Portland Perks

After spending a whole day at the Portland Antique Show, we drove into the city to stay two days at the Benson. The Benson is right in the heart of the city and is historic and an experience in itself. Free coffee and papers in the morning and happy hour and jazz at night. Service is with a smile! We were given a Perks book of coupons and enjoyed 2 for 1 entry into the Chinese Gardens, and the Mansion and could have gone into the Japanese Garden and the Art Museum if we had had more time. We highly recommend the Chinese Gardens for their design as well as for the serenity and peace you feel as you go through each outdoor room. The teahouse windows look out onto the green, green, and more green and the brightly coloured carp in the pools.
We also found coupons for 20-50% off meals, which made them all the more enjoyable. The Farmers' Market is blocks long and has everything from food to crafts and activities. Right at the waterfront, you can walk along the seawall as you shop. For take home gifts, we bought soap truffles, in all the flavors and beautifully decorated. Gift wrapped, in tiny cartons, our luggage smelled glorious.
For our next trip, we plan to revisit the Antique show again as it is one of the largest ones anywhere and if you take your own lunch, the entertainment is practically free. Antique books are great and well priced, too. We'll use Priceline again, to get a good deal on hotels. It's a bit daunting as you don't know which one you'll snag, but you often get upgraded and it beats paying full price. Just note that most places charge for parking but you can find better rates in the garages close to your hotel. We do want to get to the Japanese Gardens and Art Museum next time, for sure. Maybe we'll take more than 3 days next time, too!