Our Adventure in Portland

Eric and I love our date nights ... Like seriously, we love them!

But sometimes it just seems like a lot of effort to plan one, get a sitter, etc.

However, we know we need to make sure they happen, so we have plopped them on the calendar and are trading off who plans. And this is definitely working!

Tonight, it was Eric's turn to plan. He always does such a good job of making sure the date is tailored to what I love! He knows I love a fun activity (I like the idea of going into Portland - not sure why, haha), a walk, and dinner.

So, for tonight's date, he surprised me by taking me to Voodoo Doughnut. It's supposed to be a major attraction in Portland, but neither of us has ever gone. We parked the car and headed to the shop. We'd heard the line is usually around the block, but we must have chosen the exact right time because there were only 3 people ahead of us! Score! The establishment is ... intense. Something to be aware of - intense as in death metal music and gothic pictures lining the walls.

 We ordered our donuts - the classic maple bacon and one with chocolate and peanut butter. When we headed outside to eat them, we opted to go for a walk and find a different location. The smell of smoke was pretty heavy. We started walking toward our next activity (Eric had selected an arcade he was going to surprise me with) and found the smell of smoke only getting heavier and the contents of that smoke changing. We also found ourselves being stared at. We were wearing our nice date night clothes, I had my designer purse, and this was definitely not a nicer area of town. We quickly grew uncomfortable and knowing the walk back to the car after the arcade would take place after dark, we scrapped the arcade idea and started heading back. We were followed by no less than three people. Dodging into shadows and stopping the instant we'd notice them. Two of them gave up after a bit, but one followed us all the way to our car. We quickly got in as he stepped out of the shadow of a large doorway, glaring as we drove away. 

We went 4 blocks further and the entire atmosphere changed! It was so sudden it was shocking. We parked and walked in to Powell's Book Store to finally eat our donuts. We hadn't been back there in quite some time... it is one of the places we went the night Eric proposed and I love it!

We found a secluded area to eat our donuts and then wandered through the books until it was time to leave for dinner.

 It was a much nicer walk as we headed toward dinner. I'm always amazed at how tall some buildings in Portland are. I pointed out one that was coming up and told Eric how wonderful I thought the view would be from up there - and how lucky the people who work there must be!

Well, we rounded the corner and headed straight into that building! Our restaurant, The Portland Grill, is on the 30th floor! So, I actually got to experience that view, and boy is it gorgeous!

Eric does such a great job planning dates he knows I'll love. I don't know how I'll top this when it's my turn to plan in 2 weeks!