Serendipity

[ABx]

You made me curious. It actually looks like it was more than one for Portland:

"The Japanese Garden Society of Oregon is a private, not-for-profit organization funded entirely by donations, membership, memorials, grants, and gate admissions. It was formed in the early 1960s by Portland citizens interested in promoting a more intimate relationship between the peoples of Japan and our city and state. In 1958, Portland became a sister city to Sapporo, Japan. This created a broad interest in Japanese culture. Soon after, several business leaders and Mayor Terry Shrunk decided it would be wonderful for Portland to have a traditional Japanese garden."

[Chip]

Or, a single influential/moneyed individual with a love of all things Japanese

I think something along those lines funded this one... prob a couple individuals with ties to the Japan Society in NY happen to summer in Palm Beach or something

$$$ Some big yen going to run this place.

[TIM]

The Portland Japanese Garden was quite amazing also.

[Mary R]

Or you could just take a trip to Portland

Sacrilege! My entire life is now lived in roughly one square mile. Portland might as well be Paris!

I'm only half kidding...I don't know if it's being busy, feeling like I'm busy, or just being sort of intimidated by going to Portland to do...what? I don't even know really what I would do there! Anyway, I spent all of $30 on gas from September to December.

Yeah. Very sad.

Mary, you are in a PhD program?

Yuppers. Although I'm sort of kicking myself for not doing an MA program first. I'm feeling seriously outclassed by the brilliance of my colleagues.

[ABx]

I'm only half kidding...I don't know if it's being busy, feeling like I'm busy, or just being sort of intimidated by going to Portland to do...what? I don't even know really what I would do there! Anyway, I spent all of $30 on gas from September to December.

Hehe, I know the feeling, actually. Portland has lots of good stuff, though - Japanese Garden, Chinese Garden (with a "traditional" tea house by Tao of Tea that will do gongfu style brewing), Powells books (this alone can swallow an entire day), a handfull of tea shops (go have tea with the guy at Serenity Art and pick up a bunch of $5 gaiwans and such), plenty of the normal affair (events, movies, etc.), first or last Friday (street turns into an art gallery by local artists), I'm sure that GG and/or I would be more than happy to meet up for tea (I would, I imagine GG would if available)... you get the picture Heck, if you got a room at one of the McMenamins hotels you could waste an entire weekend there Portland isn't Seattle, but there's still plenty of stuff to do - you could probably pass an entire weekend with the gardens and tea stuff alone if you wanted to. I'd be happy to go to tea places, though the one I suspect is most interesting (the only one I haven't been to) I know is supplied by J-Tea in Eugene.

[hop_goblin]

Or you could just take a trip to Portland

Sacrilege! My entire life is now lived in roughly one square mile. Portland might as well be Paris!

I'm only half kidding...I don't know if it's being busy, feeling like I'm busy, or just being sort of intimidated by going to Portland to do...what? I don't even know really what I would do there! Anyway, I spent all of $30 on gas from September to December.

Yeah. Very sad.

Mary, you are in a PhD program?

Yuppers. Although I'm sort of kicking myself for not doing an MA program first. I'm feeling seriously outclassed by the brilliance of my colleagues.

Oh whatever! You can take it! Just remember that the best authors were drunks! My best advice is to start drinking heavily!

[ABx]

Oh whatever! You can take it! Just remember that the best authors were drunks! My best advice is to start drinking heavily!

Unless you're into psychology, in which case you should pick up a coke habit.

[Geekgirl]

I'm sure that GG and/or I would be more than happy to meet up for tea (I would, I imagine GG would if available)... you get the picture .

Yep! I like meetups, any excuse!