Our second day in Portland started off with some vegan pastries, fruit, and strong coffee, courtesy of our B&B. We hung out in the large living room, planning our day.

We decided to go to the Pearl District, located in northwest Portland and across the Willamette River—another artsy area, full of shops and restaurants. I had already decided where we were going to have lunch on our second day, Los Gorditos Mexican Restaurant, which has a whole separate vegan menu! The place was very casual and very busy—the line went right out the door. Behind the counter was a woman making homemade tortillas, which were as delicious as taco shells. I had three tacos, the Soyrizo, the tofu, and the rice and avocado. All were tasty, and each taco was only $2. Check out the vegan menu at the link above—it’s huge.

Next we went to Powell’s Books, claiming to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. It occupies a full city block and is four stories tall. The floors are even color-coded so that you don’t get lost. It has a whole section of animal rights books and is a great place to spend an afternoon.

Downtown Portland, which is about five minutes from the Pearl District, was where we headed next. The first thing that we saw was a city block full of food trucks. I had heard that Portland was big on food trucks, but I hadn’t realized just how big. They are everywhere in the city, not just downtown, and they all had lines. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any fully vegan trucks, but there were plenty of vegan options at many of them. Mississippi Avenue in northeast Portland has a food court with two all-vegan food trucks, Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ and Native Bowl.

Downtown Portland is beautiful, with big trees and bronze animal sculptures all around town. It’s a bustling city, and its blocks are lined with big-name stores and coffee houses. It’s also a great place to walk and people-watch.

We planned to eat dinner at Portobello and figured that since it was a Thursday night at 6 p.m., we wouldn’t need reservations. Wrong! The food on some of the tables looked delicious, and we will definitely plan to eat there on our next trip to Portland. Be sure to make your reservations in advance at this very popular restaurant.

We decided to go back to Alberta Street, where I had seen Vita Cafe, a very vegan-friendly establishment. All of its desserts, for instance, are vegan. The café was homey and comfortable—another great local hangout. Its specialty is a tofu vegetable noodle bowl, which we ordered with a big salad and a side of fresh-cut fries. Delish!

Stay tuned for more Portland adventures from days three and four of our trip.