Portland, OR

I just love Portland. LOVE it! I seem to like all of the town in the Northwest- Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary. When I walk around them, I think, "I could live here". But only if my entire family, including extended, moved there too of course. And maybe if it didn't rain so much.

I like the way Portland is set up. All of the buildings are short, and the sidewalks are brick and stone. There are tram/trolleys that run throughout the whole city. All of the stores are free standing, meaning there is not really a mall. If you want to go to Nordstrom, it is a separate building from Gap, Borders, and Saks. There is a great nightlife with lots of musicians, local beers, etc., and you can walk everywhere.

I met up with a friend from tour last year, Beth, and we had lunch the afternoon I got there. I found some awesome sales at Anthropologie. Don't you just love when something is on sale and you did not know it until the ring you up? A pair of $148 jeans was marked down to $99. I thought.... OK, I like them so I'll go for it. I go to pay, and they are $48!!! Whoopie! The greatest thing about Portland is that there is 0% sales tax, so what you see is what you pay. Think about how much this can save you on large purchases!

Off to Vancouver, and then Alaska- is this really my life right now??!! :)