• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The windowfront at More displays local artist works, left, and Patrick Corrigan's show, right, "Detached Sentiments" at Space Gallery.    (Photo: Maria Alexandra Vettese; Courtesy of the SPACE-gallery)

Discover Portland’s burgeoning design scene, starting with the cotton and wool rugs (also sold at Design Within Reach), modish tableware, handbags, and furniture by Sherwood Hamill at Angela Adams (273 Congress St.; 800-255-9454). A few blocks away, Field peddles furniture and the interior paint jobs customized for your home. Next door at More, peruse whimsical letterpress and photography by Maria Alexandra Vettese and seventies-inspired works by artist and graphic designer Christopher David Ryan.

The nonprofit alternative-arts venue Space anchors Portland’s underground arts scene with gallery shows, indie-rock concerts, and art-film screenings. New York photographer and Paper and Vice contributor Tod Seelie shows there through November 19.

Old Portland has several specialty stores worth visiting. Appraiser Don Lindgren and his wife, a former pastry chef, run the culinary bookstore Rabelais. Rogues Gallery sells edgy vintage T-shirts with old-timey typefaces, skulls, and nautical themes. Around the corner, sniff hand mixes, organic perfume oils, and sprays at 2 Note Botanical Perfumery. Sonata, a blend of French lavender, sandalwood, and black pepper, is the most intriguingly layered.

Published on Oct 15, 2008 as a web exclusive.