Day 4: Portland

Today we went out exploring in the city. Our first stop was the Saturday (and Sunday) Market in downtown Portland. I love the Saturday Market, because it is like a combo of the Strawberry Festival and a Farmer's Market minus the strawberries and rides :) My mom and I shared an elephant ear, which is a giant pastry covered in cinnamon and sugar. My aunt, mom and I were all able to find some treasures and we all got new sunglasses. My aunt even let me get a henna tattoo! Now I fit in the with the locals even more :)

After we finished looking around at the Market, we headed over to the Pittock Mansion. This place is pretty much Portland's Hearst Castle. There aren't tours, so you are free to go about the house at your own pace. Also, the rooms are a bit more open and you can actually touch some of the stuff. The mansion was very pretty and had a lot of history.

After touring the mansion and surrounding gardens, we headed off for lunch. My aunt took us to a Thai food place called Typhoon! Unfortunately, I never get good Thai food in Oregon and my meal was not enjoyable. My mom's and aunt's were delicious though.

Our next stop was Powell's City of Books. I love this place; it covers four city blocks and has four levels of pure books. I found a book I need for school and a book of e.e. cummings poems. I could lose myself in there for hours.

We made a quick stop at Voodoo donuts (lot's of giggling was done over the somewhat inappropriate names of donuts). Their donuts are soooo good! They have a lot of combinations that are unheard of in our little local donut shops. Our busy day was winding down and it was nice to just sit around and watch the Daily Show. Tomorrow will be more relaxing, but it will be fun to see how Portland celebrates the 4th of July!