Portland, Oregon is an amazing city. It's the cleanest most environmentally friendly place on earth. The neighborhoods are brim with quaint ideas of how to incorporate art and eco-friendly idealism into a true cooperative living environment.
One of the many local places I visited, Voodoo Doughnuts, has originality and coolness awards that keep justifying Portland as the quintessential James Dean of American cities.
The line to simply get into Voodoo Doughnuts is roughly forty-five minutes on a mid-February Sunday afternoon at about 2:00 p.m. The atmosphere is very positive, its forty degrees and overcast (for a change). There are other local businesses close by, with a great view of the "Keep Portland Weird" sign across the street.
Most of the local businesses here in Portland partner or cooperate with non-profit organizations to donate to charitable causes. That seems to be the growing trend among businesses in general. Giving back to the community that supports them gets a business on the map these days.
Once you have entered the glass double doors of the Voodoo Doughnuts store, you have entered doughnut paradise. The aroma of the cooking fried dough and icing and sweet stuff that tops the majestic cakes only enhances your anticipation. These magical, mythical cakes are works of art in and of themselves. They sport toppings of cookie pieces, m and m's, cake pieces, candy, icing, and many other delectable treats that only make the experience more sensual.
I love chocolate, I get the double chocolate cake doughnut with coconut flakes. But, it's a hard sell with so many other options available. I can't really stand there all day with one hundred people waiting in line behind me. The prices are really competitive too, but they only take cash so be warned.
They are also open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, only closing on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Check the website at voodoodoughnut.com
Voodoo Doughnuts supports Urban Opportunities which is a non-profit organization that serves the at-risk youth in the community. They provide a service to help the at-risk youths find careers and employment opportunities. More information is available at impactnw.org
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