wanderwhenyoucanOn the far side of fall, the rainy season has officially begun and the tress have grown skeletal. The bright burst of color of October is fading like a firework. November is also a bit of a lull in the Portland events calendar, between the spooky Halloween activities of October and the lights and holiday festivities of December. It’s a time to pull on your rainboots, put on a cozy sweater and enjoy a steaming cup of your favorite hot beverage.
Nerd Out With Other Book Lovers at the Portland Book Festival (Mid-November)
Held in and among the historic buildings and greenery of the Park Blocks every year in mid-November, the Portland Book Festival has author appearances, writing workshops, and book booths. In 2021, the Book Festival is a hybrid of virtual and in-person. The in-person ticket on Saturday the 13th also gets you free admission to the Portland Art Museum. There’s always a big-name headliner that requires a ticket purchased in advance. In past years that has included Malcolm Gladwell, Margaret Atwood, and Tom Hanks. Panelists and pop-up signings have included authors like Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Jenny Han (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), and Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me). Many of the panels are kept intimately small, so you may have to plan ahead and line up early (One year I was locked out of seeing young adult fan favorite Rainbow Rowell by the long line of preteen and teen girls ahead of me, but fortunately was able to see her on a different panel later in the evening). If you are like me and eventually get overwhelmed by the crowds, you can slip over to Behind the Museum Café or Caffe Umbria a few blocks over and refresh with a latte (and hopefully also a newly discovered book).
Get Hungry for Thanksgiving Dinner with a Turkey Trot Through the Zoo
A very popular (re: crowded) race, this 4-mile out and back course runs between the Oregon Zoo and the International Rose Gardens, finishing near the elephants inside the zoo. This is a great way to get out with the whole family and burn some energy before sitting down to a turkey (or tofurkey) dinner with all the fixings.
Watch The Giant Christmas Tree Be Lit Up
The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Pioneer Courthouse Square attracts over 25,000 people the day after Thanksgiving. Join in the sing along and listen to local bands and choirs. The ceremony is 5:30-6:30pm, so it ends just in time to grab dinner at one of the many nearby restaurants. Check out Shigezo for Japanese pub food, Southpark Seafood for locally sourced seafood, Habibi for traditional Lebanese cuisine, or Mucca Osteria for homemade pasta. You can also start your holiday shopping with a visit to Pioneer Courthouse Mall right near the Square.
Warm Up With a Hot Drink in a Cozy Coffeeshop
In Portland, you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from good coffee. Which means there are plenty of places to choose from to get your caffeine fix. Some of my favorites are Dragonfly Coffee off NW 23rd, Caffe Umbria on SW Broadway, 40 lbs Coffee bar on SW 2nd Ave, Barista on NE Alberta, and Nossa Familia on SE Division. =
Pro Tip: Many coffee shops are still doing take-out only due to COVID-19, so check ahead of time (on Google or the business’ Instagram page) to see if they are allowing dine-in.
Start Your Holiday Shopping By Buying Local
Get out of the rain and into one of Portland’s many small shops and boutiques. One of the best ways to do this is to pick a neighborhood and just wander around, popping into wherever catches your interest (Downtown Portland, the Alphabet District, Mississippi, the Alberta Arts District, and Hawthorne are great places to begin if you don’t know where to go). If you are downtown, popular stores for local goods include Made in Oregon in Pioneer Place, Crafty Wonderland on SW 10th, Tender Loving Empire also on SW 10th, and MadeHere PDX on NW 10th.
