October in Portland, Oregon [Part 2]

Once we left Edgefield, we spent the rest of our trip with my sister and her family. It was the best mix of all: some small adventures throughout the city, but also making time to stay at home and just enjoy each other's company.

We ate lunch one afternoon at the Lucky Labrador Brewing Company which offers a great selection of tasty sandwiches as well as their own brew. The husband obligingly made a "scared face" in all of my pictures (I'm usually after him for not smiling!!), and my nephew really got into his PB&J!


As many times as we have been in Portland, we never had visited the Lan Su Gardens. The garden is a collaboration between Portland and her sister city, Suzhou, and its name means "Garden of Awakening Orchids."


We decided to have lunch and a cup of tea at the "Teahouse in the Tower of Cosmic Reflections." As you might imagine, they had an extensive tea menu. The kind of tea you ordered also determined the cup it came out in, which was interesting! We also ordered several small bites to share, including a gorgeous Marbled Tea Egg.


We couldn't have asked for nicer weather this day! A sunny day in Portland isn't a routine event!


We stopped by Forest Park and wandered the outskirts of the Pittock Mansion. Forest Park is 5,157 acres which makes it the largest urban forest in the United States. It is huge and just being among all of those trees makes me very, very happy!


I know that Texas is often called "DQ Country," but it isn't until I go back to Portland that I can finally get what I really crave: a cherry-dipped cone from the local Dairy Queen. I don't know why the Lone Star State refuses to offer anything other than chocolate.


One of the "musts" when we visit, is a trip to the Sellwood neighborhood to visit my favorite quirky Portland stores: Sock Dreams! They have a fantastic selection of socks, in addition to awesome knee-high socks for curvy legs. Often, this also means a side trip to the Jade Bistro & Patisserie. Jade is an interesting mix of Vietnamese and French cooking, which means we started our meal with Hum Bao and finished with macarons.


My sister was not only in the upcoming wedding for our family friend, but also was making the wedding cake for the reception. So, the husband and I did spend most of a day in downtown Portland while she worked. We explored quirky little stores and took in the sights. We spent quite a bit of time in Central branch of the Multnomah County library. What a beautiful building! It originally opened to the public in 1913. We explored each floor, including the tiny rare books room that was only accessible by a winding staircase hidden in the back of the third floor periodicals.


We also spent a lot of time in the number one destination of Portland natives and visitors alike: Powell's City of Books. This is the largest new & used bookstore in the world, occupying an entire city block and containing approximately one million books! I can quite literally get lost in the stacks here!


Before taking the MAX train back home, we ate a late lunch at the Deschutes Brewery Pub. It was a lovely way to finish the day (and try some great local brews at the same time)!