Solely for the sake of argument

Reasons I would thrive in Portland

1. I like bearded hippie guys who wear North Face, ride bikes and pretend to be poor
2. I like books
3. I like riding my bike
4. I love coffee, microbrews, organic produce and locally-produced stuff
   
5. I’m one of those deeply cynical yet sometimes earnest leftist types
6. I like cheap rent
7. I’m a middle-class white person
8. I have relatives in the area...relatives I actually like.

Reasons I would die in Portland

1. I shiver uncontrollably whenever it drops below 60 degrees
2. I love sandals, the beach, tank tops, and lounging in my bathing suit as much as possible
3. I love margaritas and Mexican food

3a. I won’t eat Mexican food outside of Mexico, California and perhaps Arizona

4. I’m intimidated by hipsters
   
5. Sometimes I want to punch overly earnest, vocal leftist types in the face
6. I like shopping, makeup, straightening my hair, and otherwise being a superficial, high-maintenance California floozy

Places I checked out in Portland

I'm including the hits as well as the misses for the sake of fairness.

First, the food:

Leonardo's - Delicious Italian food in a romantic atmosphere (too bad I was there with my cousin!). Leonardo was there, and he's a very funny guy. The waiter was funny too and teased us about licking the dessert plate clean (we didn't). I ate more at this meal than I usually eat in an entire day. Yummm. At left is the lasagna (foreground) and spaghetti (actually fettuccine because they didn't have spaghetti) with marinara that my cousin ordered.

Pho Green Papaya - One Friday night were trying to get into a comedy show at a nearby theatre, which seemed to be in a pretty crappy, desolate neighborhood. We put our names on the waiting list at the theatre, then went in search of food. Appearing at the opposite side of a desolate, rainy parking lot sat this little pho restaurant. It was just the ticket to restore warmth and happiness to what turned out to be a disappointing evening, as we didn't get into the comedy show and had to return the next night.

The cafe at Powells - I was so relieved to see that Powell's served lunch. Their tomato and cheddar grilled sandwich was excellent, and went down wonderfully with a searing hot chai latte. Also, I think this cafe would be a great place to pick up hot intellectual dudes.

Kornblatt's New York style bagel shop - During my shopping day in the Alphabet District, I was not having any shopping success and suddenly realized I was starving. Kornblatt's is the sort of place that you just know is famous from looking at it. It's all packed with excited people being served by cooler-than-thou New Yorkers. Anyway, I ordered a bagel with smoked Nova salmon, which was all right. I regret not ordering something hot because, well, it was a chilly winter day.

Two Thai restaurants whose names I can't remember - One we happened on by accident on Christmas Eve; the other was a very well-priced place my cousin frequents. Anyway, both were really good.

A breakfast/lunch/bar in the Pearl district - Had delicious French toast here with bananas and local hazelnuts. Searing hot coffee kept coming. Wonderful breakfast. Need to ask my cousin the name of this place.

Coffee and dessert:

Urban Grind - This place is located in my cousin's building, which is awesome. It has an arty, indie coffeehouse feel, really friendly baristas, and delicious, searing-hot coffee. Just the thing to fortify me before a long day shlepping around in the rain. They also serve cinnamon rolls the size of your head.

Pix Patisserie - Rich desserts (we ordered the Amelie), as well as fun and innovative drinks that I regret not sampling. Friendly employees who were happy to let me take as many pictures as I wanted, as well as a clientele that was a mix of hipsters and white-collar types.

Shopping:

Sloan boutique - Definitely the best boutique I found on my trip. Bought the same impeccably cut $49 cardigan in ivory, brown and black, because a girl can't have enough cardigans. Also tried on some other stuff I really liked, including a teal jersey dress and a black and white 60s-style coat with an oversize funnel collar. Loses points for employing a bleach-blonde girl who wears UGG boots, but at least she was friendly.

The Powder Room - Another great boutique with a very enthusiastic, helpful owner who called me "dear." Had lots and lots of great outerwear. I was amused that they carried hats from the San Diego Hat Company. Bought a wonderful black cotton trench there for around $50.

Lush - A place that makes and sells their own soaps and cosmetics. I wandered into this place because it looked intriguing, and I sort of regretted it. It stunk and gave me a headache. If strong scents and unidentified jiggly soap stuff is your thing, then you'll love this place. If not, avoid.

Blake - Awesome, painfully hip boutique. They carry clothes by Gentle Fawn, one of my all-time favorite brands, as well as stuff by other cool brands like Triple Five Soul. Didn't buy anything here, but definitely thought about it.

Gilt - I saw an ad for this place in the Portland Mercury (the hipster indie paper) and just had to check it out. They specialize in estate/vintage jewelry, which is totally my thing. I was sort of disappointed when I went there, though. Perhaps the inventory was picked over because it was right after Christmas, but very few things that caught my eye. I wasn't tempted to open my wallet in the least, and it was the sort of place where I felt uncomfortable for some reason. Sometimes I think that any store that specializes in engagement rings is automatically poisoned for single gals like me.

Three Monkeys - Impressive window displays, but inside I just found a lot of cheap crap made in China. They also have a room devoted to vintage-style doodads, which was cool but I'll take real vintage over fake vintage every day. Definitely didn't have the local Portland flavor I was hoping for. I hightailed it out of there pretty quickly.

Anthropologie - Right across the street from Powell's. My cousin told me I had to visit this store and was shocked when I told him it's a chain. Anyway, stuff seemed pretty picked over and the place was packed. I was only slightly tempted to buy a burgundy top and some earrings.

Portland Pictures!

My pictures of Portland are posted to Flickr and organized into sets:

• Christmas
• Shlepping around Portland
• Things I've eaten
• Portland antique store
• Oregon Zoo

And a bonus...pictures of my grandpa's greenhouse in Quincy, CA taken a couple days before Christmas.

Some preliminary observations about Portland

Portland is not a fashionable city. However, it makes up for the glut of North Face rain jackets and chunky boots by its bookishness, appreciation for art and beauty, and in-your-face liberalism.

Though threads from North Face, Patagonia, and REI reign supreme, I did see some sparklingly fashionable folks sporting wool peacoats and such. And I'm not one to judge because I was not looking my best. I quickly formed the habit of donning about six sweaters, a periwinkle fleece hat borrowed from my aunt, and a pained expression.

If anything, Portland is an anti-fashion city. If my cousin is to be believed, there are lots of smoking hot indie girls with wonderful fashion sense; they shop mostly at secondhand stores. Besides the indie style elites, though, everyone's more or less wearing the same warm winter wear, so no one's judging on looks or style. Which is sort of refreshing. It opens the door to differentiate yourself by the book you're reading, the company you keep, and so on, rather than what you're wearing.

(Perhaps Portlanders are more fashionable in the warmer months. This is entirely possible. I mean, it's often hard to look good when it's wet and cold. I may have to return to Portland in the spring/summer to investigate!)

Portlanders are nice (perhaps because they enjoy beautiful digs at rock-bottom prices). Everywhere I went, people were sweet to me, whether I was buying stuff from them or not. In the cafe at Powells one day, I ordered a sandwich and chai, and felt no compunction plopping down next to a stranger at the big library tables they have in there. I felt a certain camaraderie as I browsed my book and inhaled my food and drink. No one shot me weird or dirty looks, and I think I got the eye from a few hot young bucks (call me, loves!). It was a really good feeling.

Downtown Portland is pleasant and mostly free of homeless people. Portlanders may disagree, but I'm telling you: Portland does not have a homeless problem compared to San Diego or LA. Let me give you an example:

I work in downtown SD and spend lots of time poking around. What's jarring about downtown at lunch hour is that there are white-collar businesspeople, homeless people, and not that much in between. You do not get the feeling that there is much of a middle class.

In addition, downtown SD and the surrounding neighborhoods (including my neighborhood of Hillcrest, which is one of the most high-rent and fashionable neighborhoods) are crawling with homeless people. It's rare to walk more than a block without encountering one. Horton Plaza downtown is especially bad; at all hours of the day and night, there is a group of at least 10 homeless people, openly panhandling and smoking pot. They do not prevent Horton Plaza from being a pleasant place, but they are a very visible presence.

In contrast, in Portland, I saw maybe one homeless person my entire stay. Walking the streets, I felt absolutely safe, even when staring at my tourist map. No one propositioned me, hassled me or hollered at me from a passing car - common occurrences in San Diego.

(Side note: I don't fear or hate homeless people, but they reflect a certain locale's safety net - or lack thereof. Though Portland may have as many homeless people as San Diego, I get the distinct impression they are taken care of much better in Portland than in San Diego. Or perhaps they were merely hidden in Portland. Who knows!)

Portland is beautiful. There are lots of historic buildings, landmarks, bars and restaurants. I especially loved all the old Victorian houses, fancy mansions around Washington Park, and the high-rise loft buildings in the Pearl District. We have restored Victorians in San Diego, too, but I almost feel they fit in Portland better. Somehow they mesh well with the bare branches of winter, rain-drenched streets, and gray skies. I took lots of pictures of my favorite houses, which I'll be uploading shortly.

I'll start uploading pictures tonight. Highlights will include: old buildings! Animals at the zoo! Plates of food before I licked them clean! More old buildings! New buildings! My cousin's cat! Old crap at the antique store! ...and more!

[Edit: Added photo of a random church that I snapped from my cousin's car.]