Since I promised frequent updates, I will give you a quick
run-through of the jist of my trip so far. You ready? Here it is:
I’m sure you are well aware that the Pacific Northwest
dabbles a little in the coffee business, as I was. However, just as several Southern
cities have a church on every street corner, Portland follows suit with coffee
shops, especially Starbucks. I am aware that Portland is very into the
supporting local industries and businesses, but I am astounded at how many
Starbucks stores there are. I have not seen Seattle, but I am willing to bet
there is more of Seattle’s hometown store here in Portland than in its place of
origin.
Ken, the guy with the title too long to explain, so I’ll
just call him the man in charge (not to be confused with THE Man in charge),
was driving me around the city today to see a few different sites. As we were
passing the Portland Building and the 133rd Starbucks I had seen
thus far I exclaimed my fascination at how many of these famous chain stores I
had seen. I said, “I can’t imagine how many Starbucks stores are in Seattle.
They are even bigger connoisseurs of the bean!” He then proceeded to tell me
that Seattle and Portland are neck and neck in the race of coffee stores.
Folks, you may think you know coffee, but you haven’t seen Portland!
I hope you have gathered by now that I must be partaking in
this popular pastime. And yes, it is quite true! I have been doing a lot of
this. Melody and I went for coffee on Hawthorne after my visit at Western
Seminary yesterday evening. We also went for breakfast this morning at a lovely
little shop called baker spice, and tomorrow will commence with a trip for coffee to meet
a friend of Matt’s and Melody’s over in Sellwood. So to Portlandians, coffee is
a way of life, and that’s an understatement.
Since I have accidentally brought the sunny weather to
Portland with me, I had the luxury of seeing both Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood
today. They were beautiful! Now if I could only take that short one-hour trip
over to hit the slopes for a few hours…
As I said before, I stopped by the Portland Building to snap
a shot with the infamous Portlandia statue enshrined above.
We briefly perused through Powell’s, the powerhouse
bookstore, and I decided I was too overwhelmed so we walked straight through to
the other side and headed to our next destination.
Ken and I made a stop at his friend’s favorite chocolate
fix, simply called Cacao, where I had my first ever cup of drinking chocolate.
This is not to be confused with hot chocolate. My concoction was made with 62%
cacao, milk, cream, and infused with cinnamon. Delectable. I’m sure I will
frequent this spot over the summer.
Our lunch break consisted of a short drive through Sellwood
and stopping for lunch at Grand Central Bakery. This has been a favorite hangout for the
Parachute teams and rightly so. They are a little café that packs a big punch.
I tried the red curry lentil soup and salad and boy was it good!
My last Sellwood stop for the day was game night at Cloud
Cap Games. Although I was pretty lethargic, I did enjoy myself. Melody and I
met up with her friend to play a couple of card games: Coloretto and Crappy
Birthday (a lot like Apples to Apples, but the object is to see who’s gift is
the crappiest).
All in all, it was a really good day. Can’t wait to see what’s
in store for tomorrow!
