The magic is in the hole

At 10:15pm on Tuesday March 30th, my train left Emeryville, CA for Portland, OR. In addition to the beautiful landscape, I also noticed more nerds on this train than usual; passengers were reading comics, talking about javascript, and watching Battlestar Galactica on their laptops. This was not surprising, as the headquarters for Darkhorse Comics is a stone's throw away from Portland, but it was refreshing none-the-less.

On Wednesday March 31st, I explored the Portland neighborhood of Sellwood, which was a wonderful fusion of hippie and geek culture.

On Thursday April 1st, I went to Things From Another World, the comic book store owned and run by Darkhorse Comics in the neighboring town of Milwaukee, OR. Although well-stocked, browsing was made difficult by the fact that most of the comics were just like Laura Palmer; wrapped in plastic.

That night, my host and I enjoyed dinner and drinks at the Muddy Rudder, a pub with live music and a friendly atmosphere which reminded me of similar establishments in Vermont. In fact, I think it was at this point that I decided that Oregon just might be the Vermont of the West Coast.

On Friday April 2nd, my host and I met some of my friends at Slappy Cakes, a diner where we drank cocktails and made pancakes on a hibachi grill.

I had a drink called Whiskey For Breakfast.

Afterward, I decided to make my way downtown in search of the highly praised Voodoo Doughnut's. In retrospect, I shouldn't have walked most the two miles between the establishments because, by the time I got there, the cold drizzle had turned into cold rain (my most hated of all weather types) and I was so grumpy and tired that I was ready to call it a night. However, it was absolutely worth it for a chance to try their Cap'n Crunch doughnut.

Pic stolen from this guy.

When I tried to go back on Saturday to get some more for my train ride, the line for Voodoo Doughnuts was out the door and down the block. While I don't think their regular glazed doughnuts are as good as Krispy Kreme's, everything else they make is head-and-shoulders above any other doughnut I've ever tried. Definitely check that place out if you're ever in Portland (or Oregon, even).

I must say, I really enjoyed everything about Portland except for the weather. Give me four feet of snow and a -30 degree windchill before cold rain any day (honestly, dampness makes me feel much colder). Aside from that, though, eating cheaply and well in one of the world's most sustainable cities was pretty awesome, especially considering how friendly and grounded most of the people were. I'll definitely visit Portland again next time I'm in the Pacific Northwest.

At 4:45pm on Saturday April 3rd, I began my 47 hour train ride from Portland, OR to Chicago, IL, but that's a story for my next post.