Is all of Portland really this depressingly bad? (Salem, Lake Oswego: city hall, neighborhood)

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by RodeosMom

Hi folks

I left Portland for Arizona in 1987 and now, 21 years later, I want to come home! I wonder if that old cliche' is true that "you can never go home." Maybe you can help me decide?

I hope thats not true, Im here melting from the heat and constant sunshine (that I thought I would love) here in Gilbert AZ. I left almost 2 years ago, and Im so homesick. I wish the sun would just go away for a week and give me break. I may not go back to Portland, as I think Its pretty played out for me. But I am trying to find a way back to the Pac NW. Good luck to you. BTW I don't really know how it was WAY back then, because I lived in Roseburg back then. But I would say that if you saw Portland about 15 years ago, it looks pretty much the same except for some new condo highrises.

[no one special]

As a native Portlander of 34 years I have to say the following:

I read your posting by accident while looking for something else on the internet. Although I have never been to Virginia I can tell you this- there are bums everywhere. In every state, in every city, in every county. Ignore them. Most of them are harmless.

Now that you have done that and while visiting Portland.... look up at the beautiful blue sky, the enormous green Firs, Cedars, Pines, Elms, etc... they are magnificent in the Pacific NW. Take a walk along the river....walk with bare feet along the riverside beaches....glance occassionally at the majestic we refer to as Mt. Hood.

Visit Multnomah Falls, and all the falls along the way in the Gorge.

Visit the amazing Forest Park for miles and miles of trails and forest beauty.

Visit Washington Park in SW Portland and take in all the wonders created here...it is much more than just a zoo. While you are here why not take a stroll through the Rose Gardens and the Rhodedendron Gardens?

Portland is not a very bad place. It can be boring if you don't know what to do.... may I suggest www.geocaching.com for many ways of touring mine and your own lovely city.

Next time you are here, why not stray away from the downtown area and come up into the West Hills... you will see a bum or two with a sign or two...big deal- ignore them and absorb all the beauty of what earth provides in the amazing Pacific NW.

Vancouver is ok and all.... but it doesn't hold the same quality of beauty one will find deep in the forests in the Portland area.

I love Portland. Maybe I will never leave it....

[whynot?]

I actually live in Virginia (outside Richmond at the moment, but several cities over the past 30 years), and "no one special" is quite correct about bums/panhandlers/homeless. A friend who lives downtown (ne plus ultra historic neighborhood, BTW) knows the ones who inhabit her multi-million dollar turf. Washington, DC -- full of them. Honolulu -- full of them. Coast to beyond-the-coast. I agree with "Old Tin Type," if it bothers you that much, then you really ought to be working to solve the problem. And get out of Portland if you're not loving it. It's a big, free country. Don't spend your time being unhappy.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by no one special

As a native Portlander of 34 years I have to say the following:

I read your posting by accident while looking for something else on the internet. Although I have never been to Virginia I can tell you this- there are bums everywhere. In every state, in every city, in every county. Ignore them. Most of them are harmless.

Now that you have done that and while visiting Portland.... look up at the beautiful blue sky, the enormous green Firs, Cedars, Pines, Elms, etc... they are magnificent in the Pacific NW. Take a walk along the river....walk with bare feet along the riverside beaches....glance occassionally at the majestic we refer to as Mt. Hood.

Visit Multnomah Falls, and all the falls along the way in the Gorge.

Visit the amazing Forest Park for miles and miles of trails and forest beauty.

Visit Washington Park in SW Portland and take in all the wonders created here...it is much more than just a zoo. While you are here why not take a stroll through the Rose Gardens and the Rhodedendron Gardens?

Portland is not a very bad place. It can be boring if you don't know what to do.... may I suggest www.geocaching.com for many ways of touring mine and your own lovely city.

Next time you are here, why not stray away from the downtown area and come up into the West Hills... you will see a bum or two with a sign or two...big deal- ignore them and absorb all the beauty of what earth provides in the amazing Pacific NW.

Vancouver is ok and all.... but it doesn't hold the same quality of beauty one will find deep in the forests in the Portland area.

I love Portland. Maybe I will never leave it....

awe, I remember all those fantanstic images. The landscape around phoenix looks like the martian landscape. I also miss walking through the forests and seeing all the ferns covering the ground. Cacti was really neat at first, but I real "PINE" for the beauty of the lush Pac NW.

[tiffela74]

great post NOS!!!

[tdekany]

To the op: I can't believe how you can say all those things about Portland.

I will not waste my time or energy to prove you wrong.

Please stay far and away from Portland as we are moving there from Fairfax Va.

The DC area is the worst possible place one can live in. The meannes that comes out of people here is unbelievable.

The funniest thing you wrote was calling the people in Seattle friendlier.

I think what you meant to say is they are more fake. Just like in Alexandria.

The DC area is full of them. You will hear that phony Hiiiiiiijjjjjjjjj!!!! everywhere. Yet behind your back they will talk about you.

For the record: I had the exact opposite experience visiting Portland.

Never met more friendly people anywhere. There is no traffic, at noon there is parking everywhere, even in the pearl district & didn't have any issues with people asking me for money.

The person from NYC: the OP is plain wrong. Portland is the best city to live in. It feels more like a small town yet you can have everything a large city has to offer. (I lived in NYC for 8 years)

[lovethegreen]

I think the OP went a bit far to the negative side, but some of those things are real problems. A couple days ago a guy approached me while shopping inside a Fred Meyer (Cornelius Pass Rd & hwy 26) and asked me for money. I said no and he left, and I later observed him wandering around with a cart watching people. His appearance was entirely well-kept and he looked no different from any other shopper. I did let an employee know this was going on, but I have to say I won't feel the same about shopping there. Is this type of thing common? Do the panhandlers come to you now...inside the stores even in "good" areas? This is something I'm not sure I can get used to, nor want to.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by lovethegreen

I think the OP went a bit far to the negative side, but some of those things are real problems. A couple days ago a guy approached me while shopping inside a Fred Meyer (Cornelius Pass Rd & hwy 26) and asked me for money. I said no and he left, and I later observed him wandering around with a cart watching people. His appearance was entirely well-kept and he looked no different from any other shopper. I did let an employee know this was going on, but I have to say I won't feel the same about shopping there. Is this type of thing common? Do the panhandlers come to you now...inside the stores even in "good" areas? This is something I'm not sure I can get used to, nor want to.

I have seen this a large supermarkets. But mostly outside the store. Often they hang outside of the Safeway where I shop but do not come in because there is a guard on duty at all times. But there have been times when someone a bit scary looking has come in the store not knowing about the guard and has harassed people for food or money.

[crazyladi]

What a chuckle! Sorry about your visit. You can go home and tell people that you saw the worst of Portland. I hope you are going to the coast. You can't leave Oregon without that. Also, Alberta street has varying areas. It is up and coming. If you had lived in Portland 50 years ago, you would be shocked at how much it has changed and how Oregonians are taking more pride in their neighborhoods. It is merely a social change. As we move forward unconnected with other people, tragic circumstances exist. Mental Health services are very poor in the Portland area. As you see the horrors that you see, try to judge a little less and remember that no one knows for sure how a person got to the place that you see them that day. Go to the Park Blocks and the Museum. Portland used to be the city of churches. Take the train to Hood River and wander around there. And, give people the benefit of the doubt. Life is fragile. Handle it with care.

[angelbug]

Originally Posted by crazyladi

What a chuckle! Sorry about your visit. You can go home and tell people that you saw the worst of Portland.

This weekend I'm visiting my friends in Hawthorne after dropping my kidlet off at college in Tacoma.

My first visit to Portland was not quite as bad as the OP's, but close. I was living in San Francisco at the time and thought I was pretty immune to panhandlers, runaway Goth kids, etc., but I, too, seemed to hit the worst parts of the city by accident, and I couldn't understand why anyone would voluntarily move there. The fact that is was nearly impossible back then to find a restaurant open past 7 p.m. on Sunday didn't help, either. I thought the place was a real backwater.

When my friends moved there about 8 years ago and I had several occasions to visit them, my feelings about the city changed a lot, because I finally experienced some of the sweet spots.

Looking forward to another visit this weekend.