Portland Part 1

Ever since getting back from my trip to Portland, I can't stop thinking about it. What a wonderful place. I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to go. These are some of the highlights of my trip.

Powell's Books

I heard so much praise for this place before I ever thought about going to Portland and it surpassed my expectations, which is not an easy thing to do. What I like about Powell's isn't so much the size as the organization and personal touches. I bought a book that I had never heard of from a very new author because it was prominently displayed with a great recommendation from a staff member. The book is called Cinnamon and Gunpower by Eli Brown. I could not resist such a title. I made a list of 22 books I wanted to buy and resigned myself to picking just one. I'm glad I made a list because I plan on eventually getting through all of those books. Some of them I wrote down because of the great recommendations. I have never wanted to make people leave a bookstore before, but I wanted this place all to myself.

Stumptown Coffee

We went to the one on Stark Street. It is attached to the Ace Hotel, which is a place I would love to stay. I don't drink coffee everyday, far from it, but I might develop a habit if I had constant access to Stumptown's cold brew. That stuff is so cold and sweet and delicious. It's up there with Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco. I like my coffee and tea very sweet, so this stuff was perfect for me. Plus, the Ace Hotel lobby is a wonderful place to relax. I really liked the big terrarium in the middle of the giant coffee table. The couch was massive and comfortable and the music was nice and not distracting. I felt like a cooler and more interesting person just by sitting in this place and drinking my freakin delicious coffee. This was one of many places that encouraged you to linger and enjoy yourself.

Star Trek in the Park

Man oh man, do I love live theater. It is one of my favorite things and I will often go out of my way to enjoy it. This theater group performed The Trouble with Tribbles and they did a great job. They had a woman sing the vocal part of the theme song and everything! There were so. many. Tribbles. I think the whole city got together to make those Tribbles. What was really wonderful about this event was the amount of people who came out to see the show. Everyone was so excited, it was adorable. Even waiting in line for the toilet was fun because I got to talk to people. So we picnicked for a few hours and did some people watching before the show. The park was lovely and the shade from the Hawthorne Bridge was hotly anticipated, pun totally intended. The weather was sunny and hot the entire time we were in Portland.