okay, so this isn’t a san diego thing, but it’s new to me. and i think i want to set up camp here and never come back. powell’s is portland institution. it is literally a city block, four stories and what feels like a whole world full of books. you need a map to get around. no joke, i think i got lost even with the sweet drawings of the blue room and how to get into the rose room from there and what was even in the rose room that i wanted to see… used, new, classic, modern, they are all found here. there are tschochkes (knick-knacks for the uninformed about the greatness that is the word: tschochke) for book lovers, comic lovers, beer lovers, coffee lovers, travelers, writers, kids, old people, foreigners… etc, etc. the list goes on but the reality of it is if you can’t find it in powell’s (or at one of their many outposts or through their crazy networks online) then it might just possibly not exist. we only got to stop through portland on our way to make our plane, so unfortunately i didn’t get to sit down here and dive into a book. but let me tell you that you would have to live in portland and go here every day and possibly, maybe then, you might get sick of it. but i don’t think i could. i heart books, book clubs, book discussions, reviews, referrals… i’m getting wordy here, but i seriously love this place. if you love books and are in portland, do not miss this store. it’s a little piece of heaven, seriously.

in the summer, there is NOTHING better than bbq, beach, beer and a great book. that’s on my summer to-do list.

p.s. if you’ve ever bought used books, you may have purchased one from powell’s. yes, they are that awesome and global. if you find out that one of your own has come from this place, hold it tight and see if it doesn’t give you some powell’s love.

p.p.s. i have a lot of new things that i’ve done. i’m just a bad blogger. look for more to come!