For people who don’t like to eat in restaurants, the In-Laws sure did enjoy the breakfast buffets at the Embassy Suites. I on the other had other things in mind. And though several people mentioned that the location of the Embassy Suites in Downtown Portland was right on the "edge" of the more "scary" part of Downtown Portland, we had no problems. In fact I loved that we were just a block away from two of my favorite places in Portland.
The first being Voodoo Doughnuts.
This small and dark little doughnut shop with the edgy-punk look makes up some pretty good doughnuts.
And though there are many "fun" and offbeat names….stuff like the "Triple Chocolate Penetration", the "Arnold Palmer", and the ah..ahem, "Cock-n-Balls", being the unhip and boring Guy that I am…I just order the Old Fashioned Glazed. Now the Missus needs to undergo some serious Krispy Kreme deprogramming, She found the doughnut too light and fluffy, and gasp"…. old fashioned", but not so bad that She was able to hold off taking a bite until I took a photo.
As you can see it is good stuff! Reminds me of the doughnuts we used to get at this little renegade doughnut shop in Honolulu Chinatown. The shop located in a tiny doorway would only open from midnight to about 6 am, and made some great doughnuts.
Voodoo Doughnut
22 Sw 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
It was my plan to take my doughnut down the street and grab a cup o’ joe from my favorite coffee shop in Portland(the doughnut never made it):
Now from what I understand Stumptown hand roasts all their own coffee beans in small batches. Just watching the Baristas hard at work, you can tell they’re pros.
And though the crew is rather "detached" and the room cavernous(better for the afternoon DJ, I guess) and loud. The coffee is always rich and smooth. All three cups I had there were excellent. The Missus even thought the coffee was "too smooth", and lacked character….sounds like She needs some Starbucks deprogramming as well!
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
128 Sw 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
After breakfast we met up and walked the 2-3 blocks to the Portland Saturday Market, which I’ve posted on before , so I thought I’d just do a few photos.
Now the In-Laws are not big on lunch, so I managed to sneak in a "snack" from this booth:
I ordered some Pierogies($4.75). You know me and dumplings! A friend’s Mom used to always make us fresh pierogies when she visited, and boy did I love them! These however, were not that good.
The toppings were much better than the pierogies. The potatoes were really dry. But still this was 
more than enough carbs to keep me going.
You see, the day was just beginning. With the help of FOY ("friend of yoso") Guilty Carnivore(thanks, man!), I was able to plan our day to the last detail. Some timing was involved, you see, even though the Max Light Rail ran every few minutes to Washington Park, the Washington Park Shuttle wasn’t beginning service until later in the month. So we had to coordinate our arrival with Route 63, or wait up to an hour between buses. As it happened we did well, and made to our destination…..first
The International Rose Test Garden.
And though we were a bit early in the season, and many of the roses weren’t in bloom, we still enjoyed the beauty of it all.
We also made time for the Portland Japanese Garden which is right across the street, also worth a visit.
I was surprised at how the photos turned out from my little ultracompact camera……
We managed to catch the Bus back to downtown and after getting the In-Laws settled and a short break went out for dinner……
To Be Continued!