What are your favorite and least favorite parts of living in Portland? (Beaverton: appliances, neighborhoods)

[Steve Pickering]

Washington Park, 16th and Alberta.

[JonathanLB]

*The weather in Portland IN THE SUMMER is the best, I meant (I think that was obvious by the post though, haha). Long days, beautiful weather, it's amazing. It's just the other 9.5 months of the year that are touch-and-go. Though April has been very nice overall!

[i_love_autumn]

JonathanLB

It's bad enough to endure the lousy weather without also having to hear Portlanders be like, "Oh I just love how crappy it is, my god, it's so nice that it rains constantly!" Uhh, some of us enjoy walking around, being in nature, and doing fun outdoors things. Those things aren't fun when it's raining.

That is the head of the nail,exactly! I think Portland would be awesome if it had more clear sunny days,but I want to live where I can enjoy soaking up the sun/vitamin-D while enjoying being outside.

Although it has nowhere near the amenities of Portland,Medford, is second on my list after San Diego,CA,because it has beautiful scenery,plus a much sunnier climate than Portland,and not too extremes of heat/cold,like the rest of the country.

I would think that transplants to Portland,from other climates with extremes especially those who are sick of baking... say,from AZ/TX,or just totally fed up with shoveling snow could really fall in love with and appreciate Portland,but for me I'm just too starved for more sun after living in dreary northern Ohio for the past 46 years[since'68],that I know I couldn't be as happy as I would be in a milder AND sunnier climate.

[oldtintype]

You know, even when we have glorious sunny days most of fall and hardly any rain, like we did this year, and beautiful sunny spring weather people still ***** about the weather and say it rains all the time. Some people are just unhappy.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

You know, even when we have glorious sunny days most of fall and hardly any rain, like we did this year, and beautiful sunny spring weather people still ***** about the weather and say it rains all the time. Some people are just unhappy.

I always joked that there was nothing to really complain about in Portland, so people end up complaining about the weather even though Portland weather is pretty mild.

[JonathanLB]

Portland weather is MILD, but that's not to say that it is GOOD. I don't think anyone would accuse Portland of having good weather. Most people who come here think it's depressingly dreary and they're right. That being said, there is a lot to enjoy about Portland and I think that I've kind of learned to adapt a bit more to the weather while still yearning for the day (hopefully ~5 years from now) when I can buy a place on the Strip in Las Vegas and escape a weekend or two per month during the late fall / winter / spring months to get some nice sunshine and warmth.

I think that the weather actually becomes far more tolerable when you live in Downtown, which I know sounds really funny, but I have found it to be true because Portland doesn't usually rain for HUGE, LONG stretches of time in a row. It's not like we generally have flat-out 12 hours of rain non-stop every day for a week. Sure, that actually does happen sometimes, but it's rare. It's more like it rains for a little bit, then it's partly cloudy for a while, then maybe drizzles some more. Now, here are my two different experiences:

1) Suburbs: Ok, it's raining out. That stinks. Guess we'll stay home today or maybe drive to a restaurant later or something like that. Watch some movies, play some video games. That's ok, no big deal. A bit tired of the rain by this point after months of it, and another Friday (Friday is the day my girlfriend and I have as "us" day because I usually clear my schedule and she doesn't have classes those days) spent indoors. Can't wait for summer.

2) City: Ok, it's raining right now. If it lets up a bit later, though, we could go for a walk and maybe find a happy hour somewhere, maybe hit up Lovejoy Bakery, go along the waterfront that we live right on. We'll carry an umbrella in case it starts raining again, but looks like we have a two hour window!

That's the reason I think the Pearl District is worth the money. Life in the suburbs is miserable. If you have a bunch of snot-nosed brats (miserable enough), then yeah, I guess you have no choice, but when you're in the city it's just so awesome to BE there already. I don't want to make plans to go downtown and walk around when I see a big fat RAIN icon in my weather forecast, because for all I know it could mean rain all day long. I also don't know what it's like downtown when I was living in Beaverton. Ok it's clearing up a little bit here, is it nice Downtown? Should we drive and risk it? What if it's crappy? I don't want to walk around 21st / 23rd if it's crappy out. I guess we'll just stay home. In the city, NOPE, we'll drive to 23rd and walk around because it's clear right now and we KNOW it's clear right now, and if it starts raining no biggie we're 6 minutes from the Pearl where we live so we can just leave if we want.

Portland weather got about 5 times better for me when I moved downtown because it doesn't bother me nearly as much anymore. I still love the summers the most, though, and am SO EXCITED about the weather today and through this week. Dang.

[EnricoV]

"Most people" ?????

How can you possibly claim that?

[i_love_autumn]

Originally Posted by JonathanLB

Portland weather is MILD, but that's not to say that it is GOOD. I don't think anyone would accuse Portland of having good weather. Most people who come here think it's depressingly dreary and they're right. That being said, there is a lot to enjoy about Portland and I think that I've kind of learned to adapt a bit more to the weather while still yearning for the day (hopefully ~5 years from now) when I can buy a place on the Strip in Las Vegas and escape a weekend or two per month during the late fall / winter / spring months to get some nice sunshine and warmth.

I think that the weather actually becomes far more tolerable when you live in Downtown, which I know sounds really funny, but I have found it to be true because Portland doesn't usually rain for HUGE, LONG stretches of time in a row. It's not like we generally have flat-out 12 hours of rain non-stop every day for a week. Sure, that actually does happen sometimes, but it's rare. It's more like it rains for a little bit, then it's partly cloudy for a while, then maybe drizzles some more. Now, here are my two different experiences:

1) Suburbs: Ok, it's raining out. That stinks. Guess we'll stay home today or maybe drive to a restaurant later or something like that. Watch some movies, play some video games. That's ok, no big deal. A bit tired of the rain by this point after months of it, and another Friday (Friday is the day my girlfriend and I have as "us" day because I usually clear my schedule and she doesn't have classes those days) spent indoors. Can't wait for summer.

2) City: Ok, it's raining right now. If it lets up a bit later, though, we could go for a walk and maybe find a happy hour somewhere, maybe hit up Lovejoy Bakery, go along the waterfront that we live right on. We'll carry an umbrella in case it starts raining again, but looks like we have a two hour window!

That's the reason I think the Pearl District is worth the money. Life in the suburbs is miserable. If you have a bunch of snot-nosed brats (miserable enough), then yeah, I guess you have no choice, but when you're in the city it's just so awesome to BE there already. I don't want to make plans to go downtown and walk around when I see a big fat RAIN icon in my weather forecast, because for all I know it could mean rain all day long. I also don't know what it's like downtown when I was living in Beaverton. Ok it's clearing up a little bit here, is it nice Downtown? Should we drive and risk it? What if it's crappy? I don't want to walk around 21st / 23rd if it's crappy out. I guess we'll just stay home. In the city, NOPE, we'll drive to 23rd and walk around because it's clear right now and we KNOW it's clear right now, and if it starts raining no biggie we're 6 minutes from the Pearl where we live so we can just leave if we want.

Portland weather got about 5 times better for me when I moved downtown because it doesn't bother me nearly as much anymore. I still love the summers the most, though, and am SO EXCITED about the weather today and through this week. Dang.

That makes sense and I'm sure a lot of other Portlanders feel the same way about downtown and that is how they cope as well.

How does that help you deal with tracking mud into your home 8 months of the year,though?

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by i_love_autumn

That makes sense and I'm sure a lot of other Portlanders feel the same way about downtown and that is how they cope as well.

How does that help you deal with tracking mud into your home 8 months of the year,though?

I've lived here nearing on to 60 years, and I think the last time I tracked mud into a home was when I was 6.

We done paved over our roads, ya know.

[skiffrace]

Originally Posted by JonathanLB

That's the reason I think the Pearl District is worth the money. Life in the suburbs is miserable..

Ah, the Pearl District today. The charm of the stainless-steel appliance with the prices racing towards those of SF or Manhattan. Once upon a time Pearl was indeed a funky, charming place. That was about 20 years ago, before Pearl became kalifornicated to death. As far as "Pearl District is worth the money", in your case it's a clinical case of Choice-supportive bias