Rain greeted us for our first full day in Portland, and only the second rainy day so far on our trip. After taking our time getting ready we packed up and headed downtown. We stopped first at AAA to get some maps to help out and even got some discount movie tickets to use while we were in town.
Parking was a bit difficult, but no worse than some of the other places we've been to. Eventually we found a spot and hopped on our bikes (by this time the rain had stopped) and started exploring. The first Portland icon we visited was Powell's Books, which is an impressive monument to the dying business of brick-and-mortar bookstores. Powell's takes up an entire city block and then some, filled with literally miles of bookshelves holding thousands of new and used books sometimes including interesting and rare old editions. I could have spent hours getting lost in the massive maze of books and checking out the dozens of handpicked reading lists provided by the staff. There were even a few walls that had been signed by visiting authors. However, once our bags were full, and our wallets lighter, we finally broke free and played with some of the interesting street art (a giant pendulum) before moving on to grab some lunch.
For lunch we stopped at Breken's Kitchen which was on the outskirts of the Pearl District. Breken's is mostly known for coffee, but we had some great lasagna instead. We didn't have much time after lunch before our parking ran out, so we rushed back to pick up the car and make one last stop before leaving the city for a while.
On our way out we dropped by Voodoo Doughnut, a place that nicely sums up the sort of counter-culture vibe that Portland exudes. "Keep Portland weird" is painted in giant block letters on one of the buildings opposite Voodoo, and the cramped donut shop seemed purpose-built to meet that challenge. garish colors adorned the walls while decidedly "alternative" workers brought out tray after tray of bizarre donut creations that one could preview in their rotating glass display cases on the counter. I ordered the No-Name, a donut with chocolate frosting, Rice Krispies, and peanut butter, along with some signature voodoo dolls, donuts shaped like little people with a pretzel-stick pin inserted in their chests and complete with agonized icing faces.
When we were done at the donut shop, we headed back to the house to meet Bob to attend the grand opening of Portland's Chrome store. Chrome, which was started by Bob's friend Steve, is known for its messenger bags made for cyclists, so when we arrived there was quite a display of bicycles outside the shop. Not everyone there was a cyclist, though, or even knew what the store was for. It seemed like there was an equal number of die hard fans compared to hungry passerby trying to get their hands on free tacos and beer.
It was fun for a bit, but we only stuck around long enough to grab a beer and say hello to Steve before setting off to get some dinner. On the way through the city Bob showed us some of his favorite spots in Portland. We walked along the streets with an almost random assortment and arrangement of trees that made it seem as if Portland was just a bunch of buildings that magically sprouted up in a forest. Eventually we reached a small square where we played around in a very special amphitheater. When standing in a certain point in the amphitheater your voice is amplified, but only to yourself. It was a very strange and cool experience.
Not long after we made it to Hot Lips Pizza, where we had some excellent food, beer, and company. We spent a while there just eating and chatting before finally heading back to the house to rest up for our next day in Portland.
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