Portland, Oregon

[Danenania]

Can someone describe this city to me? I'm going to live there for awhile in a couple months and I've never been. I'm talking mostly about the spirit of the place, the flow, though info on nice areas to live (2 bedroom appartment, location and price most important factors) would also be nice. Thanks.

Also: how is the weather during the winter and spring, besides rainy?

[Zeno]

Portland is a great city. Not too big or too small. I lived near there but that was almost 20 years ago. Did some work there in the late 90's and still found the city enjoyable. If you did not grow up in the Northwest you may find the rain, gray, and foggy weather a bit irksome and gloomy during the winters. It's all in the mind - take up some winter sports.

It is a beautiful area for many reasons.

-Zeno

[goofball]

I lived in Portland from age 3 to age 17. It is a great town. It's very similar to seattle in terms of culture but it's smaller so the ails of a super large city are small. It's further left politically than any city I can think of (including SF). Portland has more park space inside it's city limits than any other city in the world (more, not a higher proportion), it also the biggest used bookstore I've ever seen or heard of. Powells is an entire city block and it's 4 or so floors. Portland is also full of lots of great pubs and microbreweries in case you like that sort of thing. Mcmenamins is awesome. Let me know if you have other more specific questions.

[jdl22]

I've never lived in Portland but I'm from Oregon (I lived near Roseburg until college then lived in Eugene for 5 years) and have been to Portland several times as it's the only major city within reasonable driving distance.

Portland is a nice town. It's beatiful, the downtown is situated where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet. This makes it quite nice at night with the lights on the rivers. Also, outside the city it is green everywhere. Some of the views of the mountains and hills outside the city are amazing. That goes for all of Western Oregon actually not just the Portland area.

Coffee is huge there as it is in all of the Northwest, much bigger than on the East Coast for example. I guess it has something to do with the weather. It will rain practically every day of the winter. When I say practically every day I mean more than 25 days out of the month, at least that's what if feels like. The temperature is quite nice, in the winter it usually is in the high fourties or low fifties but does drop into the twenties for a stretch. In Oregon it only snows at elevation. It snows maybe once every ten years to the point where it will stick and stay there for a couple days. Last year it was actually pretty bad. (note: I now live in Pittsburgh, and the snow in Portland last year wasn't as bad as what normal was here, but nobody is used to it so the effect is huge) Spring and Fall in Oregon is fantastic.

It is super liberal. Oregon is actually quite conservative outside Eugene, Salem, and Portland but those three areas (in particular Eugene and Portland) are liberal enough that Oregon has been a democratic state voting for Dukakis in 1988 and with every democrat since.

If you like hiking and other nature oriented activities I can think of no better place (actually this isn't fully true, I prefer Eugene which is situated about 150 or so miles south but it's practically the same thing). In the Portland area check out Multnomah falls if you still can go there (not sure if it's open now it was closed for awhile due I think to a mudslide or falling rocks) it's quite impressive. Also, take the opportunity to go South and check out Crater Lake. The lake itself is amazing. Camp near Diamond Lake and the hiking there is excellent. It's quite a drive from Portland but would be a very nice week long or even weekend camping trip. Also if you like to ski or snowboard there are some really nice places to do that. Mt. Hood has a couple places to ski and you can also head over to Mt. Bachelor.

Every summer there is a blues festival that is well worth checking out if you like blues music. They normally have a good headliner and it's really cheap to go to - normally something like $5 and two cans of food. As for sports and other such things the only team in the state is the Portland Trailblazers. They are extremely popular though this has been dampened somewhat by the recent run of bad personalities on the team. For football college football dominates the state. I'm biased but I would say that a small majority prefer Oregon to Oregon State. In Portland I think that a larger majority prefer the Ducks. This could be due to the political climate, I'm not sure.

wow that turned out to be really long. It's amazing what you come up with when you're homesick.

[liquidboss]

Portland also has more fat people than any other major city in the US. Sorry buddy...

[BusterStacks]

It's highly liberal, stay out of NE Portland, SE is nice, anything on the west side is expensive. Ive lived here for 23 years.

[Ulysses]

Portland has a lot of cool alternative chicks.

[jdl22]

This is true.

It's something I miss about Oregon. There are various categories of hot when it comes to women (think exotic, f#$%able, intelligent, attainable, beautiful there are others as well obviously). Living in Eugene there are tons of girls that are in the category I call "hippy hot." These are alternative leftish girls that are quite attractive. You just don't get these kind of women in Pittsburgh. I've seen I think two the whole time I've been here and I'm on the campuses of both major universities often.

[sam h]

Portland is a great town. Live in SE. You can rent a house for pretty cheap, have access to lots of great neighborhood bars and coffee shops, and still be easily able to get into downtown by bike, car, or bus.

When I was there they had this cool public bike program that captured the nice, laid back, communal ethos of the place. Basically there were a bunch of bikes around that were painted yellow. If you found one parked on the street, you could just ride it wherever you wanted. Then you left it out on the corner for somebody else to pick up and use. I can't imagine this working in any other city in which I've lived.

[Danenania]

Sounds like a pretty good fit for me so far. Background is that I'm taking a semester off of school to go live there with a friend, from January until May. Our initial plan was California but we decided that living costs would be too high and my friend would have a hard time finding a decent and fun job (he's not a poker player). When talking about alternatives, Portland jumped into my head and my friend liked the idea so it was settled.

I have relatives in Eugene who I've visited a handful of times, so I have some feel for the Northwest in general, though all I've seen of Portland is its dark highways near the end of a one-day marathon drive from central Montana to Eugene this summer as part of a cross-country roadtrip.

Both of us are sort of literary-intellectual types (we became friends at a writing workshop during high school years) and very liberal so a leftist bias and beatnik coffe culture aren't problems. My weather expectations aren't too high coming from upstate NY so it sounds like I will be able to deal with that aspect. I'm a fan of scenery and hiking (used to be a cross country runner) so that's appealing. Cool alternative chicks are a definite plus because they are pretty much the only subset of girls that I'm both attracted to and attract.

Thanks for all the input. More is still appreciated. What are the best areas to live in? Sounds like SE is good. And do you have any suggestions for a job for my friend? My plan was to drive around checking out CD stores/Bookstores/Coffee Bars and rate them based on how many good looking girls work at each. He doesn't need big bucks--just enough to get by. How is the gaming scene (Magic, Chess, Scrabble, etc.)? And is it absolutely necessary to have a fake ID for fun nightlife at 19 years old or can I live without it?

[astroglide]

fwiw a friend of mine that worked for a while as an airline attendant (long enough to end up everywhere) said portland is his favorite city in the united states. he's "alternative" to painfully use the term. in thought, at least. not gothy or gay.

[SomethingClever]

Portland kicks ass. I grew up here, lived in different places for about 8 years, then moved back this January.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like a pretty good fit for me so far. Background is that I'm taking a semester off of school to go live there with a friend, from January until May. Our initial plan was California but we decided that living costs would be too high and my friend would have a hard time finding a decent and fun job (he's not a poker player). When talking about alternatives, Portland jumped into my head and my friend liked the idea so it was settled.

I have relatives in Eugene who I've visited a handful of times, so I have some feel for the Northwest in general, though all I've seen of Portland is its dark highways near the end of a one-day marathon drive from central Montana to Eugene this summer as part of a cross-country roadtrip.

Both of us are sort of literary-intellectual types (we became friends at a writing workshop during high school years) and very liberal so a leftist bias and beatnik coffe culture aren't problems. My weather expectations aren't too high coming from upstate NY so it sounds like I will be able to deal with that aspect. I'm a fan of scenery and hiking (used to be a cross country runner) so that's appealing. Cool alternative chicks are a definite plus because they are pretty much the only subset of girls that I'm both attracted to and attract.

Thanks for all the input. More is still appreciated. What are the best areas to live in? Sounds like SE is good. And do you have any suggestions for a job for my friend? My plan was to drive around checking out CD stores/Bookstores/Coffee Bars and rate them based on how many good looking girls work at each. He doesn't need big bucks--just enough to get by. How is the gaming scene (Magic, Chess, Scrabble, etc.)? And is it absolutely necessary to have a fake ID for fun nightlife at 19 years old or can I live without it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Having read this reply, you will LOVE Portland. In fact, you may never leave.

[sam h]

I did a very similar thing, moving to Portland for 8 months during time away from college and just hanging out. There is a decent sized area in SE portland (between 20th and 39th and between Hawthorne and Powell) that you should definitely check out. As I noted in my other post, lots of bars, coffee shops, indepenent movie theaters, junk stores, that sort of thing.

Tell your friend to look at the Oregonian and Williamette Weekly for job leads. There is a lot of turnover in Portland of young people coming and going, so finding a job shouldn't be too bad.

I was of age when I lived there, but from what I remember it was a carding kind of town. So definitely get that fake ID.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like a pretty good fit for me so far. Background is that I'm taking a semester off of school to go live there with a friend, from January until May. Our initial plan was California but we decided that living costs would be too high and my friend would have a hard time finding a decent and fun job (he's not a poker player). When talking about alternatives, Portland jumped into my head and my friend liked the idea so it was settled.

I have relatives in Eugene who I've visited a handful of times, so I have some feel for the Northwest in general, though all I've seen of Portland is its dark highways near the end of a one-day marathon drive from central Montana to Eugene this summer as part of a cross-country roadtrip.

Both of us are sort of literary-intellectual types (we became friends at a writing workshop during high school years) and very liberal so a leftist bias and beatnik coffe culture aren't problems. My weather expectations aren't too high coming from upstate NY so it sounds like I will be able to deal with that aspect. I'm a fan of scenery and hiking (used to be a cross country runner) so that's appealing. Cool alternative chicks are a definite plus because they are pretty much the only subset of girls that I'm both attracted to and attract.

Thanks for all the input. More is still appreciated. What are the best areas to live in? Sounds like SE is good. And do you have any suggestions for a job for my friend? My plan was to drive around checking out CD stores/Bookstores/Coffee Bars and rate them based on how many good looking girls work at each. He doesn't need big bucks--just enough to get by. How is the gaming scene (Magic, Chess, Scrabble, etc.)? And is it absolutely necessary to have a fake ID for fun nightlife at 19 years old or can I live without it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Having read this reply, you will LOVE Portland. In fact, you may never leave.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I was thinking. I'm in Olympia WA, which is 2 hrs north of Portland, but my brother used to live there, so I've been there a bunch. I recall he lived in the SE, and always really liked his neighborhood. Cost of living was affordable for him.

Too bad you're not 21, you're missing out on the McMenamins bars, as someone mentioned, and the Bridgeport and Rogue bars too. Just a great town if you're a beer drinker.

I can't elaborate much on the job market, but the NW in general has been a little slow to catch up to the rest of the nation when it comes to economic recovery. But if your friend is just seeking a coffee/music job of some sort, he shouldn't have a problem at all in Portland.

BTW, Stump Town coffee is supposed to be the nuts. My bro swears by it, and still orders it off the internet now that he lives in Wyoming.

[nolanfan34]

Forgot to mention as well that there isn't a ton of poker in Portland itself if you're looking to play live, but there's a pretty decent sized casino across the border in WA which isn't too far away.

[goofball]

do you refer to La Center?

[Danenania]

Wow, everyone thinks Portland is paradise. This is a good sign.

[nicky g]

"When I was there they had this cool public bike program that captured the nice, laid back, communal ethos of the place. Basically there were a bunch of bikes around that were painted yellow. If you found one parked on the street, you could just ride it wherever you wanted. Then you left it out on the corner for somebody else to pick up and use. I can't imagine this working in any other city in which I've lived. "

That is brilliant.

[dr. klopek]

I have lived in Portland all my life. What they say about the winter months is true, it's kinda gloomy, but after one you'll notice that you never loved spring so much, and summer up here is perfect. It's also a great town if you enjoy a good beer. I don't know what everybody (BusterStacks) is talking about, NE is the best part of Portland, although I do live in SE now and I thoroughly enjoy it. I hope you just love hipsters cuz we've got plenty. SE is probably the best place to find a 2bdrm apt for a good price, and there are some sweet neighborhoods down here. You don't happen to want to play a homegame do you? Hit me up about that. Anyway, you'll enjoy Portland, particularly if you like indoor activities, and/or coffee shops.

[nicky g]

Is Portland where you got almost beaten to death by the crazy skinheads? Cos if so, I don;t like it so much any more.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow, everyone thinks Portland is paradise. This is a good sign.

[/ QUOTE ]Its a good town to live in, but its certainly not paradise.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
Is Portland where you got almost beaten to death by the crazy skinheads? Cos if so, I don;t like it so much any more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah, that's Idaho, not Oregon.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
do you refer to La Center?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that's it...haven't been there, so my details may be a little off, but I had talked to a guy who had played there a bit about it. Said it wasn't too far from Portland.

[SomethingClever]

Yep, Nolan mentioned the breweries, which I forgot. Portland actually has more breweries than any city in the world. When I lived in LA, I was in constant withdrawl from the beer selection here.

Also, Stumptown coffee owns, although I'm also partial to Coffee People.

[dr. klopek]

Yes, the skinhead incident took place in Portland. But that could have gone down anywhere, don't let it sway your opinion of our fair city.

[goofball]

it's about 30 minutes away from downtown portland with no traffic. they offer a bunch of intensely weak loose passive 3/6 and 4/8 games (even by 3/6 and 4/8 standards) and a good 10/20 game

[Danenania]

Update: I am here in Portland now and enjoying it. Got a nice place on NE Weidler and the weather has been surprisingly good so far. Wanted to thank everyone for the helpful information way back then and say drop me a PM if you live in the area.

[cold_cash]

LaCenter is in Vancouver. It's a pretty nice place to play. I've heard there's another even bigger casino in the works for the same area. Who knows though.

I live about an hour south of Portland, and we usually go to the nearest Native American establishment (which is also about an hour away from Portland toward the coast).

[M2d]

how about a dissenting opinion.

Not Portland, completely, but close enough.
I grew up in Hawaii, but went to school in Salem on the advice of my cousin. we were both baseball players and he was four years ahead of me, so he had just graduated when I got there. Never got the chance to slap him upside the head. Anyway, my bad for forgetting that he was from Hilo (average 130 inches of rain a year).
Long story short, my freshman year, it was about 106 and dry when I got there. The sun disappeared abruptly in mid october and we were faced with a constant cloud cover and drizzle that never went away and never fully developed into a real rain. it was just a constant bone chilling blech.
around early february, we had a storm blow through from the arctic complete with five feet of snow on the ground. the first day, the town (I think the entire valley, too)completely shut down, as no one was ready to deal with snow on the roads. After the storm passed, the sun miraculously came out, but it was about 5F with a -15F wind chill. a week or so of that and we were back to the grey.

The sun never really came back until late march/early april, and we ended up raining out about 16 of our first 20 games (UW rained out 19/20 that year, so we weren't as bad as them).

On the female front, here's one story:
a team mate had a blond gf who was sort of attractive, but pretty pudgy. everyone raved about her, though, so I asked about the attraction. I was told: "dude, that's just her winter fat. wait until spring when she loses it". wtf?

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
On the female front, here's one story:
a team mate had a blond gf who was sort of attractive, but pretty pudgy. everyone raved about her, though, so I asked about the attraction. I was told: "dude, that's just her winter fat. wait until spring when she loses it". wtf?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've grown up in the NW, and neither noticed this phenomemon, or ever heard someone make a comment like that. I deem your sample size insufficient. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Not that California isn't better weather, no arguing that.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
On the female front, here's one story:
a team mate had a blond gf who was sort of attractive, but pretty pudgy. everyone raved about her, though, so I asked about the attraction. I was told: "dude, that's just her winter fat. wait until spring when she loses it". wtf?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've grown up in the NW, and neither noticed this phenomemon, or ever heard someone make a comment like that. I deem your sample size insufficient. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Not that California isn't better weather, no arguing that.

[/ QUOTE ]
I have never heard this....ever.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
Not Portland, completely, but close enough.


[/ QUOTE ]

What? No.

[M2d]

I swear it's true. granted, the sample size is insufficient, but it is a firsthand account.

other oregon female stories:
the hot chick at school who became a little less hot when she bummed a dip from me because I had copenhagen and everyone else had skoal.

the Korean chick from Mcminville who told everyone that she was white.

the chick from portland who knocked on my door at 1 AM and asked to borrow a quarter because she was "visiting" my neighbor, he only had one quarter, and the rubber machine in the laundry room was $.50.

the chick from portland who wanted to go to law school at Willamette over Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc. because, in her mind, WU was better.

granted, there are a lot of good things about oregon, but, when you're 18, away from home for the first time, from hawaii, and the only reason you're there is to play baseball (I shoulda gone to a school in cali to begin with, but my damned cousin...) everything gets a little tainted.

[Shajen]

Does Oregon baseball remotely compare to Cali ball?

(I grew up playing in Texas, a great state for baseball so I'm genuinely curious.)

[Piz0wn0reD!!!!!!]

[ QUOTE ]
Portland also has more fat people than any other major city in the US. Sorry buddy...

[/ QUOTE ]

incorrect.

[stabn]

[ QUOTE ]

complete with five feet of snow on the ground. the first day, the town (I think the entire valley, too)completely shut down, as no one was ready to deal with snow on the roads. After the storm passed, the sun miraculously came out, but it was about 5F with a -15F wind chill. a week or so of that and we were back to the grey


[/ QUOTE ]

What year was this? Because i lived in the portland area for 20 years and we never had five feet on the ground. There's only one winter in the last 25 that this was remotely possible, and it was a once in a lifetime cold front.