I headed down from Seattle in the late morning, and the drive was lovely and uneventful. It rained straight through until I was south of Kelso, but I enjoyed the trip regardless. It's amazing how quickly a 3 hour car trip passes with good music! The drive to her apartment was fantastic - the houses in her neighborhood were beautiful Northwest Craftsman style homes similar to those we have in the nicer parts of Seattle.
I arrived in the early afternoon, and we spent the better part of the afternoon wandering through small shops and galleries. I love that Portland still has a lot of independent stores, since so many of those in Seattle have been torn down as sacrifices to large development projects. We went for dinner at the Deschuttes Brewery, and popped into Powell's while we waited for our table to be called. It was my very first time in the shop, and I was astounded! It was a really fantastic experience, and we came back immediately after dinner and beer. I learned an important lesson, though - don't shop for books after a few beers! I purchased quite a few books but did manage to restrain myself with the knowledge that whatever I purchased would have to be packed and moved to my condo.
My first impressions of Portland were very positive, and when we made it to our ladies only Valentine's Day brunch the next morning this was reinforced. Not only were there lovely, friendly people everywhere we went, but the breakfast itself was also delicious. Afterwards, we wandered more shops and cafes and enjoyed the sunshine that was finally breaking through. All in all, I can't wait to come back to Portland - it's definitely a lovely place to live and worth many more weekend trips!
