Portland

I went to Portland on Saturday for a much-needed boutique shopping adventure. First stop was the Historic Mississippi District, which I had never been to before, and just might be the closest I will ever get to experiencing the real South. I can't help but wonder which came first: the laid-back, slow-paced Southern vibe, or the name of the district itself? There is a good four- or five-block stretch of really fantastic, eclectic shops and Southern-style restaurants. Even our waitress at lunch had a Southern accent. The humid, 70-degree weather might have also played a role (amazing!).

My favorite shop was Flutter, which was every bit as good as all the things I have recently read about it. I want to live in Flutter. This shop is darn near the top of my list of all-time favorite shops... ever. It's sort of like a smaller, weirder version of Anthropologie with more vintage finds and a whole lot of taxidermy. I especially loved their use of color, their quirky chandeliers (check out that moss one above), and the Chinoiserie undertone of it all; it was right up my alley. I went into this store three separate times in 1.5 hours because I just had to buy something, but not everything, as a momento of this glorious Oregonian moment. It was rough.


A few blocks away we stumbled upon this tiny neighborhood on Alberta Street. Dora and Mabel (pictured above) being my favorite shop with super cute clothes and a super nice sales chick. I love that ostrich Coffee House sign.

We ended our day at Pambiche, a colorful restaurant serving authentic Cuban cuisine like back in the pre-Castro days when they had access to ingredients to flavor food with, like spices. Health inspectors must look the other way here as the tables are packed in like sardines, which is awesome if you like to listen in on other people's conversations. I really recommend this place if you are heading to the Portland area.

I left feeling totally wiped out physically, yet refreshed in spirit. I gained enough inspiration to last me another couple weeks or so. I've even got a secret project underway. More on that later. ;)