Since my last post, I had a terrible experience with Virgin America on Monday night. I was all set and packed, ready to go, when I received a WorldMate flight delay notification. I was flying from SAN-SFO-PDX. My SAN-SFO flight was delayed over an hour so that I'd miss my SFO-PDX flight. I called Virgin America, and it turns out there is only one daily flight from SFO-PDX. The airline refused to book on another airline or provide a hotel in SFO for the night, so the only choice was to re-book the next day (on game day).
I mulled over this for an hour and thought, "What if I don't make it on game day either?" Then I'd be REALLY screwed. Furthermore, arriving on game day meant a 5PM arrival time into Portland, which was cutting it close to kickoff. I decided right then and there to book a Southwest Airlines flight from SAN-LAS-PDX, which meant I departed SAN around 5PM and arrived in PDX around 10PM. Booking a new flight cost an extra $236, which isn't bad considering I booked the flight four hours prior to departure. In hindsight, I'm glad I did it because I would've been even more stressed leaving on game day. I have learned my lesson and WILL NEVER book Virgin America again, especially since they refused to give a refund. They blamed the delay on the Asiana Airlines accident, but if that was the case, why wasn't my SFO-PDX flight delayed too?
Changing flights suddenly involves more than just the flights. I had to book a new shuttle from Pacific Beach to the airport, and I had to figure out how to get from PDX to the hotel. Originally I had planned to take public transportation in Portland, but being a single female, it's generally unsafe to use public transportation that late at night. So, I booked a Hertz rental car. I thought it would cost me $45 (thanks to rental car points) according to the preliminary figure given online. Upon checkout, the rental car cost less than $4 from Monday night to Wednesday morning! What a steal!
I missed the official night before party in Portland because the bar closed at 11PM (early!!!), and Hertz unfortunately took an hour to get a car when I arrived at the airport (obviously overbooked). I made it to the after-party at Kells Irish Pub, but the bar had stopped serving. Someone suggested going to a strip club called Mary's, and desperate for at least one drink, I agreed. It was the smallest strip club I've ever been in with the most bored stripper ever. I noticed even the guys were just on their phones or talking to each other, not paying attention to her. I downed my long island, and we left. That was my participation in the night before activities in Portland.
We weren't sure about the parking situation at the stadium, so we decided to take public transportation the next day. The Doubletree hotel downtown ($65/night & 32,000 points) was RIGHT next to the train station, which was very convenient! Since the game was fairly late, we decided to explore Chinatown. WORST idea ever! I've decided Portland Chinese people are not ambitious at all, as all the restaurants were closed on a Tuesday late morning/near lunch time. I didn't see any bakeries or grocery stores. There was a homeless tent city RIGHT next to the Chinatown gate, which was awful. I am not sure why homeless people set up in Chinatown though, since Chinese people tend to be unsympathetic to the homeless. If you want to see the ghetto of Portland, go to Chinatown. I would rather run away next time!
The game day bar in Portland was the Cheerful Bullpen. I liked the set up because the back patio was underneath HUGE trees! I tried a Stella Hard Cider for the first time, and it was pretty good. Unfortunately, the bar only had about 6 of them and sold out quickly. Hard cider by a local brewery was on tap, but it wasn't as good. Oh well.
Being seasoned travelers, the only other people we initially recognized was from AO national. Gold Cup games tend to have more local people versus world cup qualifiers. Later, Chris from Alaska showed, as well as some AO Phoenix members. It was good seeing a few familiar faces.
We went into the stadium when the gates open. We chose the seats that would get the shade first (smart thinking on Chris' part). The first game (Cuba versus Costa Rica) was nothing to write home about. Our game, was interesting, as we creamed Belize by 5 goals. The section was loud and rocking, but my biggest criticism is that we pretty much did all Timbers Army chants. We did two capo-led American Outlaws chants in the first half, and two in the second half. Any other chants that were done were started by people in the section because we were there for the USA/American Outlaws, not Timbers FC.
Timbers Army gets away with a LOT of stuff, more than other supporters groups in MLS, and I am not sure why. They have a great relationship with their front office, so they let off smoke bombs galore, but MLS never seems to come down on them. For example, "Let's go fucking mental!" is a standard chant for Timbers Army, but Real Salt Lake isn't allowed to say, "You suck asshole!" It irks me very much that MLS has a double standard. Either make demands on EVERY team in the league or none at all. It is quite unfair for MLS to single out one team, in my opinion.
Anyway, back to the game. Post-game, David and I have started a tradition of going to a restaurant for a solid meal. Although we like the bar scene, often returning to the night before party bar has become a bit repetitive. That, and post-game, we really want a good meal (which most bars cannot provide). I found a restaurant along the train called Luc Lac Restaurant, and it was delicious. I highly recommend the spot, which also has a full bar.
The next day was uneventful, as we headed back to San Diego. I am not used to flying Southwest Airlines (decided to take the same flights as David, since it's easier), but I can see why people like them. They're pretty much on time, boards and takes off quickly, and provides friendly service. My biggest issue is that you have to board with your boarding group to get a good seat (since unassigned), and for work, I am sometimes barely making it to a flight.
So, that's Portland...I'll write about Salt Lake City tomorrow!
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