Chinese Tea Garden
Our first stop of the day was the Chinese Tea Garden, and it was a short walk from our Airbnb.
Walking to the tea garden
It was very refreshing and nice to get a change of scenery from downtown Portland, even though we had only been there for one day. The garden was very aesthetically pleasing and relaxing.
When entering, we were presented with the option of following a tour, our guiding ourselves. We first went with the latter, and tried to follow the tour, and I found the guide to be very passionate about her job.
Tea garden entrance
Pamphlet
Tea garden
Tea garden
Tea garden
Tea garden
Tea garden
There was a mystery tea tasting going on, which I participated in and won an iced tea.
Tea tasting
The garden was fragrant, and the lilies in the koi pond were blooming.
Tea garden
All the flowers and plants were very fragrant, which I enjoyed.
Flowers
It was certainly nice to have a change of scenery, and I'm very glad we decided to go here. We were visiting the Japanese tea garden the next day, so we were able to compare the two gardens.
Voodoo Doughnuts
Before I even talk about Voodoo Doughnuts, I should mention that this is not the place to visit in Portland for the best doughnut, however it is still an experience.
It's a very touristy spot, and local friends recommend not visiting the main store, and instead going to the smaller one, which is less crowded, and less touristy. When we arrived, there was a line stretching out the door and around the block.
Voodoo Doughnuts
The place itself is very eclectic. My apologies for not taking more photos, there were just too many people confined in the space.
Just browsing the doughnuts gave me a toothache, and a lot of the pastries are far too sweet for their own good. I got a raised glazed doughnut, considering I hadn't yet eaten lunch. It cost me a mere $0.95.
Voodoo Doughnuts Menu
The doughnut itself was fairly good, but nothing I couldn't get at Krispy Kreme or Randy's in LA. Most of the visit to Voodoo Doughnuts is the experience, and it's worth seeing a shop that truly encapsulates the "Keep Portland Weird" movement.
Powell's City of Books
I'm not quite sure how to introduce Powell's as part of this trip report. It is an enormous bookstore, occupying three floors of an entire block. Needless to say, it is not for the indecisive. This visit was our second pilgrimage, and we went every day we were in Portland!
Powell's City of Books Exterior
There are two entrances, one on Couch Street, and one on Burnside. On. Both sides there are "lobbies", with info desks, cashiers, and featured book sections. The bookstore is organized by different colors of rooms, and each one corresponds with several subjects. The first floor has the two lobbies, and two colors. There is an intermediate level between floor one and two, which has even more books. And then there's still the second and third floor.
During our second visit, we visited the rare books room, which has old and historic books, most of which can be bought by the public. This room closes at 7pm, and it's worth noting that the bookstore itself closes at 11pm.
Rare book room
Rare book room
Rare book room
The room also featured the full Oxford English Dictionary, which was for sale.
Every word in the English language
The bookstore was a thrill to visit, and while some hardcover titles are priced as expected
, there are gem paperbacks that are heavily discounted ^. The store carries new, remaindered, and used books. The employees are friendly and helpful as well, and help navigate this massive bookstore.
Bollywood Theater
For dinner, we decided to drive to the Bollywood Theater on Division, which had been recommended to us by a friend. Bollywood is a fast-casual Indian restaurant, although when we arrived, a slow line wrapped out the door. Eventually we ordered our food and sat down. We decided to order a couple dishes and share them family-style. The price points here are wonderfully low, and for six (!) dishes, including a meat vindaloo (not pictured), our bill was only $60.
First arrived to the table was the fried okra and papri chaat.
Fried Okra and Papri Chaat
The papri chaat was fantastic, and the okra were good, but would have been better if they were hotter. Next came the beets and vindaloo. We also ordered a Kati roll, which isn't pictured. The beets were delicious and were roasted with coconut milk, so they had a cooling effect. The vindaloo was very well spiced and the heat snuck up on us as we ate it. It was fantastic. The Kati roll was also very good, although very juicy, which I guess isn't a bad thing, although it exploded all over my shirt ^.
Beets with Coconut Milk and Curry Leaves
Vindaloo (no pictures before we ate it, this is in the to go container for breakfast the next morning 
)
The meal was well paced and the perfect amount for two people. Although once it settled, we were walking down Division to go eat more food!
Salt and Straw on Division
Following our divine dinner at Bollywood, we decided to walk several blocks up Division to Salt and Straw, an ice cream sot we had first seen when we went to Ava Gene's the previous night. The line was out the door, and it was rather slow. One thing worth noting: the line is for scoop customers only. One can skip the line and just buy a pint, which is what we eventually did. We settled on Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache. The place is known for their funky flavors, which are subject to change.
Ice Cream Pints
Ice Cream Pints
The ice cream was very good, if not a little too sweet. After our long day out, we piled back into the car and drove back over to the west side. It's worth noting that Division and the east side appear to be home to a lot more highly rated restaurants than the west side.