Everyday things that are different in Portland (Eugene, Aloha: buying, law)

[sueisme]

I feel I should also add that I passed my test the first time without really studying. I just guessed.

I didn't go to an Ivy League school.

[gma221]

Here's a link to the Oregon drivers manual, in case anyone is interested (I was curious):

Oregon DMV Manuals & Guides (http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/forms/manuals.shtml#C - broken link)

[Nell Plotts]

I completely understand that, I depend on my insurance agent to see that I have more than enough. The people who need to think about that are people who don't want to buy insurance.

[EnricoV]

Here are some picky things I know of:

• Hard liquor is sold only at liquor stores - not in groceries.
• We don't refer to freeways as "The" -- it's not The 5, it's I-5. It's not The 84, it's I-84.
• Voting is all done by mail.
• We're west of the Mississippi, so Hellman's is Best Foods. Unless you buy it at Walgren's - then it's still Hellman's.
• This isn't necessarily different than elsewhere, but a good thing to know. The city is divided into 5 quadrants: NE, NW, SE, SW and N (approximately the area east of the river, but west of I-5). Essentially, the city is split north and south by the river, and east and west by Burnside. Each block has 100 numbers, so if a street number is NE 1500, that means it's 15 blocks north of Burnside, etc. Odd numbers are on the north and the west sides of the street, and even numbers are on the south and west sides of the street. Or as I was taught to remember, "the odd people live in the north west."

[khyron]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

We don't refer to freeways as "The" -- it's not The 5, it's I-5. It's not The 84, it's I-84.

Thank goodness, that drives me insane. It just sounds so backward, like every time someone speaks a route number they're expressing their shock and awe that paved roads with numbered routes exist. This modern age!

I'll chime in on the umbrella thing too, and plug a pacific northwestern brand at the same time...if you need one get it at REI. Why? Because they're like L.L. Bean, when they say something is lifetime warranty, they really mean it. If two years later your umbrella's carrying bag rips, or even one of the little metal thingies breaks one of its little articulated joints? Walk into REI and they give you a free one on the spot. No receipt, no questions, no hassle. It's amazing.

Of course since (by anyone else's standards) there's no "real" rain in Portland maybe I won't be blowing out umbrellas every year now.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by sueisme

The road rules are a little different. You can actually make a *left* on a red light on one-way streets.

Wait, where can't you do that? I know a lot of folks from suburbs and rural areas who wouldn't think to do it just because they've never driven a typical city grid before...but I've never lived someplace where it was actually against the law. It was always just something only locals tended to know to do.

[Nell Plotts]

Today a gal turned left on a red from NW 25th (two way) to Vaughn (two way). Granted there wasn't a lot of traffic but... (and she would have received a ticket if the police had seen the maneuver). She was busy talking to a woman in the passenger seat and was traveling slow. Her driving skills were questionable.

[ahoffelt]

One interesting difference that I noticed after moving here from the midwest is at the check out stand. I have found people to be adamant about using the plastic dividers between their stuff and my stuff. In the midwest, I feel like people just leave enough space to make it apparent rather than needing a physical barrier. A small difference, but I thought it was odd at first.

In reference to an earlier poster, I wouldn't say that it's difficult to find Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi here, but some of the places, like McMenamins, serve Diet Rite instead.

[kapetrich]

[quote=EnricoV;19354072][*]We're west of the Mississippi, so Hellman's is Best Foods. Unless you buy it at Walgren's - then it's still Hellman's.


This is a good one. Also, Edy's ice cream is known as Dryer's out here.

My biggest surprise when I first visited Oregon were cars stopping to allow pedestrians to cross at intersections no matter what. Any time, anywhere......people stop. Actually, I was REALLY weirded out by this, especially when I was in Portland, but after moving here I learned it was essentially the law of the land........

Word to the wise to any Oregon travelers. Do NOT try this on the east coast. EVER.

[karlsch]

Don't bother to bring your butter dish from the East to Oregon. Donate it to charity:

What's the History of how Butter is sold in Oregon??