eight months pass...
yeah, portland is really white, but it's got a lot going for it. mt. hood is the closest for winter sports, a little over an hour away. in the city there are lots of parks and open spaces, and it's really bike and public transport friendly, as i'm sure you know. the ocean's an hour and a half away, with state parks and wildernesses (and clearcuts) in between.
think of the city as four quadrants (the river cuts north/south, burnside cuts east/west):
Southwest encompasses most of downtown, OHSU, and the west hills. the hills are rich, as you'd picture, gus van sant territory. i think i went up there all of twice in my three years of living there.
Northwest is richer and yuppie, kinda: old apartment buildings redone and turned into condos, 'the pearl district' with lots of new construction and galleries and way too expensive restaraunts, northwest 21st and 23rd streets with the occasional funky place (cinema 21, a pinball parlor) but mostly pretty boring.
Southeast was the hippie bastion in the 60s and 70s, run down old houses and apartment buildings. and yeah, it's gentrified a lot, but not nearly as much as neighborhoods in Seattle or SF. there are still deals to be had on housing, good restaraunts, record stores, etc. two of my best friends live in southeast: one owns a tiny house and the other rents a room (maybe 350-400 a month) with a bunch of burning man types. they both bike and walk and bus everywhere.
Northeast was, and still is, in places, the historic black neighborhood of Portland. this is the area that's changed the most. when i first moved to northeast in 1997 it was very cheap, occasionally sketchy, and pretty interesting. i haven't lived there in years and have spent less time there since (compared to southeast, where my friends live) i moved, but i know it's changed a lot.
I'll leave out north portland because it screws up my quadrants thing, but if you read or hear about it, think of it as an extension of northeast portland, only even more recently gentrified.
(there are a hell of a lot of dive bars in portland, like per capita this amazing amount)
it seems like there'd be more for you to do in portland, outdoor-wise, than chicago. and yeah, the music scene is really strong, so so many bands, and lots of new venues popping up all the time. i moved to portland knowing two people, sleeping on their floor, and by the time i left 3 years later i'd been in 5+ bands, had masses of acquaintances--it's a small town, scene wise, and you start running into people you know really quick--and had made a bunch of interesting friends. i think it's a pretty open, engaging city. and there's a diy undercurrent that runs stronger there than here in Seattle, i think. portland seems like a bunch of optimists, opening new bars and clubs and little eateries. it can be precious but it can be inspiring.
― jergïns, Sunday, 22 July 2007 23:08 (eighteen years ago)