Rainy days in Portland

Rain!

If you talk to someone who is not from the Pacific Northwest, they usually have some preconceived notions of cities like Portland and Seattle. "Doesnt it rain every day, all day?" "Do people really ride their bikes everywhere?" "Do the coffee shops out number the people?".

Some of those things are what make living in Portland so great. I love that it rains all the time because the foliage is so lovely (to be honest, I did not realize the grandness of this until I moved to the desert planes of Denver). I love being able to ride my bike anywhere in town and not fear my life because bike lanes exist in every neighborhood throughout the city.

Rainy days like today are my favorite; particularly if I have the day off. So, today I thought I would post my 5 favorite things to do on a rainy, Portland day.







1. Spend time at a local coffee shop.
I am a sucker for overstuffed couches, good music and good coffee. Today I am writing from a little shop called Sister's Coffee Company located in the Pearl. The atmosphere here is perfectly inviting for an afternoon of being productive or curling up and reading book. Coffee is amazing and the food is scrumptious!

2. Pamper myself!
I am working on a few reviews of my favorite locations to pamper in the Portland area. I preface with a slight bias since they are all located within my neighborhood. But I truly believe these are the best locations citywide. For waxing needs: Urban Waxx (they do other delightful services as well). For massage: Elements in the Pearl. For mani/pedi: Oasis Foot Spa. Look for my review of Urban Waxx coming soon!

3. Spending time with my friends and family
This is a no-brainer! I love being close to my family and it just so happens that Portland has some pretty awesome kid friendly areas as well as good places for adults to have fun (and have a brew or two). I am lucky some of my family lives in close proximity to me. Some of our favorite places to go are breweries, coffee shops, fooderies (not a word likely, but I am sure you know the definition).

 

4. Reading books at Powell's
Bookstores are losing ground in this market of Amazon and Kindles. But I believe the bookstore in my city is not going anywhere. This store is a well known landmark in the city and is always good for hours of coming through sections of used books, meeting local (and national) authors and of course people watching.

5. Partaking in live music
There is always someone in town playing for pennies. This city's underground music is one of the large draws for me to move back. I love going to concerts and the venues in Portland are among the best. I am very much looking forward to this summer when I can catch a few outdoor concerts at Edgefield. But on a rainy day, a concert is a perfect night cap!

Of Monsters and Men at Crystal Ballroom