I got to hang out with Melissa yesterday which was such a treat — vintage fabric, cherry chocolate bread and a super cute kid are just an unbeatable combination — and then I rode the MAX downtown and walked around and it was just a very nice rainy gray Portland day.

So in honor of the Rose City and my love for it I thought I’d make an entirely subjective list of my favorite places and things:

Best place to check your e-mail in public: Palio
Best thrift store: Red White & Blue
Best place to spend fifteen minutes you didn’t know you had: the Orange Room at Powells
Best pie: Half + Half
Best place for a first kiss: Beulahland (hey, it worked for me!)
Best park: Laurelhurst
Best hotel: Hotel Lucia
Best dinner out: the Farm
Best coffee: Stumptown
Best library: Central
Best walking bridges: Hawthorne and Broadway (tie)
Best-looking bridge: St. Johns
Best bus line: 14
Best MAX line: red
Best cross-town walk: Southeast to Northwest
Best crepes and wine: Le Happy
Best place to get your hair done: 220 Salon
Best grocery store: New Seasons
Best charcoal tofu and green beans: Chino Saigon
Best one-stop crafty inforama: DIY Alert
Best cupcake: Bakery Bar
Best Oregon wine: Elk Cove Syrah
Best unexpectedly beautiful place: Union Station
Best place to take your in-laws: Bluehour