Powell's Books, Portland

Powell's Books offers the sort of bookstore experience a lover of bookstores hopes to find, what with the excellent selection, informed staff and good history as a community business that concerns itself with the business of the community. Cheers!

For book lovers, Powell's is one of the best experiences around. It is laid out in a crazy pattern, but it is well-labeled, so you can decide whether to march to your favorite section or wander aimlessly. I'd recommend a little of both. Prices (coming from the SF Bay Area) are very reasonable and even better considering there is no sales tax. We bought dozens of books, then spilled them out on the big tables in the coffee shop and browsed through them. No trip to Portland should skip Powell's - it's almost worth the trip all by itself.

If you love books of any kind, sitting in a cafe, or unusually large stores, this is the place for you. For being a free stop on a trip, it's definitely worth it. I've been to Powell's multiple times, and have always enjoyed looking through the various rooms of books. I'll admit, from the outside, Powell's doesn't look like much. In fact, it doesn't even look that big. However, once you're inside, you find out why the rooms are color-coordinated, and a number of maps can be found all around the store. I would give this store a minimum of 1 hour to look through (unless you really just don't like books...in which case, why go at all?) However, I've easily spent multiple hours here. The best part is, if not everyone in your group likes books, there are tons of other stores within easy walking distance, as well as restaurants, so this store could also serve as a meet-up point while people are looking inside of it.