Portland, OR

"Portland is like Portlandia", this according to a close friend who lived there for four years. I'm glad I met her because I was shocked how many times I visited Portland while I lived in Bellingham. Three long weekends and two of those long weekends were with her. Only three? How did I let this happen when everyone and their second cousin is talking about Portland?

Well, it was a five-hour drive and Amtrak is a joke. Maybe it's the distance and the lack of a high-speed rail that keeps this city surprisingly quaint. Actually, the rain could be keeping the day-trippers at bay. Whatever the reasons, Portland is everything you hear about. The food is amazing, the people are insanely friendly, the hipster quotient is high, you can walk everywhere, Green and DIY are practically religions, and besides beer, you can also get kombucha on tap.

There were times I thought of moving here, but I wasn't completely sold. I think because it felt like Bellingham on steroids. If I was going to haul myself to someplace new, I wanted it to be someplace brand spankin' new. Still, I loved visiting for pictures like this. How cute is that kid's bike?

And walking into (literally) events like the International Tree Climbing Championships. No, I'm not making this stuff up. After our tree climb we were honoured with an official certificate and all -- only in Portland.

Portlandia's theme song "Dream of the 90's" hit it on the nail when Carrie Brownstein laments, "I gave up clowning years ago", to which Fred Armisen excitedly replies, "Well, in Portland, you don't have to!"

Length of Stay

Three long weekends while living in Bellingham, WA.

Docking Index

      

Seven anchors. When I was toiling around with the idea of the moving here I researched the average rainfall,  it's more than Seattle and Bellingham but summers are warmer. Also at this point, I need to acknowledge the fact that I loved watching sunsets by the bay. Rivers aren't the same...

Oh my goodness, how could I leave my favourite part about Portland 'till the very end. All gas stations are full-service gas stations in OR by law. I know! I absolutely loathe filling gas in the winter. I despise it. I'll fold laundry instead of getting gas. I've even thought about paying someone to do it for me one frigid night in Bellingham. (Okay, more than than one night.)