Dear Liza,
Tomorrow I start my new life in Portland. Leaving Salinas for such a big city will be exciting and a little bit scary, I think.
I will fly into PDX airport and take the Red Line Max train to downtown. This train is part of Trimet, the name for all the trains, busses, and streetcars in the city. There is an app I can load onto my phone that lets the phone be a ticket for all of Trimet. That will make getting around easier.
By the time I get downtown, I will be hungry. I know there are lots of interesting places to have lunch there. I will walk until something looks (and smells) good. I will tell you all about it.
After lunch I will walk around and look at the city. There are statues, fountains, tall buildings, and even little parks all over the place. There is also the Willamette, a big river that divides the city into two parts, west and east, and there are ten bridges that cross from side to side. Each bridge is different!
After I have explored downtown, I will get on the number 4 bus and cross the Willamette on the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. It is the newest bridge and is only for busses, trains, bicycles, and walking…no cars! I can get off the bus and walk past Auntie Katie’s bookstore and then to her house. I know where the key is, so I can get in and cuddle with her cats, Wanda and Pietro, and have a nice quiet evening.
I will tell you all about my day tomorrow!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 
This heartfelt post captures the complex emotions of leaving Salinas, a place full of memories and mixed feelings. It reflects on the struggle between longing for something new and the deep connection to home. The author’s journey is a poignant reminder of how places shape our identities, and how leaving can be both a step toward growth and a loss of familiarity.
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Hello there,
Thanks so much for reading my blog and giving it such a nice write-up. That post was written in 2017, and we have now lived in Portland for 7 years! Feel free to read whichever ones tickle your fancy. Judy
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