Portland

Portland is the most self-consciously eccentric city in America — and it earns it. The cocktail scene is extraordinary. The food scene is extraordinary. The bookshop is the best in the world. And the doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnut are, Gerald will admit, genuinely excellent. Keep Portland Weird is not just a slogan. It's a civic philosophy.

THE BARS

Clyde Common in the Ace Hotel on SW Stark Street is the bar that put Portland on the cocktail map. Jeffrey Morgenthaler's programme — barrel-aged cocktails, house-made ingredients, and the definitive Amaretto Sour — pioneered techniques that are now standard in serious cocktail bars worldwide. The current programme continues in that spirit. For craft beer, Deschutes Brewery on NW Bond Street has the best tap room in Portland.

THE FOOD

Le Pigeon on E Burnside Street is the best restaurant in Portland — a small, noisy bistro serving French-influenced American cuisine with extraordinary technique. The foie gras profiterole is legendary. For something more casual, Pok Pok on SE Division Street serves Thai food that's better than anything you'll find outside of Thailand.

POWELL'S BOOKS

Powell's City of Books on W Burnside Street is the largest independent bookshop in the world — a full city block, four floors, over a million books. Gerald has spent entire afternoons here and never regretted it. The rare books room alone is worth the visit.

THE FOOD CARTS

Portland has over 500 food carts, organised into 'pods' across the city. The best pod is Cartopia on SE Hawthorne — open until 3am, with excellent Thai, Mexican, and American food. The Nong's Khao Man Gai cart on SW Alder Street serves one dish — poached chicken over rice with ginger sauce — and it's one of the best things Gerald has eaten in America.