Young professional looking to make move back to Portland. (company, work)

[Yankeemama]

New Yorkers are the most helpful people in the country. I mean that. People there are in a rush but will help tourists out any time. Many tourists are the rude ones. I would be walking on a busy street going to work and tourists "expect" residents to answer their questions like we were all tour guides. Guess how many tourists said, "thank you"?

[Xanathos]

Lived in New York for 3 years. Absolutely loved it there, and the people are anything but rude or mean there. They're just very direct, as they don't have time to sugar coat things or take your feelings into account. They're busy people, and it's a busy city. This gives people who don't understand it the impression that they're mean. Nothing could be further from the truth, though. Living in Manhattan was the last time I could honestly say that I knew the names of every one of my neighbors.

My only problem with New York was that it was simply no place to raise a child (and the fact that I was paying almost 4000 dollars a month for something that's roughly the size of my current master bedroom). Not that I had one at the time, but I knew eventually the day would come.

[iliketrains]

It depends on the neighborhood. New York's neighborhoods vary greatly. A friend of mine just bought a condo in the ever gentrifying Bushwick. I've seen firsthand the things that are said to him by his neighbors. However, I live in Park Slope where people are soft like a marshmallow.

[Nell Plotts]

+1 both Xanathos & iliketrains

I too worked in NYC after college for about 3 years, left for the same reason. If I had met a mate able to support a family in the lifestyle to which I was accustomed in Portland I would have stayed. Many are brusque on the outside but marshmallows once they know you.

Loved it.

[iliketrains]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

+1 both Xanathos & iliketrains

I too worked in NYC after college for about 3 years, left for the same reason. If I had met a mate able to support a family in the lifestyle to which I was accustomed in Portland I would have stayed. Many are brusque on the outside but marshmallows once they know you.

Loved it.

I guess we can call New Yorkers burnt marshmallows, hard and rough on the outside and soft on the inside.

As I approach my late 20's I no longer see a point in living in NYC. A few cities I'm looking at are Seattle, possibly Portland if I find a good job, Chicago or Nashville. I'm an active artist outside of work and need that kind of environment.

[Nell Plotts]

I can't speak to the other cities you mention but go for the best employment opportunity.

Portland has lots of artists, UofO A&A program graduates gazillion who, if they can find a way to eat regularly, stick around. Graphic artists, sculpture majors, architects abound.

There is an active group of rail fans in Portland and a great model model RR club, Columbia Gorge Model RR.

[Minervah]

There is an active group of rail fans in Portland and a great model model RR club, Columbia Gorge Model RR.

Awesome display on November 10 in North Portland on Vancouver Ave.

[Nell Plotts]

Once a year, in November, their club is open to the public for a small charge.

The membership is earned by participation. Voting shares are allotted by the number of hours a member spends on the layout. Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club Members include model builders, folks who love electronics, and rail fans (of course) and at least one architect .

[guitargrrl7]

Re: The way people dress for work here. The same thing happened to me! And I grew up in the SF Bay Area--which I thought was all about casual until I moved to Portland.

I posted recently about the many job interviews I've been on out here, and one comment I got the first few times was--you do know we're a casual work environment, right? Now I wasn't even wearing a suit jacket. Just work slacks and a nice blouse or shirt. However, there are some places where they do dress up. You just never know what you're walking into here. I'd say the majority, though, are quite casual.

The best method I've found is checking out the company website beforehand (if it exists). Often times they will have an 'about us' section with a short bio/picture of the staff. I'm also guilty of looking up the facebook/twitter of the person I'm interviewing with. Hey, I like to be prepared, and I want some idea of who I'm dealing with. They do the same to us, right? Either way, I've had much better luck dressing 'appropriately' with a little research.

[iliketrains]

I've run into awkward situations like that before. I'm thinking in the future of maybe just contanting an HR person on LinkedIn.