Fun Things to See and Do in Portland Oregon

Portland is Oregon's largest city and has quite an eclectic population of individuals. The people who live in Portland love their city and while they encourage tourists to visit—but not stay. The love of Portland is not limited to local citizens. The New York Times regularly runs articles that praise Portland and its progressive track toward, well, just about everything! Consider the following:

Portland's public transportation system is considered one of the best on the West Coast
Portland library system is the second best in the entire United States
Portland was voted the Greenest City in the country in 2007

Portland is truly a city that is dedicated to making life easy and fun for the people who live there. The city itself is kept clean and the city motto is "Keep Portland Weird." If you are planning a trip to Portland, here are a few of the places you must visit:

1. Powell's Books. The flagship store is located on the corner of 10th Ave and Burnside. This company is completely independent and though it is possible to shop at Powell's on the internet, the only physical locations for Powell's are in the Portland metro area. The store features both new and used books—which can be found side by side on the shelves. This is not a store that has given in to corporate merchandising. On the contrary, Powell's started out as a tiny independent bookstore a few decades ago and it's commitment to independence has helped it grow into one of the shining jewels of Portland! If you want to read it, you will find it on Powell's shelves.

2. Voodoo Doughnuts. This tiny doughnut shop can easily be passed by. It is located literally through a hole in the wall on 3rd and Burnside. The owners of this twenty four hour jewel of Portland started their shop to feed the people stumbling out of the many bars that surround it. Originally open only at night, the owners now keep their doors open twenty four hours and have recently opened a second location in South East Portland. The variety of doughnuts is huge and varied—do you want bacon on your maple bar? You can get it here—along with vegan doughnuts and doughnuts covered in Fruit Loops!

3. Hot Lips Pizza. Hot Lips Pizza is in the process of opening up a fifth location right next to PGE Park. This independent and locally owned pizza company is famous for its Pepperoni pizza. People will drive in from hours away just to have a slice of Pepperoni and a breadstick. All ingredients are bough and grown locally and the pizza is made right there in front of you! This is not reheated pizza—it is all fresh, all day!

There are so many great places to eat and visit in Portland it was hard to narrow down the options to just three! Visit Portland to learn more about all of the greatness that is contained within this Northwestern city's limits.

For more information on Portland, Oregon, visit http://www.portlandmicroblog.com and http://www.oaklandmicroblog.com.