A Bit Of Portland

I wrapped up a day of work in Portland and had just 3 hours to spare before my flight to Oakland and short drive to Berkeley.  A few days earlier I'd contacted my freshman and sophomore year roomate, Lauren, who has been living in Portland for about 6 years.  She was free to get together, and she did a fantastic job of showing me around.

After a great lunch at a Thai restaurant, we drove around the downtown area.  I knew I needed a good book for my next few flights since I'd finished Water For Elephants so quickly.  I picked up Incendiary by Chris Cleave, the same author of Little Bee. 

This book didn't come from any ol' bookstore, it came from Powell's Books ... a true Portland landmark.  The store takes up an entire city block and has more than a million books in stock.  They even have a special room entitled "Rare Books" that seems pretty magical.

With my new book tucked away in my purse, we decided a cocktail was in order.  We went a block over to Clyde Common and arrived right in time for happy hour.  And from the look of this menu, can you guess what I just had to order?



Yep, one good Heavy Petting!  And it was perfection.

Drinks in hand, we walked next door to the adjacent Ace Hotel -- a very hip boutique hotel.  The decor and philosophy is a mash-up of vintage and eco-friendly.  Very cool. 

Right in the lobby is a photobooth where we snapped these pics and then laughed about them back at Clyde Common's bar while we sipped the last bit of our cocktails.

It was a lovely and quick 3-hour tour of Portland, and there's nothing like connecting with an old friend.  Portland, I bid you adieu, but I'll be back.  Ta-ta for now!