The Through the Lens series offers insight to some of the best destinations in the world from the perspective of some of our favorite photographers.

Photographer Michael Raines has a habit of adding vibrancy and his share of quirk to the mundane. From pet portraits to out-of-this-world food photography for The New York Times, Willamette Week, and more, Raines' humor and color offer up a healthy dose of sunshine on any cloudy day.

Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, Raines lives in an area known for its gray. After growing up in the Portland, Oregon suburbs, he moved to the city proper in 2006. By moved Raines means sleeping on people’s couches and becoming his now-wife’s unofficial roommate until moving into a studio apartment together the following year. Since then, he's traveled up and down the West Coast, but officially landed back at home with his family a few years ago.

Raines says Portland has a never-ending supply of interesting people, subcultures, and communities. Given his eye for the obscure, he has a local gem or two up his sleeve at all times. From bulgogi sandwiches to river cruise mimosas, here's a look at Michael Raines' Portland, through the lens.

Best Morning Coffee

I like my coffee strong, black, unpretentious, and poured into a classic diner mug. If it comes with a plate of eggs, hash browns and bacon, that’s even better. For that, Fuller’s Coffee Shop is unrivaled. It’s been open since the 40s and is a Portland institution.

Best Cocktail

A gin martini at Clyde’s Prime Rib Restaurant and Bar.

Favorite Quick Bite

Only quick if you order ahead, but there’s nothing better than a Taste Tickler sandwich for lunch. The Spicy Bulgogi is my current fave.

Best Sunset

It’s not so much a sunset, or actual nature even, but there’s an airbrushed mural of a Portland cityscape with graffiti sprayed on the wall next to it that reads, “Dream$ Come True” on Candy’s Kwik Shop off 72nd, and that takes my breath away every time I drive by it.

Favorite Spot for a Night Out

Toss up between the above mentioned Clyde’s, or Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen.

Favorite Spot for a Show

Oh, I’m old and haven’t been to a show for quite some time. I will say, a certain publication did give me an assignment to photograph a house show at Archie’s Bunker a while back and I had a blast.

Best People Watching

The Fred Meyer parking lot down the street from my house is its own universe and always delivers with strange situations and eclectic people. I once saw a man attempting to drive his old beat-up truck AND play a video game with a Meta VR headset on.

I also witnessed a car crash between a Hummer and a Honda Fit—two very differently sized vehicles. The two drivers jumped out of the vehicles and started yelling at each other. The person in the Hummer was noticeably shorter than the Fit driver, who was shockingly tall. That honestly wasn’t even the strange part though. What was noteworthy was as I watched the fight, I looked down and saw that I was joined by a family of squirrels also watching. One of the squirrels looked up at me and flashed a look that felt like it was saying “What’s wrong with these people?”

Guilty Pleasure or Favorite Tourist Trap

I hesitate to call it a guilty pleasure, because I don’t feel guilty loving it, but the Portland Spirit Cruise, especially for brunch, seems to attract tourists mostly in their later years, and it’s a joy. Last time I went, the pianist was covering Bjork as I sipped on my mimosa.