Portland - Day 4

Our day in a nutshell:

We saw:
The Multnomah County Library. A library? Yes, we're big fans of reading! More about the library here - Plus, it's the oldest and biggest library west of the Mississippi!
The library also houses the Beverly Cleary Children's Library . More about the author here, and here . Remember Beezus and Ramona? Henry Higgins and his dog Ribsy? She was one of my favorite authors while growing up and she's a native Oregonian.

Portland State University, More about Oregon's largest University here . Their mascot is the Vikings. It's OSU that are the Beavers. Heh heh, I said Beaver.

We had lunch at:
the Food Carts on SW 10th & Alder . More about the food carts on this blog.
(particularly Asia Station and Ziba's Pitas)

After a brief rest at the hotel, we headed out again to:
Another location of Stumptown Coffee Roasters(for Bert's coffee fix)
Pioneer Courthouse Square. Unfortunately the Courthouse is undergoing renovation and we couldn't get in. There's supposed to be a spectacular view of the city from the cupola.
The gal at Cosmic Monkey recommended visiting Floating World Comics (more info here ).
We passed by the 24-Hour Church of Elvis (MUST visit it TOMORROW!!!)
which is next to Floating World...(a very cool comics shops I must say)

Had dessert at:
Mio Gelato

Lots of walking and also wandering around the neighborhoods. Took the streetcar a few times as well. It's free too, which is awesome. This city is pretty much pedestrian friendly, unlike San Diego where people will run you over in a heartbeat no matter where you're at, especially downtown.

Portland is divided into quadrants, each with their own unique flavor and identity. Our hotel is in the SW area, which is downtown. We're a block away from Powell's and a few blocks away from the Pearl District (aka the NW), which is the chi-chi, yuppified, La Jolla'ish area filled with lofts and art galleries. Not really fun or interesting if you're with an 8 1/2 year old. Our dinner and dessert destination last night was in the SE, which is also where Knitting Diva's brother lives. We went to only to one place in the NE (Cosmic Monkey) and plan to see a few other spots tomorrow. We're not sure yet all we want to see and do. We're trying to hit up several places suggested by friends, readers, and things I saw in this book, The Zinester's Guide to Portland (this is one of the top sellers at Powell's). I really love this book because is a cooler alternative to the other guidebooks out there that are pretty run of the mill. No offense to Portland natives, but do I really need to see the Zoo? Or their museums when there are other off beat things out there that San Diego doesn't have? C'mon, how can one pass up on the Velveteria and the 24-Hour Church of Elvis? One cannot.

In addition to the Zinester's guide, I also consulted Insider's Guide to Portland, 5th Edition, and received Kirk's older copies of Best Places - Portland and Walking Portland (thanks!). We have one more day tomorrow and we head back home Thursday morning. Out of all of our trips, this one has been the most fun and most relaxing...

Can't wait to post my photos!