

thanks, that's what 4 years of HS Mandarin got me. lol regular folks seem to get a kick out of it, but i think some car guys (& girls) take it as a personal challenge to race.

as for the s2k on long trips, it's not that great. my gf wasn't too fond of my S, even when it was stock & before the coilovers, 18" wheels/tires, etc, but she does enjoy going topdown. i'm a roadtrip vet, as i lived in LA/SoCal for several years and used to visit even before I moved there. I just got my ap2 last year, but I've done literally 100+ roundtrips between the Bay Area & SoCal in my previous & a couple of my other cars. the S is what it is... a cramped, 2 seater. The trunk is bigger than I anticipated though. Using duffle bags & soft luggage helps. I'm a clothes whore, but I've learned to pack lighter. A large duffle bag, backpack, and my gf's tote/purse fit quite nicely and are good for about 4-5 days. I also manage to carry my spare tire, toolbag, & a portable air compressor/battery jumpstarter, and few other things in the trunk too. I had my friend sound deaden my doors and some other parts of the cabin, but it's still pretty noisy in there. My gf doesn't complain much about the noise. We just crank up the tunes. The seats aren't the greatest for long trips though, so I make sure to stop every 2-3 hours for gas & to stretch. We brought the car all the way back from the sticks in Texas when I first bought it (through the pouring rain from Texas through New Mexico & Arizona), so every trip since hasn't been too bad. We've gone to Monterey, Mendocino/Eureka/Avenue of the Giants, Big Sur, Monterey/Carmel, and LA/SoCal a bunch of times. I'd like to take another drive up north to Seattle or over to Utah, but we're both really slammed with work.


Portland was a blur, as it was literally a last minute trip, but it is a pretty cool city. I was very pleasantly surprised. Lots of good places to eat, and the city was bustling well into the wee hours of the morning, which I didn't expect. It's hipster central though, which I'm not too crazy about, esp w/SF being overrun by them more and more each day. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check them out. I've been spoiled by sushi at Matsuhisa & Nobu in LA though.

S2KVee

Without the wait in Line.. Just stop by Voodoo Donuts Too

Second location with no lines

UnkieTrunkie

Best sub $20 steak I've ever had.

Trustd_1

now, you tell me? lol thanks for the tip. i'll keep it in mind next time i'm up there.


where was this??? *indoor voice*