An Ode to the City of Portland

[loseyourname]

I'd like to dedicate a special tribute to the city and to all of the posters here who live in the city of Portland, Oregon. I spend a couple of days up there recently to visit some colleges and had a great time. I love the gloomy weather (seriously, I hate heat), didn't mind the rain at all, and found the scenery and air quality to be quite an upgrade from the LA area. I like the small city blocks and all the brewpubs, too. And one last thing - the system used to pay for curbside parking is brilliant. I've always thought that meters were very unfair in that you couldn't take the extra minutes with you, and lo and behold, along comes a city where you can take them with you. Kudos to the city planners.

 

[loseyourname]

One little caveat, though. I highly doubt that Powel's City of Books is the largest bookstore in the country. The Strand in New York certainly seemed a great deal larger.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Having grown up in LA I too can really appreciate the beauty of Portland. In fact Portland is internationally renowned for its growth management and is considered a model city. One of the key features of this is that the city does not continually annex new property. This helps to keep the money in the city center rather that distributing the wealth over a larger geographic area.

I’d say the biggest failure has been in the road systems. We have many areas in real trouble already with no end in sight. Still, on a clear night, the view of the city is absolutely spectacular – with the rivers, boats, bridges, river front areas, and the city skyline.

Btw, the view of downtown Long Beach from the Queen Mary is quite spectacular as well. That used to be a really bad area. I remember when all of those high end coffee shops and restaurants were tattoo parlors and liquor stores.
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[Ivan Seeking]

One little caveat, though. I highly doubt that Powel's City of Books is the largest bookstore in the country

Did they say this country?

 

[Zantra]

A visit to ANY OTHER city outside of LA will help you to appreciate the better air quality;).

Oh, and in regards to long beach, I keep hearing it's going through a revitalization phase. Last affordable beach city, lots of improvements being made.. good real estate investment-if you can afford it.

 

[Gokul43201]

Did they say this country?

Yeah, I'm shocked they don't call it the "Biggest bookstore in this Universe" !

Ivan, where do you get off calling tattoo parlors and liquor stores 'bad', huh ? :tongue:

 

[Kerrie]

Portland is where I live too It has been my home for 17 years now. Powell's bookstore certainly blows most bookstores to shreds! As for the gloomy weather, we really don't have it that bad, matter of fact we are so "known" for it, but the Puget Sound area (Seattle) has it much worse then we do! Oregon has become a place where many have flocked to in recent years, I just hope the housing stays affordable in the Portland area come my time to finally purchase my own home. :shy:

Another great thing about living in Portland, is you can drive no more then 2 hours and you will see waterfalls, volcanoes (we have the most in the continental US, Alaska has more), canyons, temperate rainforests, lava formations, and of course the beautiful beach where gray whales will migrate through. Portland is a liberal city, with it's flock of local artisans (Saturday Market is their dwelling come the weekends), and nearly every weekend in the summer Waterfront Park will host some kind of public event. This last weekend it was Flugtag, which I enjoyed immensely. Just for you loseyourname, the third weekend in July is the Oregon Brewer's Festival, where you can "sample" many different types of beer. At one point in time, I believe Oregon had the highest output of beer next to Germany!

A little over 5 years ago, I moved from Portland to Phoenix Arizona for a "change", and a year later I turned back for home and decided to never leave again. I had no appreciation for what a great city Portland is, or how great Oregon is until I left.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

In all fairness I really should add this. I have a friend who has traveled throughout China and Indonesia, the Middle East, deepest darkest Africa, he has even canoed down miles and miles of remote African rives and stayed with semi primitive tribes. According to him [and most people that I know], Portland is the most difficult place to navigate on earth. Driving in some areas of the downtown is a nightmare for the unacquainted. I even know people who grew up in Portland that can still get lost at times.

Edit: Of course it gets tough to build roads when you keep running into rivers and hills. The scenic beauty is the problem.

 

[Janitor]

I was only in Portland one time. I was twelve, and the family took a trip to a relative's cabin on the shore of Lake Crescent, Washington. On the way we stopped and ate at a restaurant in Portland with a family we knew that had recently moved there from Arizona. I mainly remember seeing impressive bridges, no doubt spanning the nearby Columbia River.

 

[Gokul43201]

A little over 5 years ago, I moved from Portland to Phoenix Arizona for a "change", and a year later I turned back for home and decided to never leave again.

On the way we stopped and ate at a restaurant in Portland with a family we knew that had recently moved there from Arizona.

Janitor, you're not 16 now, are you ?

 

[Janitor]

I plead 'not guilty' to being 16. To some folks, it may seem like I am 16, I admit.

Never met Kerrie either, that I know of.

 

[Janitor]

By the way, I was in southern Oregon just a few years ago. I stopped to gas up the old clunker, and the gas station attendant asked me what I was doing. It seems Oregon has a state law against self-service gasoline.

 

[Dagenais]

Is the city of Portland getting a new baseball team? There seems to be news of them taking the Expos?

As for Powell's bookstore, I've heard a lot about it. I never thought that a store could be a city attraction.

 

[Kerrie]

Is the city of Portland getting a new baseball team? There seems to be news of them taking the Expos?

As for Powell's bookstore, I've heard a lot about it. I never thought that a store could be a city attraction.

many here oppose the baseball team because the city of Portland had cut a lot of funding for its public schools...it would show a serious lack of good judgement if we moved in a baseball team yet couldn't fund many public school activities that other states deem as necessary in a well rounded public education...

 

[Kerrie]

By the way, I was in southern Oregon just a few years ago. I stopped to gas up the old clunker, and the gas station attendant asked me what I was doing. It seems Oregon has a state law against self-service gasoline.

yes, Oregon does have a law against self-service...we also don't have a sales tax so tourism is immense, yet the residents have a high state income tax

 

[loseyourname]

In all fairness I really should add this. I have a friend who has traveled throughout China and Indonesia, the Middle East, deepest darkest Africa, he has even canoed down miles and miles of remote African rives and stayed with semi primitive tribes. According to him [and most people that I know], Portland is the most difficult place to navigate on earth. Driving in some areas of the downtown is a nightmare for the unacquainted. I even know people who grew up in Portland that can still get lost at times.

Edit: Of course it gets tough to build roads when you keep running into rivers and hills. The scenic beauty is the problem.

That is true. I got lost quite a few times, but the smaller size combined with less traffic still make it easier to get around on the streets than it is in LA. In respect for great street layout, I've got to give it up to the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York for their very simple grid system. Of course, it's just a flat island, which is much easier on the city planners. Although it wasn't the easiest city to drive in, Portland was very easy to walk around in, and the public transit was also very good and I didn't find that too difficult to navigate.

 

[Janus]

I mainly remember seeing impressive bridges, no doubt spanning the nearby Columbia River.

How many bridges did you see? We only have two that cross the Columbia; The Interstate bridge on which I-5 crosses and the Glenn Jackson bridge for I-205.

Most of the bridges cross the Willamette river, which bisects Portland East and West. There's the St. John's bridge, the Fremont bridge,, the Broadway bridge, the Steel bridge, The Burnside bridge, The Morrison bridge, The Hawthorne bridge, the Marquam bridge(I-5 again), the Ross Island bridge and the Sellwood bridge.

Many of the Willamette bridges are close enough to each other to be seen as a group.

 

[Dagenais]

many here oppose the baseball team because the city of Portland had cut a lot of funding for its public schools...it would show a serious lack of good judgement if we moved in a baseball team yet couldn't fund many public school activities that other states deem as necessary in a well rounded public education...

Won't a baseball team be better for your economy?

The richer the city, the richer the schools.

 

[Janitor]

How many bridges did you see?

Was it Oracle Jones in Hallelujah Trail who upped the number after each shot of whiskey given to him by his fellow bar patrons? "Well shir, I shee ten wagon trains croshin' that deshert... I shee twenty wagon trains croshin'..."

Well shir, I see in my mind's eye maybe a cluster of two or three bridges--one of them may have been a railroad bridge, mind you--grayed through the misty air, off to my right as we clawed our way northward in the trusty Chevy Impala, fighting off that frigid Canadian norther...

 

[Kerrie]

Won't a baseball team be better for your economy?

The richer the city, the richer the schools.

but you have many people here who think the money used for the team should go to the schools first, then a team...

 

[loseyourname]

but you have many people here who think the money used for the team should go to the schools first, then a team...

Seems a little myopic. If you can boost the economy, you boost tax revenue, and ultimately the schools will benefit even more. It will take longer, but you'll see more return.

 

[Kerrie]

"if" is the key word...the whole pacific northwest has a surpressed economy really...i deal with it everyday being in a agricultural sales job...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Note that the Portland Jail Blazers are struggling for attendance. Didn't they just make some legal maneuver to prevent the loss of use of the Rose Garden?

 

[Gokul43201]

The Jail Blazers, eh ? :tongue:

If you saw the way they were shooting that last 2 times they played the Spurs, you'd call them the Braille Blazers.

No offense meant , you Oregonians (really, there wasn't much of an offense to talk about) !

I've heard from a friend in Boise, that Portland is a really neat place. And that's not just in comparison to Boise. Ooops, sorry all you Idahoans.

 

[Chi Meson]

I lived three years in Portland, in the northwest 21st st area, tucked right up into Forest Park. (about ten years ago). Out the door and into a 26 mile system of dirt trails through a rain forest, and all inside city limits! Take that, Central Park!

The longest ski season in the world is on Mount Hood; about 300 days of skiing a year, isn't it?
PS I have no idea why I returned to the Northeast. Must've been insane. Actually, it had a bit to do with that feeling you get when a local asks you where you are from.

 

[Dagenais]

Note that the Portland Jail Blazers are struggling for attendance. Didn't they just make some legal maneuver to prevent the loss of use of the Rose Garden?

Well, for it's pretty obvious why the lose attendance. I'm sure fans didn't appreciate it when Bonzi Wells flipped them the bird.

You guys have Shareef now. He has a much quieter attitude than Rasheed, and should do well in rebuilding the Blazers.

Anyways, it looks as if Portland is out of the running for the Expos...

Today the team is run by the other 29 clubs, waiting for new ownership, probably from either Washington or Northern Virginia

http://www.canada.com/sports/baseball/exposstory.html?id=24688bca-cdbd-4fca-b73c-af8de08340a8&page=2

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Actually, it had a bit to do with that feeling you get when a local asks you where you are from.

You should have tried small town Oregon.

George Goble [comedian]: Have you ever felt that all the world's a black tuxedo and you're a brown pair of shoes?

In fact it got rather nasty for a very long time.

Of course if your ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, New England can be a difficult adjustment as well.

 

[Chi Meson]

Of course if your ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, New England can be a difficult adjustment as well.

Well, I'm in Connecticut which has been considered, in recent years, to be an excellent place to leave.

 

[Kerrie]

I lived three years in Portland, in the northwest 21st st area, tucked right up into Forest Park. (about ten years ago). Out the door and into a 26 mile system of dirt trails through a rain forest, and all inside city limits! Take that, Central Park!

The longest ski season in the world is on Mount Hood; about 300 days of skiing a year, isn't it?
PS I have no idea why I returned to the Northeast. Must've been insane. Actually, it had a bit to do with that feeling you get when a local asks you where you are from.

Forest Park is the largest park in the country within city limits...also, that area (NW 21st street) is a super nice stretch in portland, had you owned property there now, you would have a nice investment...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, I'm in Connecticut which has been considered, in recent years, to be an excellent place to leave.

My cousin lived in Taxachussets for forty years but was still considered a newcomer when she passed a few years ago. I have spent quite a bit of time around Cape Cod and I really like that area before the summer crowds hit. Also, for some reason the people in Rhode Island are [on the average] the nicest people that I have ever worked with. Perhaps their openness and friendliness is what spawned P town?

Oregon investments?

Oregon has and will continue to grow for a long time to come. With the advent of global warming we are bound to be the next S. California. We're even starting to get some decent Mexican food up here!

 

[Janitor]

The longest ski season in the world is on Mount Hood; about 300 days of skiing a year, isn't it?

Not to cast a damper on this whole Portland thing, but is Mount Hood one of those volcanoes that is thought to still have eruption potential? Every now and then I hear that parts of the northwest are in jeopardy for lahars and such. Can't remember if Portland is one of them. Probably Portland is far enough away to be pretty safe...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Nah, she's going to blow towards the east.

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/north_america/mt_hood.html

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Hood/framework.html

Seattle is doomed by Mount Rainier though. In fact we have active or dormant volcanoes all along the western US. Mount Shasta and Mt Lassen in Northern Ca are also seismically active.

Here is an interestsing little tid bit that I picked up in a "History of the Biology of Oregon" class [an easy and fun 3 credits ]

I think it was about 100,000 years ago that a volcano in North Eastern Oregon erupted and covered two thirds of the state with a six foot wall of lava, on the average, in two hours.

Oh, and we had three and four toed horses, and camels in Oregon at one time.

 

[Kerrie]

washington, oregon and california all have volcanoes, with mt rainier most likely to erupt-only a mere 60 miles to seattle...there is a lot of monitoring on all of these "active" ones to give enough warning of not to be near by...mt st helens gave a lot warning before it's huge eruption in 1980...

 

[Gokul43201]

Camels ?? Oh yeah, and Salem Lights too !

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Speaking of Salem,

A funny comment on State politics: I was in the State Capitol complex on Wednesday. A fairly large group of people waiting for a delayed elevator started to talk a bit. It came to our attention that no one could remember the last Governers name!