Fell in love with Portlandia - 6 reasons why

I had heard it was the capital of hispter and yes i admit that i have a faible for anything hipsters.

Surprisingly, I fell in love with Portland for so many different reasons, not hispter or dream of the 90s related.

Here is a mini guide to falling in love with this magical town (its too cute to call it a city).

#1 - Lebanese restaurants and trucks everywhere. Found 5 Lebanese restaurants within 1 mile radius. in portlandia yes. One of the few places that understands the difference between Turkish, greek, Lebanese and gets that middle eastern term applies to politics only. My favorite is Nicholas family owned and worth the wait. You can also check out habibi that has a great selection of Lebanese wines.

#2 - Books, books, books. Walking into Starbucks i saw more people with books than laptops or phones. Spending a day at a bookstore is the most rewarding thing i have done in a while. I bought 6 books, and read all of them the last time i was here. Obviously you know where to go: Powells. Apparently you could get print on demand books over there.

#3- Sweet and lovely locals. It feels like everyone works at a Four Seasons. Excellent customer service across board. Wether at a coffee shop, at a retail store or even cab drivers. Portlanders seem to genuinely care about your happiness. One of the best service I received was at the best coffee maker Stumptown. I am not near a coffee connoisseur but i can tell you it was flavorful.

#4- Relaxed environment. The city moves in a harmony. Nobody is in a rush, yet people seem to get their stuff done. While my manicure took longer than normal, my nails looked fabulous.

#5- So much to do in such a small town. My favorites are the Japanese gardens, 5-10 min from the downtown, Chinese gardens, the wine country and Strip Clubs. yes, you heard right. Known for the highest strip clubs per capita, my friend dragged me to a few. oh my how eccentric some are. My favorite was Sassy. The strippers were hipsterish, one even used hipster glasses as part of her act.

#6- the cocktails. I could not get enough of these eclectic magical potions. Check out rum club, whiskey soda lounge, olympic provisions (also great spot for meat lovers), ron toms a great music venue as well, but basically almost everywhere you go.