16 November 2009

Writers' Day Out

I spent yesterday riding the rails to Portland and back with some writer friends. We secured ourselves a table both southbound and northbound, and so were able to spend the better part of 6+ hours just writing, writing, writing while the train whisked us to our destinations.

Once in Portland, first thing to do was have brunch/lunch, so we made our way to Mother's Bistro where the wait was long but the food was oh so good! When a place is jam packed with locals, you know it must be good.

No trip to the City of Roses would be complete without stopping at VooDoo Doughnut for a bacon maple bar. Fortunately, we happened to hit there between rushes, so our wait was not too long and the bacon maple bars were still ample. (They often run out as it is a particularly popular item, and rightly so!)

Then it was time for our pilgrimage to Mecca, i.e. Powell's Books. Set four avid readers/writers loose in Powell's and just get out of the way. It's the only safe choice. ;) After checking our computer bags and our donuts, we set to work scouring the city-block-sized building for all the best bookish treasures one could hope for.

Then we stopped for a pint in a quiet, lovely pub--I believe it was called The Fox and Hounds--near the train station, and back we went northbound, computers out, fingers flying over the keyboards as the train took us home once more.

Even more than being a wonderful chance to buckle down and write like a fiend with very few distractions, it was wonderful to have a day out with great friends in a fun city. It's hard to beat that sort of weekend adventure. :)

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