Day Three of Portland

Saturday

Portland is known for a lot of things: protests, hippie culture, weed, rain, bridges (so many bridges). But one of the things that I think of when I think of the city is the DIY culture that inhabits every corner. Artists dominate the local shopping scene and the branding is always super on point. Lola and I marveled at it as we walked the streets of the city, everything has a hyper-solid locally-branded look.

So Saturday morning, I thought it would be a cool idea to hit up a local farmer's market and take a look at what local artisans had to offer. We headed towards the farmer's market on the PSU campus and...were pretty underwhelmed. Not because the wares were bad, but because it was all the wrong stuff. This was farmer's market with the emphasis on FARM - tons of veggies, raw honey, and a bunch of rustic loaves on display. Billie was unimpressed. So unimpressed that we made a single pass through the stalls and she was ready to go. I would be lying if I wasn't a little frustrated in the moment, but traveling with a 5 year-old requires flexibility in situations where an adult might be more willing to bend a little.

So off to Voodoo Donuts!

I'd heard about this place long before ever deciding to visit, so it was a great treat to hit up the eclectic donut spot. Even though it was early, there was still a line outside, though I would say that travel guides play up the line more than we experienced. Once inside, we each picked out a couple of donuts to try. I had a maple glazed donut topped with bacon. Pretty epic. The lady behind the counter was incredibly sweet and understanding, joking with Billie and patiently taking our order. I'm sure she does it all day, but she was above and beyond. There were some tables outside a next-door club so we sat and ate there. 

When we finished up with donuts, Lola spotted some farmer's market style tents down the walkway/alley next to Voodoo Donuts, so we walked down to investigate. If there was any aspect of this trip that I loved the most, it was the freedom to see something and investigate, instead of the constant rush to get to the next thing on the list. I need to remember to take this approach in the future (but I'm sure I'll forget). When we got to the area, it was a craft market, the sort of place we were looking for at the beginning of the day. We bought way too much stuff, but honestly, there were so many awesome things, we couldn't help ourselves.

After the market (which I am not sure the name of, but it was awesome), we walked back to our car and drove to Powell's City of Books, one of the biggest, most impressive book store I've ever visited. Packed to the gills with both used and new books, it's nearly a city block with three stories of books. And that might sound like it was chaotic or gross, but it's one of the most impressively run bookstores I've ever been in. The line was socially distanced down the sidewalk leading to the door and, once inside, all shoppers were asked to sanitize before heading in to shop. The store is clean, almost library-like, but bustling with people, employees and shoppers alike. 

Oftentimes, in a store this side, the extra junk will pile up. You know what I'm talking about, the book-related stuff book stores line the aisles with. Barnes and Noble does this to the max (instead of focusing on being a good bookstore). The gear in Powell's is so well curated, everything is on brand, nothing is ridiculous or doesn't fit the feel of the section it's in. The store is cohesive. Massive, but cohesive. We shopped for several hours, creating quite a pile of books, totes, nicknacks, and whatever else Billie liked. When we paid, I added a tshirt to the haul, because why not?

We had been told to check out Sizzle Slice, a pizza place across the street from Powell's, so we hit them up for a couple of slices. Their indoor seating was closed, so we were lucky to spot a picnic table free next door and settling in to munch. Pizza was good, though it seems NYC style is the dominate style in PDX, which I find less exciting than more "bready" types of pizza.

After eating, Lola popped into the Doc Martins store across the street before we headed on a walk to 2nd Avenue Records. Probably 8 blocks (I'm guessing) away, it was the perfect stroll after eating. When we arrived, we had to wait outside because protocol. Once we got in, we were slightly underwhelmed. The store was cluttered and dusty. Customer service was nonexistent as the guy behind the counter was grumpy and unhelpful. I get the punk aesthetic, but being rude in a customer service situation is dumb. I picked up a couple of records and we dipped.

We walked back to the car, but this time Billie was tired of walking so I carried her on my shoulders. I tried to keep in mind that she was nearing the age where she would be too big for me to do this. It kept my mind straight and we enjoyed the walk a lot more.

That evening, after a quick nap at the Airbnb, we drove out to Newberg for dinner with Josh and his family. J's Family Restaurant didn't look like much but the food was good. Lola and I both had salads that were spectacular, big and fresh. Afterwards, Josh invited us to the beach with him and his family tomorrow, we weren't sure, but headed back to the Airbnb discussing the idea.