What are your favorite and least favorite parts of living in Portland? (bars, food)

[WI55]

Curious to hear everyone's thoughts, as I'm thinking of making the move!

[yellow925]

Favorite things... Probably the weather I prefer rainy winter then snow as I've been around blizzards my whole life in upstate NY... Second the scenery is great lots of stuff to photograph if that's a hobby...Thirdly the food carts lol I love shoving food in my mouth and living in Portland there's definitely no shortage of food. Least favorite I'd say the people and lack of different culture (yes I knew PDX wasn't diverse but decided to try it anyway) now that I'm out of the "honeymoon" stage I'm seeing clearly now this isn't the place for me. I find alot (not all) of people here are just so fake... Not very direct a very passive aggressive attitude and way of life. Then there's the people who claim they're liberal which is fine..just don't disagree with them..lol. Then the lack of culture I like everybody, I like integration not much of that goin on here. I'm not saying Portland is some terrible place because it's a great place just not the place for me...I'm more of a hometown guy so I'm headed back east I am glad I came though as a black male in my early twenties it has been a learning experience and I still have family here so I'll definitely be back to visit... I say visit, if you like it move..it may be a great fit everyone is different!!!

[oldtintype]

East coast culture is very direct in your face. West Coast culture is not. It's not a Portland thing, it's a west coast thing.

As for integration, I've found there's more integration in Portland than in San Francisco where numbers of every group were so large that people never had to interact if they didn't want to. People tended to stick to their "group" and not mix.

Portland is not for everyone though. But neither is any place!

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

East coast culture is very direct in your face. West Coast culture is not. It's not a Portland thing, it's a west coast thing.

As for integration, I've found there's more integration in Portland than in San Francisco where numbers of every group were so large that people never had to interact if they didn't want to. People tended to stick to their "group" and not mix.

Portland is not for everyone though. But neither is any place!

I miss the laid back culture of the West Coast, it is exhausting dealing with the "in your face" culture of the Northeast every day.

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

I miss the laid back culture of the West Coast, it is exhausting dealing with the "in your face" culture of the Northeast every day.

I tend to disagree as I find it exhausting to figure out what people are really thinking. Laid back can also mean afraid to address real issues.

I have no issue with differences, I just want to know about them so I can react accordingly or figure out a difference angle. The "laid backness" as you call it makes for a very inefficient business model. Too much energy and time getting to root cause and solution.

My comments are geared toward business environment, more than every day life. I agree it is nice not to deal with people getting PO'd about every little thing when out and about.

I moved here for position and career, not because I was looking for a certain lifestyle. I guess this is more of an issue for me.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

I tend to disagree as I find it exhausting to figure out what people are really thinking. Laid back can also mean afraid to address real issues.

I have no issue with differences, I just want to know about them so I can react accordingly or figure out a difference angle. The "laid backness" as you call it makes for a very inefficient business model. Too much energy and time getting to root cause and solution.

My comments are geared toward business environment, more than every day life. I agree it is nice not to deal with people getting PO'd about every little thing when out and about.

I moved here for position and career, not because I was looking for a certain lifestyle. I guess this is more of an issue for me.

This plus +1000. For the love of God, just tell me what you're thinking. I'll have so much more respect for you if you can articulate yourself.

[khyron]

I love pretty much everything about Portland, including many of the things some people would list as their "least favorite" things.

One of my least favorite things is definitely reading these EXACT questions on this forum every month, every year, forever.

[yellow925]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

This plus +1000. For the love of God, just tell me what you're thinking. I'll have so much more respect for you if you can articulate yourself.

I second this... I'm glad I'm not alone.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

I miss the laid back culture of the West Coast, it is exhausting dealing with the "in your face" culture of the Northeast every day.

I think you guys are mistaking yellow925's use of the word "culture" when it think what was really meant was "African-Americans." Portland isn't lacking in culture, but perhaps it's lacking in the culture he's accustomed to wherever he/she came from.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

I tend to disagree as I find it exhausting to figure out what people are really thinking. Laid back can also mean afraid to address real issues.

I have no issue with differences, I just want to know about them so I can react accordingly or figure out a difference angle. The "laid backness" as you call it makes for a very inefficient business model. Too much energy and time getting to root cause and solution.

My comments are geared toward business environment, more than every day life. I agree it is nice not to deal with people getting PO'd about every little thing when out and about.

I moved here for position and career, not because I was looking for a certain lifestyle. I guess this is more of an issue for me.

I think the laidback lifestyle stems from the idea that there is more to life than just working. Also, I like the idea of having a business conversation with someone over a pint of beer than to have people yelling at each other that they needed it done yesterday even though they new it couldn't be done until tomorrow.




As for the topic of this thread, just so we don't get too far off topic. I personally love the choices of beer in Portland, whether you are at a bar or at a grocery store. It is easy to find something local and tasty without having **** water Budweiser be your only choice. (Which many bars don't even carry brands like Budweiser.)

I love the bikeability of the city and the fact that it is easy to hop in a car and be in nature in an hour. The Oregon Coast, Mt Hood, a number of wooded parks, heck even going for a nice hike through Forest Park or bike ride around Sauvie Island for a day is so much fun.

The cloudy light rain mild temperature days are my favorite, and whenever I am tired of it I can easily take a vacation trip to someplace more sunny.

Food in Portland is the best, breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night, whatever time it is, there is something amazing to eat. It doesn't matter if it is a high end place or a food cart, there is always something that fits what you are looking for. Breakfast in Portland is a staple for me, I love hitting up one of the many breakfast places in Portland with friends, kill an hour or so waiting to be seated while catching up with friends over coffee.