Whether or not you’re an avid reader, Powell’s City of Books is worth checking out. Four floors high, it occupies a square city block; in fact, this bookstore is so large that exploring it actually requires a map.
While you wander through the stacks, keep in mind that you are tracing the footsteps of great writers, many of whom – like Ursula K. Le Guin and Neil Gaiman – have scrawled their signatures on the building’s pillars. You might also schedule your visit to coincide with a reading, as the book shop hosts events nearly every day totaling more than 500 author visits a year.
Book lovers who visit Portland call Powell’s a bookworm’s utopia that surpasses expectations. Many love the color-coded sections for each genre and say the staff is knowledgeable and polite. Others mentioned they loved getting a coffee at the shop’s cafe, Guilder (a “Princess Bride” reference).