Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Portland, and its surrounding metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Powell's City of Books is located in the Pearl District on the edge of downtown and occupies a full city block. It contains over 68,000 square feet (6,300 m2) of retail floor space. The inventory for its retail and online sales is over four million new, used, rare, and out-of-print books. Powell's buys around 3,000 used books a day.

The Portland Building, completed in 1982, was the first major postmodern structure in the United States – a rejection of the modernist style that dominated the architectural shape of the city's office buildings. This whimsical office tower was designed to represent the Northwest with an American Indian motif, making extensive use of turquoise and earth tones. It is, in fact, a good example of a government building that in no way looks as such.

Above the front entrance to the building kneels Raymond Kaskey's 'Portlandia', the second-largest hammered-copper statue in the world after the Statue of Liberty. Based on the city seal, the 34-ft-high lady's entrance into the city (1985) was a popular and grand affair, with residents cheering her on along the route.

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For a nearly eye-level view of the sculpture, take the escalator at the front of the Standard Plaza Building up to the landing.

In recent years, food carts have become an essential part of the Portland "brand", merging the city's distinctive, do-it-yourself character with its local passion for good food at a good price. These no-frills, mobile food purveyors park in clusters (or "pods") in different neighborhoods all over the city. One of the more established spots on 3rd Avenue has been affectionately dubbed Gyro District owing to the multitude of Middle-Eastern carts serving gyros, shawarma, and hummus platters. Sprinkled among them are, more recently, a few carts that offer a welcome sense of variety: try the steamy 'bao buns' (pockets of dough with fillings like chicken curry and pork in gravy) or the dumplings and wonton soup for some truly authentic Chinese food.

Notably also, the 3rd Avenue Pod includes the popular DC Vegetarian, known for its vegan and vegetarian burgers and sandwiches, as well as carts offering cuisine from Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt and Mexico. Once you've got your meal, stroll to Waterfront Park and pull up a bench (or spot of grass) - instant picnic!

Serving as the official entrance to Portland's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, this 38-ft (12 m) tall "paifang" made of bronze, marble, granite, wood, tile, and steel features eye-catching depictions of 78 dragons and 58 mythical characters. As tradition requires, one bronze lion is male and the other is female (representing yin and yang), while the Chinese letters on the front and back read "Portland Chinatown" and "Four Seas, One Family", respectively.

The gate was proposed by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in 1984, who've designated Taiwanese architects and artists to complete its design before having it shipped to Portland and presented to the City of Portland as "gesture of goodwill from the Chinese community". The gate cost $256,000 and was the largest of its kind in the United States until one in Washington, D.C. was completed several months later.

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Among other main attractions in Old Town Chinatown are the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the Portland Saturday Market; the Shanghai tunnels, where people used to be kidnapped, smuggled, and sold as slaves; the Skidmore Fountain and the very famous Voodoo Doughnut. If you are in the mood for dancing, here you will find some of the city's best night clubs also.

Complete your Chinatown visit with a stop at this remarkably authentic classical Chinese garden, designed to be appreciated in any kind of weather. You'll feel like you have stepped off a boat in ancient Suzhou, the coastal Chinese city where the entire garden was designed, packed up, and exported to be reassembled here in 2001. Different "rooms" and areas are dedicated to different types of botanicals, complete with koi-filled ponds, small buildings and shaded places to sit. Everything is placed conveniently along a path so you can just walk freely and easily find each area without a map.

Why You Should Visit:
To relax by the various secluded areas of meditation and reduce the pressures of the day or week. A slow pace will open the mind and heart to peace and clarity, while at the same time teaching you a little about traditional Chinese culture.

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Don't miss the wonderful range of teas on offer, when you need some refreshment. A two-story, 50-seat teahouse in the lakeside Tower of Cosmic Reflections offers a nice contemplative spot to watch the light change over the plantings, Lake Zither, and the array of classical Chinese pavilions and walkways. Live traditional music is frequently played inside for visitors to resonate with slowly plucked-string sounds while enjoying their tea, sweets, and light snacks.

The Pearl District is an area of Portland, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. It now mostly consists of high-rise condominiums and warehouse-to-loft conversions.

The area is home to several Portland icons, including Powell's City of Books. Art galleries and institutions (many who stage monthly receptions), boutiques, and restaurants abound, and there are also a number of small clubs and bars.

The district includes most of the historic North Park Blocks (1869), as well as two public plazas: Jamison Square is built around a fountain which simulates a tidal pool that is periodically filled by artificial waterfalls and then drained into grating and Tanner Springs Park, which is a re-created natural area featuring wetlands, a walking trail, and creek.