Wed, 15:40: Birth Week viewpoint #8! Portland Aerial Tram
Lower end elevation: 30 ft (9 m)
Higher end elevation: 410 ft (125 m)
Elevation gain: 380 ft (116 m)
Opened in late 2006, I didn’t even learn about this tram until around 2019, about five years after the last time I’d been to Portland. I returned in 2021, but because the tram connects to the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the trams were still closed post-covid to all but students and employees.
This is my third time back to Portland since 2021, and *finally* I made it to the Portland Aerial Tram. And it is spectacular! Best Portland skyline view ever, the mountain views aren’t so bad either, and now #1 on my list of recommended Portland attractions! https://t.co/etQP4tbmak
Wed, 18:06: Birth Week Viewpoint #9! Paramount Hotel, Portland OR, 14th floor (second from top)
Building height: best guess 150 ft (45.7 m)
Hotel room floor height: 140 ft (42.6 m)
I decided to include our hotel room as one of my “Observation Decks & Viewpoints” for Birth Week 2025, because why not? I’m just delighted they took my request for a higher floor to heart and put us on the floor second from the top!
A 15-story building isn’t super tall, but it’s tall enough to make me happy. https://t.co/GM8KpPSjeb
Wed, 22:35: Met up with Evan, who moved down to Portland in 2020, for the first time since Shobhit and I met up with them during our 2021 trip here. Too long! It was really great to reconnect.
We met for dinner at Elephants Delicatessen, which had been recommended to me some time ago for their “excellent homemade ding dongs.” Can confirm: it was legit amazing. I was shocked by how delicious it was. Great birthday dessert this year! https://t.co/3flsOToh5D
Tue, 07:30: Just saw in my Facebook memories that the ticket price for both Roozengaarde and Tulip Town at the Tulip Festival was $5 in 2014, and my jaw dropped: holy shit!
Adjusted for inflation, $5 in 2014 is merely $7.26 in 2025 dollars, a 45% increase.
Actual cost of tickets to those two display gardens this year is $20 and $18. A 400% increase.
Tue, 15:23: Birth Week viewpoint #7! Poo Poo Point, Tiger Mountain, Issaquah WA
Height above Issaquah: 1,294 ft (394 m)
Height above trailhead: 1,216 ft (371 m)
Height above sea level: 1,397 ft (426 m)
I went for the stunning views of Bellevue, Lake Washington, Seattle, and Puget Sound beyond—none of which were visible today. 😭 Of course I still took photos of the view from the Point! Of clouds.
At least there were some brief breaks in the clouds below us, offering us brief glimpses of Issaquah and the south end of Lake Sammamish.
The forecast had been overcast this morning, but no rain—and then it rained the entire 3-mile hike to the top. We ate our lunch under the eaves of the bathroom structure. The rain actually stopped in time for our arrival at Poo Poo Point, though the clouds mostly stayed. And then we got some actual sun breaks!—in the middle of our hike back down.
The entire hike was really beautiful anyway. And do you know why it’s beautiful? Because of the rain! Still, I’ll have to come back again later in the year on a clear day so I can get the photos of distant cityscapes I so badly wanted. https://t.co/5iEbqfDgAq
