Powell’s City of Books
If you are heading downtown to Portland’s Pearl District you are going to have to stop at Powell’s City of Books, the city's landmark spot to get your read on! This well-known locally loved, the multi-leveled shop is Portland’s source for both new and used books, the largest bookstore of its sort in the entire world, actually. Powell’s occupies an entire city block along the busy streets of downtown, with over one million books lining the paper-filled walls. This is seriously a bibliophile's paradise, the entire establishment providing something for every interest imaginable, with over 9 total color-coded rooms and over 3,500 different interest sections!
Inside Powell’s City of Books you and your group are going to want to check out the ‘Hard to Find’ and ‘Out of Print’ sections, as well as the Rare Book Room, each individual spot filled with some of the most impressive, and rare, collections of autographed first editions and difficult to find collections. Be sure to check and see if there is a famous writer, author, lecturer, or thinker here while you are, with several weekly events and ‘celebrity drop-ins’ taking place here. Usually, these guests take the opportunity to read aloud in the Basil Hallward Gallery, seeing about 12-15 special guests each month.
Before you go be sure to take advantage of the Espresso Book Machine, in which you can find titles to books quickly, or even publish your own! There is also a convenient on-site Cafe if you need a quick drink or snack, and more great books, toys, and apparel over at the gift store!