Urban adventurers

Cousins Lily and Cora joined Audrey and Kate for a "staycation" this past weekend at a hotel in the Riverplace/South Waterfront part of Portland. Audrey and Kate got to the hotel and back and everywhere in between using only public transit (although with a big assist from the Taylors, who kindly transported bags to and from the hotel in GG's car). Unusually nice February weather, a free room upgrade from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom suite, the convenience of the Portland Streetcar, and lots of play time with Lily contributed to a pleasant and fun trip. The girls particularly liked having a TV in their bedroom, the swimming pool, and eating Fruit Loops and chocolate muffins for breakfast.

On Saturday morning, everyone ventured out to explore the Riverplace shops and marina briefly, then rode the streetcar to the Central Library for story time. Then it was back to the hotel for a swim while Lily napped. The water in the pool was on the cold side, which didn't seem to bother Audrey and Kate as much as it did Mama and Dada, who tried to stay in the hot tub as much as they could. 

After an ordered-in lunch and rest time, the girls met up with Lily and her sister and parents again and headed out on the streetcar for a ride on the Portland Aerial Tram. They were joined by Grandpa Dave. The Tram was almost shutting down for the day, so the girls had only a short time to admire the view and the reflection garden at OHSU before riding back down. Then it was back on the streetcar for a short trip to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

On Sunday morning, after breakfast, it was back to the pool and hot tub. Afterwards, Audrey and Kate and Lily took a bath together, then had some lunch while their parents packed up. Audrey and Kate said goodbye to their cousins, and headed back towards home. On the way, they stopped at Pioneer Place to get a birthday dress for Audrey, and Kate picked out a cute hat to wear.