So after getting our bags, we went down to Budget to pick up our compact car, only to be told that they didn't have any of that size, but they could give us a Lincoln Towncar or Mercury Grand Marquis for the same price, or we could upgrade to a Mustang convertible for an extra $10 each day. That made me a little nervous, so we went with the Mercury. Frustrating because we walked past a couple Ford Focuses, a Hyundai Elantra, and a Chevy Impala - all of which would have been preferable to the monster I am now driving for 5 days!
We drove into Portland today to visit Powell's Books - the "legendary independent bookstore". Awesome! They have used and new books, and I think it takes up an entire block and has 3 stories! Geoff's favorite - the first edition Mark Twain for $2,000 in the rare book room on the 3rd floor.
Then we headed over to the Chinese Gardens - about a 10 minute walk from Powell's. We took a quick detour to check out Voodoo Donuts and see what kind of line they had. We took one look at the line, and decided not to wait that long for one donut!
So, over to the Chinese Gardens, which were very cool!
After the Chinese gardens, we walked through Chinatown - the "entrance" is very cool.
Walking around, there are several cool sculptures. The first one below is opposite Powell's books, and the second was about a block from the parking garage.
So we headed back to Karen and Joey's, unfortunately not fully realizing that we were leaving Portland during rush hour in a giant car! Again, don't like city driving and don't like large cars!
We decided to go out for Mexican food and drove back into Portland in Karen's Mini-Cooper. We had some awesome food, all the way from the beer to the dessert! Then up to Hawthorne St. for some cool, hip, unique shops (most of which were unfortunately closed for the evening).
For example, if you are looking for some clothes, perhaps you'd like to visit Naked City!
All in all, a great first day in Portland, and more to come!
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