Portland: The Summary

Five Things We Loved:

1. The Kennedy School, (see above art) a mecca for slacking whether you're an overnight guest, musician, artist or you're one of those people who hops the fence at night to strip down for the hot tub soak (or so I've heard).
2. Foodies. Portland folk love to eat and eat well. The average kitchen is stocked with foraged mushrooms, organic vegetables grown in the Valley, homegrown herbs (the culinary and the illegal variety), free-range critters, microbrews, wine and Wickles.
3. Mt. Hood. That gorgeous peak that looks like a screen saver, snow covered, illusive, haunting and enduring. A killer of climbers, a lover of myths.
4. Rush hour. I don't know if it's the whip-smart urban design or all those people on foot but the only traffic jam I saw was at Hopworks Urban Brewery. And speaking of transportation, I love the airport, PDX. I go there just for the sushi.
   
5. The Willamette Weekly -- finally a broadsheet worth reading. Other cities, take note, like say, The Alibi.
   

Five Things We're Happy to Leave Behind:

1. Tattoos. Everyone, and I mean everyone has an arm full, leg full, chest full. Enough already. Can we move on to a new cliche, please?
2. Bitching about Seattle. "It's too expensive, too much traffic, too snobby, too this, too that." blah. blah. blah. The Emerald City is still the Queen to your princess. Deal.
   
3. People who boast about selling their car so they can bike to work or take public transit. Good for you, you greener-than-thou-douche-bag, but I'll stick to my sleek, fast, fossil-fuel consuming, duel exhaust silver rocket that makes me Hot just thinking about it.
4. No good pizza by the slice. None. The Rose City needs more disgruntled New Yorkers.
5. The lack of diversity. It's easy to be a white liberal. Now, show me a brown liberal. That's something to be proud of.

Anything I left out of either list?