Board Game Cafes, Bookstores, and Quiet Corners

Not every rainy day needs to be loud. For the quieter sort of afternoon, the Portland metro has a deep bench of board game cafes, independent bookstores, and comfortable corners to settle into with a book or a friend. Here's how to spend a wet day at an unhurried pace.

Board game cafes

Board game cafes let you rent a table, pick from a wall of games, and order food and drinks while you play. Staff are usually happy to teach a new game if the rules look intimidating. They're ideal for a small group on a rainy evening — book a table ahead on weekends, since the good ones fill up.

Independent bookstores

Portland is a bookstore city, and the metro's independents reward wandering. You'll find large shops with deep new-release shelves and small neighborhood stores with carefully chosen used titles. Many host author readings, book clubs, and quiet events worth checking. A bookstore plus a coffee shop next door is a perfectly good rainy afternoon.

Coffee shops and quiet corners

If you want to work or read, look for coffee shops with real seating and a low hum rather than a rush. Neighborhoods like Hawthorne, Alberta Arts, and the Pearl District have plenty of options within a few blocks of each other. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon are the calmest windows; weekend brunch hours are the loudest.

Libraries and reading rooms

Branch libraries are the original quiet corner — free, warm, and open to anyone. Larger branches have reading rooms, study tables, and comfy chairs where you can settle in for hours. They're also a good bet when you want to get out of the house without spending anything.

Make a slow day of it

Combine a bookstore browse, a coffee, and an hour or two at a game cafe and you've filled a gray day without rushing once. Keep it to one or two neighborhoods so you're not driving in the rain between stops. Downtown and the close-in east side make this easy to do on foot or with a short ride.

If you're thinking about moving to the Portland metro and want to land near the places you'll actually spend your weekends, Christian Ching is the local agent to ask.