Missing Portland already. (high school, living in, price)

[Haley James]

RobCG, glaringly obvious differences a side(the weather, etc.,)what did you find missing in Albuquerque that you find in Portland? TIA...I've often been curious about Albuquerque and New Mexico in general although I'm in love with Portland as well.

[RobCG]

Originally Posted by Haley James

RobCG, glaringly obvious differences a side(the weather, etc.,)what did you find missing in Albuquerque that you find in Portland? TIA...I've often been curious about Albuquerque and New Mexico in general although I'm in love with Portland as well.

Good question. I think the most notable is diversity, but that isn't necessarily a negative at all save for those who outright crave a multitude of ethnicities (and honestly, Portland can't boast the most diverse of populations either).

After that, since we aren't discussing the obvious, it becomes subjective. I enjoy Portland's downtown area, and the planners have taken pains to make it a worthwhile destination; downtown Albuquerque by contrast looks and feels incidental, as if the result of gravity. Someone else might come away with a different sense of it, and I've no doubt Albuquerque's downtown district has its fans.

Albuquerque experiences great sunny weather. Monotonously great sunny weather. I loved it, but found I missed Portland's misty, insistent drizzle. Although this probably fits into the category of "glaringly obvious", I mention it because you don't often hear people complain about great weather. By the way, the sunlight at 7000' elevation? Peel your face right off, man. A couple hours sitting in the sun watching the Roadrunner Classic, with no sunscreen (forgot it) and no hat (left it in the car and was too lazy to go get it), and I looked like Freddie Kruger.

One of the best facets of Portland is that it's a couple hours' drive from the coast. I found I missed the ocean while in Albuquerque, like sometimes you miss something you sold in a garage sale that you never thought you'd use. And of course I missed the Oregon high desert (so different from the southwest desert, equally beautiful and perhaps more so) and the mountains (although some may be surprised to learn that northern New Mexico has very similar green forest-y mountains).

Albuquerque is definitely worth a visit, even an extended one, but Portland is Home.

[davemess10]

Originally Posted by RobCG

Albuquerque experiences great sunny weather. Monotonously great sunny weather. I loved it, but found I missed Portland's misty, insistent drizzle. Although this probably fits into the category of "glaringly obvious", I mention it because you don't often hear people complain about great weather. By the way, the sunlight at 7000' elevation? Peel your face right off, man. A couple hours sitting in the sun watching the Roadrunner Classic, with no sunscreen (forgot it) and no hat (left it in the car and was too lazy to go get it), and I looked like Freddie Kruger.

It's kind of funny. I feel like people for the PNW are the only ones I've ever heard complain about how the mountain states are TOO sunny. Guess it's all just relative to where one is used to living. I've lived in both places a couple of times and would definitely say I prefer the sunnier climate. But yes, water is a nice thing. But even then, I don't find Portland to be a very "water" town, definitely not compared to Seattle.

[Mclaurin]

Keep your options open and give it some time. They are both nice.

SF is larger and so of course some of it might feel a bit more extreme. Change can be overstimulating at times too.

You are still on the west coast, so if you think about it you are still home really.

Maybe you just need a quick visit to Portland for a weekend if possible. Helps give a boost when lonely. It might remind you of what you were searching for too.

There are likely people who will become friends, you just haven't met them. Some might even be from Portland. Kindred spirits anyway., they are there.

It takes awhile, but you are having an adventure. It's lonely and hard, but worth it.

Either way, you can live where you choose. You are getting the option. Be proud of yourself for trying things out.

[HonuMan]

Originally Posted by RobCG

Good question. I think the most notable is diversity, but that isn't necessarily a negative at all save for those who outright crave a multitude of ethnicities (and honestly, Portland can't boast the most diverse of populations either).

After that, since we aren't discussing the obvious, it becomes subjective. I enjoy Portland's downtown area, and the planners have taken pains to make it a worthwhile destination; downtown Albuquerque by contrast looks and feels incidental, as if the result of gravity. Someone else might come away with a different sense of it, and I've no doubt Albuquerque's downtown district has its fans.

Albuquerque experiences great sunny weather. Monotonously great sunny weather. I loved it, but found I missed Portland's misty, insistent drizzle. Although this probably fits into the category of "glaringly obvious", I mention it because you don't often hear people complain about great weather. By the way, the sunlight at 7000' elevation? Peel your face right off, man. A couple hours sitting in the sun watching the Roadrunner Classic, with no sunscreen (forgot it) and no hat (left it in the car and was too lazy to go get it), and I looked like Freddie Kruger.

One of the best facets of Portland is that it's a couple hours' drive from the coast. I found I missed the ocean while in Albuquerque, like sometimes you miss something you sold in a garage sale that you never thought you'd use. And of course I missed the Oregon high desert (so different from the southwest desert, equally beautiful and perhaps more so) and the mountains (although some may be surprised to learn that northern New Mexico has very similar green forest-y mountains).

Albuquerque is definitely worth a visit, even an extended one, but Portland is Home.

Whenever I visit I city, I ask myself, "Would I live here if the opportunity arose?" I spent a week in Albuquerque a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. I especially loved the Hispanic/Native American vibe, and the proliferation of Mexican food. I found people to be very friendly. The mountains were pretty. But I did get the same sense about the downtown area that you mention. It didn't strike me as having much architectural character. And while I'd be happy if Portland got more sun than it does, Albuquerque might be too dry for my tastes. I'd miss the dense greenery of the PNW. Albuquerque did pass my "Would I live here?" test, but realistically, I have too many ties to Portland now (job, family, house), and I love Portland, so that test is just an idle exercise.

[doggiemama]

Tried to rep you, HonuMan. You write great posts.

[RobCG]

Originally Posted by doggiemama

Tried to rep you, HonuMan. You write great posts.

Ditto.

[HonuMan]

Thanks, both of you!

[ramedud]

Originally Posted by missingstumptown

Hey guys,
I'm new here, but I've been a silent lurker for the past couple of months. I was originally driven to this forum because I wanted to get some information on San Francisco. I was given the opportunity to move to San Francisco after a job opening popped up.

Initially, I was excited. The job I had back in Portland wasn't as satisfying, the weather seemed to bring me down a bit, and the prospects of having sunshine, more culture, and more scenes (of things to do) seemed tempting. I eventually took the plunge and decided to move. I always heard that SF was like a hybrid of Portland and New York combined... so I figured, "screw it, if it has the best of both worlds, it won't hurt", right? Wrong.

As much as I love the cultural diversity that's present in SF, it's definitely not a livable city. The public transport is a mess, the biking culture is meager at best, streets are filthy as hell, and not to mention the RIDICULOUS prices on housing. Homelessness is another big headache for the city as well as for its citizens.

In terms of the general vibe from people in this city is spotty at best. Most people seem to be too busy with their lives, almost with a New Yorker attitude. I often get a sense of self-righteousness due to the fact that you see a lot of Silicon Valley yuppies (most of them with a "I'm too good and intelligent to be wasting my time with you" attitude).

What's weird to me are the blatant juxtapositions of severely run-down areas living next to upscale and trendy spots. An example of that is the hipsterized area of The Mission. On one street, there's Mission St... a latino haven that is a bit gritty and vibrant with lots of activity... I sometimes refer this area as Mexico 2.0... Parallel to that is Valencia (which reminds me a lot of SE Hawthorne but grittier and with less charm). The housing bubble surrounding Valencia has been ridiculously expensive and it's no wonder that all of these rich kids are flocking to this part of town.

Man oh man did I make a big mistake. Now I'm stuck in this city, trying to figure out an exit strategy so that I can go back to Portland. I hate to sound like a little b**ch complaining like this but every time I try to think positively, I get a little depressed of the good times i had in Portland. I obviously miss my friends, but I also miss seeing the dozens of double-decked bikes, unicyclists and every other ridiculous and entertaining character that makes Portland "weird". Not that I was ever into those sorts of things, but it was always nice to see these bouts of unexpected randomness in your everyday life.

Over here, unexpected randomness equates to drunk/high homeless people shouting and taunting bystanders. The homeless situation here is pretty bad. Every street corner has at least a dozen people begging for change. And if it's not homeless people, it's the immense quantities of human waste on the streets (that includes spit, vomit, trash, and oh yes, human feces).

Everyday I think about the mistake I made and can't seem to cope with it as well as I thought I would. Watching "Portlandia" doesn't help in one bit as it makes me want to move back there even more. I would gladly trade all of the sunshine in the world for the clouds, rain, nature, and friendly people that are the things that me feel warm fuzzies for Portland.

Oh well, this is the end of my rant. Just wanted to let these feelings out and share my experience of what SF life is all about.

I'm keeping myself optimistic about things getting better over here. It has been only 4 months since I moved. I guess I'll need a full year to decide whether or not SF is the right fit for me.

If you guys feel differently, I'd appreciate some thoughts. Hopefully positive ones so that I don't end up like most of those folks who end up jumping off the Golden Gate bridge.

You hit the nail on the head about SF.

[HiggsBoson]

You know whats funny? I'm going to have to move to Ventura CA this summer, and I'm already missing Portland. I've visited SF several times and I've always thought its a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I don't want to force my subjective values on others, so I'm happy for everyone who loves where they live, may we all be so lucky.