Powell's City of Books, Portland

This was the biggest bookstore I've ever been in and the layout was a bit confusing at first, but we figured it out in a couple minutes and its very cleverly done. Reasonable prices across the books, and there's an information desk in every room, which said rooms are color coded for their genres. I'm an in and out guy with crowds but I spent a few hours in there exploring, despite every dang aisle having 3 or more people down it, and a human river in the main walkways. They have a small cafe on premise, with a whole room dedicated to the Cafe itself, tables, and chairs. I was just visiting Portland but if I ever go back, I'm definitely stopping here again. Fantastic selection, great prices, decent food, and excellent service.

The legendary Powell's is always a treat to visit. Parking is bad (if only I could get more than 2 hours on the street), but the trip is worth it. Indy bookstores are a dying breed, but this is such an institution. All my chums abroad and on the East coast even know about it. It has changed so much in the past 20 years, I barely recognize it. I remember studying in the old coffee room that had aprons all over the walls. The entire floor plan has changed. As far as sale books, there are plenty. They group books nicely as well when they want to promote certain genres or types of books. My favorite aisles are well-stocked with old and new titles (sociology, philosophy, business, history, etc). Also, I appreciate the author lectures. I've met some interesting authors and people in the crowd. This is one reason why Portland is such a great city. We're readers that have places like this!