Fall is coming!  Or it’s already here, if you’ve got kids in the CSD and they’re about to enter fall break next week!  To the south, the beaches are clearing out from the summer rush and to the north, tourists are beginning to fill up the hotels in the slightly cooler mountain towns.  Around the rest of the country, other things are happening, presumably.

So, where do you like to vacation in the fall?

I’m in Portland, Oregon this week, wandering the city streets with a 3-month old.  And since Portland has one of the tightest and most celebrated grids in the nation, I thought why not do a little photo journal?

For those unfamiliar with Portland’s Max rail line, here ’tis…

Beautiful isn’t it?  But not just beautiful, it’s also free within the city center – yes, FREE – or $2.25 for an all-zones 2 hour pass. With frequent, accessible trains, it’s easy to see how the Max is a viable option for many daily commuters.   (According to the TriMet website, the impetus for a “Fareless Square” centered around concerns about air quality back in the mid-1970s  The foregone fare money is partially subsidized by the city of Portland and a tax on employers in TriMet’s service area as it’s assumed that the free transit option brings significant tourism and convention business into the area.)

But one of the coolest things about the Max, is the extra love given to the gearheads…

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