Like many folk, I have a bucket list of cities I hope/want to visit.

• Portland, OR
• Seattle, WA
• Chicago, IL
• Madison, WI
• Montreal, CA
• Reykjavik, IS
• Savanna, GA
• Singapore (city-state-country?)
• Sydney, AU
• Legoland, DK (what? that’s NOT a city? hmm)

Spots I’ve heard about that intrigue me. Foods I haven’t tried, libraries I’ve yet to tour . . . Truth? I’m pretty unlikely to travel to a location that isn’t home to someone I know. So thank goodness my sister-in-law moved to Portland!

Once J made the jump, my years of talking turned to a mere hour or two of flight searching. Then, last fall we landed . . . and loved it!

When my partner and I returned home to Boston, friends asked: how was it? I kept coming back to chill, sweet, calm. We didn’t do a whole lot of rushing. But I guess one rarely does on vacation?

As is often the case in my traveling experience, I recognized cities I know well in Portland. I reacquainted myself with Paterson, NJ’s wide boulevards and Leipzig, Germany’s centrally located, efficient light rail lines. The fresh, water-scent reminded me of seaside Jersey, lakeside Well, NL, and even that odd whiff of surf one sometimes gets in Davis Square, Somerville.

Stay tuned for the next installment, where I’ll no doubt bombard you with more sights (and some library tourin’).