lets discuss portland oregon

[patrick t. cakes]

im here visiting friends and all i can say
is.. goddamn what a beautiful city.

i mean what a paradise. this is as complete
a city as one could imagine. it just feels healthy
happy and alive. ive never been
in a city where the people have so much affection
and appreciation for it.


if the rest of the country could catch up
to this "liberal" mecca what a truly great country we could be.

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. Portland, Eugene, and the Oregon Coast are all pretty cool

The rest of the state, on the other hand....... well, let's just say the "Oregon Citizens Alliance" (think KKK without sheets) evidently got a lot of support somewhere. :evilfrown:

[patrick t. cakes]

4. is it pretty bad?

ive driven through some small towns that
seemed a little iffy but
on the whole i gotta say what a great state.
love eugene.

[Tikki]

2. It's alright...

It rains there, more than I could take. Just east of Portland starts
redneck country...

Nice place to visit...wouldn't want...

PS...I grew up in the NorthWest..

Tikki

[BlooInBloo]

3. I love PDX. Not as good as SFO, of course, but is still awesome.

[patrick t. cakes]

5. i have heard S.F. is a much larger version of portland

im intersted in visiting.

[BlooInBloo]

6. Emphasis on the "much".

[Arugula Latte]

8. I'd compare Seattle and San Francisco, definitely, but Portland is different.

Seattle and San Francisco have more of a big city, big seaport, coastal, cosmopolitan vibe (I used to live in San Francisco). Portland is not quite in that league, but it has its own more low-key charms, and two rivers instead of the bay or Puget Sound.

[BlooInBloo]

10. Yah - pdx is like a large suburb....

of nothing. :rofl:

But any place I can get bacon on my donuts can't be all bad!

http://voodoodoughnut.com/menu.php

And of course the nations 2nd best bookstore is the shit.

http://www.powells.com/

[Arugula Latte]

13. Hey, Mr. Big City Slicker, give us a break here!

Naw, actually, I agree with you a bit. I used to live in San Francisco, so Portland can't really compete with the excitement level, but it's a kick-ass place to live in other ways. Plus, we were actually able to buy a home here without a big income and raise two kids and send them to a good public school where 95 percent of the parents are raving liberals, so we've got that goin' for us.

:hi:

[BlooInBloo]

19. Heh - I didn't mean that snarkily.

[Arugula Latte]

28. Naw ... I know.

No offense taken at all.

And I LOVE Seattle! :loveya:

[depakid]

12. But those rivers have their charms

Like Sauvie Island beaches and of course, the Gorge.

[Arugula Latte]

14. Oh, man, I love, love, love Sauvie Island.

And it's almost Oregon strawberry season!!! DROOOOOL! I'm going to go out to the island and pick me some flats o' sweet juicy red bits o' Heaven. :9

[oregonjen]

24. Can't beat the Hoodies! Yum!

:9 :bounce:

[depakid]

27. A flavor explosion compared to those pithy, tasteless California imports.

10 minutes fom my house there ate U pick berry fields (of various sorts) that last well thoughout the summer. Tayberries are probably my fav:



Cross between a flavorful blackberry and a raspberry. Awesome.

Then come the first week of September- it's off to to sawtooth huckleberry fields near Mt. Adams. Now that's something I'm going to miss.

[Arugula Latte]

7. Hi. I live in Portland.

We love it. Full disclosure: Your view of our fair city is skewed because the weather is awesome today!

It's been a good place to be liberal and still be in a very family-friendly environment for raising kids. You can get to the coast, the forest, the mountains, and the high desert fairly easiliy from here. The food is good. The coffee is good. The bookstores are good. The vibe is good.

Lots of us ex-Californians live here. The gray skies/rain do take some getting used to, but, really, that's the main complaint. Every place has something of a negative.

:hi:

[patrick t. cakes]

11. the weather today is amazing

ive been here twice before (in the rain)
but it didnt dampen my spirits (pun intended)
just so many little cozy places to duck into
and drink a cup hear good music

and the green spaces are amazing,
a garden around every corner,
and not just residential neighborhoods...


i really love it:)

[Arugula Latte]

16. Any chance of you moving out here?

[patrick t. cakes]

21. yes, its on my mind but im i school in iowa

working on an education degree (elm)
id love to teach art out here someday.
i can feel that family friendly vibe you mentioned.

i could only imagine raising my little boy here.

[Oregone]

9. I never liked Portland

But I haven't been to a lot of other cities, so, you know, maybe it is a relative "paradise"

[patrick t. cakes]

17. im from des moines and its far and away a paradise

compared to home. des moines is changing
but doesnt compare to portland. this place
has energy.

portland feels a lot like minneapolis actually.
about four hours from des moines. its a nice
place to escape for a long week end.

[Oregone]

25. I guess its all what you have in mind

It just seems dirty, crowded and too busy to me without enough green areas and community. Sometimes its nice to watch a band or grab a beer and pizza in the Baghdad theatre, but by far, I prefer to stay clear.

With that said, I don't like any cities at all that Ive been in (other than where I currently live), and prefer rural and coastal areas. Im probably a terrible judge.

[patrick t. cakes]

30. right on. i can see the crowded aspect, but

as far as green spaces its pretty amazing.

do you know of any good camping spots on the coast?
id like to drive out this week and camp, just a tent
and a fire.

[Oregone]

32. Lots of good spaces on the coast

(Im most familiar with central coast area)

Heceta Head campground (south of Yachats) is great but you might not want to go that far down--its a nice drive south through Tillamook region. South of Waldport is Patterson campground, which is right smack dab on the beach. If you have a taste for beer, you can go try the South Beach campground, close to where the Rogue brewery is. North of Newport is Otter Rock, where there are a few good spots (don't know the name of em) and surfing/rental shops.

[patrick t. cakes]

33. this helps. thank you me amigo.

im going to investigate the patterson campground.
on the beach is what im looking for. (beer sounds good too)
cheers.

[stevedeshazer]

34. Pick a spot on the beach. It's all public land.

We own it. All 300 + miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Beach_Bill

I recommend Rockaway Beach. Close to Portland and has access to a nice, long sandy beach. Just pack your stuff over the dunes and you're there.

[Oregone]

36. Cept for the "no camping" signs you see

:)

At least I see those on a ton of the beaches I visit

[patrick t. cakes]

37. sweet. thanks alot

[Arugula Latte]

35. We are going to camp at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area this summer

I've never camped there, but the Eel Creek Campground has some very nice reviews, and is located in a non-motorized (ATV, OHV) area north of Coos Bay. The campground is sandy and shaded, and sits at the trail head to a 2 mile route across dunes to the sea.

http://books.google.com/books?id=DSpCGnN0u0IC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=oregon+dunes+recreation+area+eel+creek+campground&source=bl&ots=-JqYG0rTFE&sig=rZmHqWeFdOQpjvunGrxjCN-PQOM&hl=en&ei=DsUQSon6HqGCtgPT2aTlAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2

Another thing about the coast: Wherever you camp, you might want to stop by Cannon Beach. It's a cute, scenic town with good places to eat. It's home to Haystack Rock, and there are tide pools at its base. Also, just north of there is Ecola State Park, which I highly recommend. Beautiful, stunning views.

Cannon Beach:


Ecola State Park (we've sat at this very table many times)

[Oregone]

38. General rule: Stay north of Florence (inclusive) and south of Bandon (inclusive)

There is a good chunk around Coos Bay/Reedsport that just makes crappy camping and vacationing

[patrick t. cakes]

40. thanks, ive visited haystacks one other time

and loved it. ill probably stop at cannon beach
while looking for a camp spot. thanks for all the great
info.

[Ian David]

15. Maybe that's why Thom Hartman lives there? n/t

[patrick t. cakes]

23. really? i love his show

[gratuitous]

18. A nice place to visit

But you wouldn't want to live here.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[snowdays]

20. I used to live there for a few years. Beautiful.

[L. Coyote]

22. Great place to live, if you like pollution.

The Willamette Valley is foul.

[depakid]

31. On the west side, the air off the coast is clear- and water is about the best in the world

Comes from here:

[cloudbase]

26. Politicians with a sense of humor.

Bud Clark

[stevedeshazer]

29. Aw, hell. The sun came out today. We get days like that maybe ten times a year.

Come back in late November. You'll quickly become as suicidal as the rest of us.

[grasswire]

39. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

It rains a LOT.

The unemployment rate is very high.

I met a 21-year-old kid the other day who came from Ohio last fall to get work. He has a college degree. He's working the night shift at Safeway for min. wage.

A family member of mine owns a coffee house. The resumes that come in are from people with master's degrees and a lot of job experience, none of it having to do with pulling espresso.

[lordsummerisle]

41. I've never lived there

but it's one of my favorite cities to visit...

[neverforget]

42. Been here for 13 years and I love it!