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The gardens at Pittock Mansion in
Portland are worthy of strolls.
Left: The whole Dungeness crab feast
with a flight of Chardonnay at South-
park Seafood in Portland.

garden outside of China.” Sixty-five artisans from ing powers of nature,” and this small garden does
Suzhou, China, a Portland sister city, lived here indeed provide a respite from its urban surround-
for months while creating this lovely garden. They ings. Meandering its winding pathways among
sought to arrange elements — rocks, water, trees — reflective ponds, waterfalls and rock mountains, it’s
to “make you feel as if you’re standing in a Chinese hard to believe you’re in downtown Portland.
landscape painting.” “When we are surrounded by nature, a feeling of
Like all Chinese gardens, this one is designed to comfort comes over us and our bodies become
engage all our senses — the feel of the rock mosaic relaxed,” writes Yoshigumi Miyazaki in his book,
pathways, the sound of the rushing waters, the smell “Shinrin Yoku,” that posited the concept of forest
of seasonal blossoms, the sights of the trees and bathing. “Most of us would intuitively recognize
shrubs and koi fish — and, of course, there is a tea this feeling, but until recently we haven’t had any
room offering tastes. evidence to prove it.”
The Chinese have long understood the “invigorat- Oregon proved it yet again to me.

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