Late last year, I took a mini tour around Downtown Portland, snapping some highlights of my home town. While a few of the resulting images were shared on another site, many were left out due to length constraints. Since so many of you have asked me about Portland over the years, I thought I’d share some little glimpses of our downtown area. I’ve actually lived in S.E. Portland for many years and maybe I’ll show you of my favorite spots and hangouts sometime — it’s definitely much more quirky!

Portland is one of the most bike friendly cities in the country. Everyone including Joey rides bikes everywhere. Everyone that is, except me.

The famous Portland sign. Classic.

If you happen to get lost, make your way to Pioneer Square (also known as Portland’s living room) for some helpful directions. Hey, Times Square is only 2,443 miles away!

Powell’s City of Books claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. If you’re visiting, it should definitely make your top 10 list of places to check out.

About a block from Powell’s is Reading Frenzy, my favorite little shop for independent zines, books and other trinkets. Cute overload.

I love the old-timey look of Kenny and Zuke’s. Most of their sandwiches have meat in them but I had a pretty amazing grilled cheese here one time. It’s on a block of great establishments including Ace Hotel, Stumptown Coffee and Clyde Common, a European-style restaurant (with great mimosas).

I never get tired of stopping into the lobby of The Ace. The lobby has a photo booth and an entrance to Stumptown (complete with big windows for some of the best people watching in the city).

For the most part, though I’ve had many extended stays in New York and traveled through a big chunk of the U.S., I’ve always called Portland home. Come visit us sometime!