Portlandia!

Saturday Portland Market: 2 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204. Park in garage close to Naito Pkway.  Food trucks for lunch. Plan $10.

Powell’s Books: 1005 W Burnside St · (503) 228-4651. Huge used and new bookstore.

Voodoo Donuts: 22 SW 3rd Ave. Open 24 hours. For treats to take home. $2-3

Portland Children’s Museum: 4015 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221. We’ll stay about an hour and a half.  $11.

Ride the Tram: 3303 SW Bond Ave, Portland, OR 97239. Parking is metered, just south of the tram. Open Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Debit/credit only $5 per person round-trip.

Moonstruck Chocolate Café: 526 NW 23rd Ave. and/or stroll the eclectic shops at 23^rd Ave.

Eat dinner at Mother’s Bistro and Bar(http://www.mothersbistro.com/menus/dinner/): 212 SW Stark St, Portland, OR 97204.  Plan $20

Explore Washington Park/Rose Garden: 4001 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97221.

Bridgeport Village Shopping Center: Gorgeous outdoor mall.  Open until 8 p.m. 7455 SW Bridgeport Rd #215, Tigard, OR 97224.

Multnomah Falls is a beautiful place for the whole family.

My family had so much fun during our weekend trip to Portland. I love driving in the city. Flowers and trees and beautiful green bushes grow spontaneously on the side of the freeway and I love the bridges, they are so impressive.  Everybody has to eat at Voodoo Donuts once, but we’re on to their game. Here’s my review of Voodoo (I have since heard that Blue Star has the best donuts in Portland. They are three to four dollars apiece but I have heard they’re worth every penny):

Voodoo donuts are not delicious. I mean, being donuts, I’ll still eat them. But Voodoo donuts is living art -that’s the appeal-a creative, “rogue,” which is actually written in giant letters in their lobby, pierced, tattooed, donut hole in the ground where they put kids cereal on top of donuts and wear nose rings. Best part of Voodoo donuts is being a part of living art -that is why people go there in droves. After we got our box of donuts, we were approached by a couple of New Yorkers who were looking for a second market of Voodoo Donuts to avoid standing in an hour line. We didn’t sell our donuts. It didn’t feel right. Hey, if we are going to stand in line for an hour to get donuts, you are going to stand in line for an hour to get donuts. Also, my four-year-old touched every donut in our box already. Voodoo donuts proves that what people crave, even more than donuts, is creativity -Voodoo donuts provides a way to rebel without actually sticking it to anybody because in the end, it’s just deep fried dough. Brick wall sprayed with rainbow glitter? Yes, please. Fat donut with 9 cups of cream cheese frosting on top and a layer of Captain Crunch added to that? Definitely! Pink box with a picture of a skeleton sporting a tux and butterfly wings? I can’t think of anything cooler! Nothing says “eat your feelings” like donuts with a Voodoo doll for a mascot. Krispy Kremes has their vibe with the hats and electric sign, Dunkin Donuts has their wake up with Duncan energy as you dip your donut into a lousy cup of coffee. The grocery store has their lunch lady in a hair net vibe. If Voodoo were a music video, everyone in line for donuts would turn to face the camera with painted white faces to look like skulls and a bulging zombie eye look of death and then synchronized, take an exaggerated bite out of a cereal laden donut as Cocoa puffs fall onto the pavement below and cause it to crack. People are excited to get their donuts from a place with a “rock edge,” as that is how dessert should be both prepared and consumed.