Every time I go somewhere new and come back gushing about how much I loved it and how I could totally live there, my sister replies, “You say that about every place that you go to.”

This time it’s pretty much the same result.

We’ve been in Portland since Monday and I have to say it’s been one of the more enjoyable business trips that I’ve been on.

Our hotel that is located smack in downtown close to Burnside which is one of the main streets is across from Stumptown Coffee Roasters which is apparently really good coffee (even though I’m not a coffee drinker I may try it so that I can say that I’ve had it) and a few blocks away from VooDoo Doughnut which is a late night well-known doughnut shop here in Portland. It seems like almost everyone that I’ve told about my trip to Portland mentions VooDoo Doughnut.

We’ve actually  been able to get out of work by 5:30pm (yes, it’s a miracle…sad isn’t it?) and I can officially cross the “happy hour” to-do item off my list for 2009. We went to happy hour on the 30th floor of a building here in downtown (forgot what the building is called) at Portland City Grill as suggested by one of the women who was working at the facility that we were at. I learned from Aaron , my freshman year sponsor, whom I haven’t seen in AGES and finally got to hang out with last night, that happy hours in Oregon aren’t allowed to advertise alcohol prices on their signs. Interesting. Apparently happy hour is a big thing in Portland since it rains so much and people get off work at a normal time, that places fight for who has the best happy hour offerings.

Shrimp and crab bruschetta from Portland City Grill happy hour. One of the many items we tried.

Furikake crusted ahi --we basically had dinner at happy hour.

Aaron took me to Henry’s 12th Street Tavern for drinks last night, and the place has sooooo many beers on tap. I’ve been drinking more dark beer lately and getting tubby. I mean, I’m building up fat for the winter. It was good to catch up with him since I hadn’t seen him since he graduated from Pomona in ‘06. He’s the same ol’ awesome Aaron though, and I’m happy that he’s doing well and that we finally got the chance to meet up.

There’s a crazy bike and cafe culture here that I really enjoy, not that I actually bike around, but it’s fun to see people biking instead of driving places. There’s also a huge food cart culture here which is absolutely fantastic. There is a blog dedicated to food carts in Portland. They are the ultimate late night grub spots and there are food cart lots just for them to sit in. Aaron may actually be helping his friend out and working at a food cart called Whiffies Fried Pies . He said that working a food cart is kind of like being a rock star in Portland so he doesn’t mind if he doesn’t get paid to help out, since it’s like being at a party but you’re serving food. Plus, you can be slightly boozed, as long as you can fry the pies

Here’s a picture that I stole from Yelp, and the link to their review on the  Portland Food Carts blog.

Delicious fried apple pie...well it looks delicious, since I haven't actually eaten one, I probably shouldn't say "delicious" even though it probably is.

I got lunch today from Ninja Plate Lunch for $5, shoyu chicken, macaroni and rice. Not the best, but definitely not bad. Hard to beat hawaiian food from Cali in a street cart.

My coworker and I have tickets to the Blazers vs. Spurs game tonight! The Blazers are going to be wearing their Rip City jerseys tonight:

"The term Rip City was coined by the team's play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 18, 1971, the Blazers' first season."

Thanks to the wonder called Craigslist, we got pretty good upper level seats for $23 bucks, and the public transportation from downtown Portland to the Arena is free as well and probably no more than a 5-10 minute ride, so I’m excited. Everyone says Portland sports fans are crazy, so I’m bracing myself for craziness. Meg is pretty crazy about her Oregon sports, so I think I’m leaning towards agreeing with the public on crazy fans. Hopefully I can get some cheap Blazers gear for the game, but seeing that I’ll be at work the rest of the day…I’ll just cross my fingers. At least they’re not playing the Kings tonight, since I’m wearing a purple shirt. Don’t really feel like getting mauled by angry Blazer fans.

Alright, that’s it from P-town for now!

So, I’m being sent on another business trip tomorrow to Portland for about a week.

We should have a little bit of time in the evening to maybe wander downtown a little bit.

Does anyone have any suggestions on different places we should go?

I remember going to different places with Meg when I visited her after we graduated, but would definitely like to hear other places (maybe places to eat?) that would be fun.

1) VooDoo Donut

2) Powell’s Bookstore

Anything else?