On a recent trip to the West Coast for a friend’s wedding I had the opportunity to spend the day in Portland, OR. Wanting to experience as much of the city as possible, but also needing to be thrifty, I scoured the internet for ideas. I think I did pretty well! If you have 6 hours to kill in Portland here are some suggestions:

I started my day off visiting the National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother. Also known as the Grotto, this is a 62-acre Catholic shrine and botanical garden. Located within minutes of downtown Portland and the Portland International Airport, the Grotto is absolutely beautiful and tranquil. As a born-and-raised Catholic I’ve always been fascinated with churches and as a practicing yogi I will forever be in search of beautiful places in nature. I highly recommend visiting just for the peacefulness of the surroundings – and, if you are so inclined, mass is held at noon every weekday! Street Address: 8840 NE Skidmore Street, Portland, OR 97220. Website: www.thegrotto.org.

Powell’s Books is an institution taking up an entire city block in downtown Portland. A book lover's dream, Powell's is filled with any and every book you can imagine. Especially impressive is the organization of the titles and the selection of used, new, paperback, and hardback books. Since I was flying in and out of Portland I had decided prior to my visit to not buy any books. But when I saw a used copy of "The Painted Bird" by Jerzy Kosinski for four dollars I couldn’t resist...eight books later I was ready to go! If you do visit make a trip up to the third floor to see the rare books section, which includes rare, limited and first editions of a number of literary classics. My personal favorite: a copy of Hemingway’s House of Seven Gables handmade by Virginia Woolf for her nephew – she hand wrote the title onto the spine of the book! Street Address: 1005 W Burnside, Portland, OR 97209. Website: www.powells.com.

After reading Aurelia Scott’s “Otherwise Normal People: Inside the Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening” I developed an affection for the laborers of roses. Imagine my delight to learn that Portland is also known as the City of Roses! The International Rose Test Garden was started in 1917 as a means for testing new rose hybrids. Rose growers from around the world send new rose species to Portland and the city of Portland annually awards the “Gold Medal” to the year’s best hybrid. Set upon a hill, the Rose Gardens overlook the city of Portland from the west. The garden is beautifully well kept and there are as many different colored roses as a 64-count Crayola box. Street Address: 850 SW Rose Garden Way, Portland, OR 97205. Website: http://www.rosegardenstore.org/thegardens.cfm.