Just visited: Portland is a safe, beautiful, amazing city! (Eugene: sales, crime) - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

Casportsfan · 05-11-2009, 04:17 PM

Just visited Portland and spent the better part of the weekend there on my way to Seattle. My thoughts:

(1) Portland has AMAZING views all around the city, and an abundance of natural beauty to indulge in. What a treat to be in a city where you can drive into the hills on one side, or take the tram on the other and have a picturesque view. Not many ciites have anything comparable to that.

(2) The tansportation was awsome, and I found the city very easy to navigate. After about 5 hours in the city I already knew my way downtown, and for anyone that has had an hour long commute each way like I have, having such accessible public transportation would be a HUGE benefit.

(3) Where are all of these bums and street kids supposedly at?? I roamed literally the entire downtown with apprehension from mid day Friday to late Friday night, expecting to be harrassed like people keep posting on here. What I found was about the cleanest, safest downtown of any major city I have ever been too. In fact, there was such a lack of anything even semi threatening that I started driving around downtown (and Pearl) literally looking for vagrants. Didn't find any.

I think this is so vastly overblown on this board that the people posting about the subject of crime, homelessness and street kids really should take a trip to San Francisco, a city with a REAL homeless problem, highest in the nation. I've lived near there and like most people, never found that to be a problem though. So why are so many complaining about it in Portalnd?

(4) The architecture was amazing. I loved the designs of buildings on the Southwest hills. There are a lot of very unique buildings and structures to explore for those of us who like me, love the history that is mixed into and revealed by the design of a city.

(5) No sales tax and really cheap food. I couldn't believe the cost of a gallon of milk at the store. Of course, for this to be a benefit, you'd obviously have to keep the same salary level when moving, which I've heard is a tough task with the Oregon economy.

All in all, Portland reminded me a smaller version of San Francisco in a lot of ways. It had many of the positive aspects, but did not have the congestion, street people, and wreckless drivers you find in San Francisco.

lemonbutter · 05-11-2009, 04:28 PM

I totally agree. I lived in Berkeley where you're literally tripping over street kids. Same with SF. Portland is so clean and the traffic is mild in comparison (though I've noticed traffic is getting worse every year.) Portland is sort of like SF but there are no major museums, big clubs, major league sports, weather is so-so, and SF is surrounded by sprawling urban areas and other cities that you can "escape" to. I find Portland to be more like Berkeley or Oakland in size except that Portland IS the city which can have its pros and cons.

Élan vital · 05-11-2009, 06:12 PM

nice post Casportsfan!
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit!!

sandlinjames · 05-11-2009, 06:28 PM

Great points. The homeless & the prices are all relative. If you are from Cali it is no big deal. As I moved to Portland from TX, I saw a 50% increase in cost of living & a 50% decrease in income. Also, living by Lloyd Center, there were always homeless teens everywhere. Just get on the max and at least once a weekend you see some tweeker trying to play a harmonica for money while picking a scab on his face.... but the beauty far outweighs the price & the homeless.... I dream of the day I move back.

Rainbow08 · 05-11-2009, 06:35 PM

I've seen quite a few homeless people in downtown Pdx when I was visiting there. A couple asked me for a dollar when I asked for directions at one of the Max train stations and then kept eyeing my purse as I moved toward the forming crowd to keep my distance from them. They were not homeless. The food was not cheap as compared to LA and seem to have much less choices of foods to choose from. I am not complaining though and still seriously considering to move there. Been to Pdx Metro 3 times so far. I loved beautiful green scenery during the drive toward the Gorge (forgot the name of the freeway), enjoyed the hippie-themed Country fair in Eugene, and did not mind the drizzling rain so much since I've always felt that LA could use more rain and moisture in the air. I do not like dry desert weather.... maybe living under the gray cloud 9 months per year in Pdx would promote me to change my mind.

wholoveskitty · 05-11-2009, 08:15 PM

Thank you soooo much for your positive ( and realistic) views of Portland. I am from AZ where we know about real homelessness, poverty and gang activity. Its hard to tell if its as bad as people are saying or just a view of someone who hasnt experienced other major cities. I CAN'T WAIT TO VACATION THERE IN jANUARY AND MOVE IN A YEAR!!!

Nell Plotts · 05-12-2009, 10:22 AM

Anyone who is homeless, broke, addicted or mentally ill is disconcerting. The poor will always be with us. It would be nice if that weren't so but it has been true since before the Common Era. With the level of unemployment right now more people will need help. There are blocks with a concentration of social services where the destitute will be found there more frequently. Portland churches have a program where you can buy meal chits that can be used by those in need at participating restaurants - better than giving out cash (but some may be used as an exchange medium for drugs).

Safety is relative. Anyone who watches TV crime shows quickly learns that there is no absolutely 'safe' place. I have never looked over my shoulder in Portland but I don't ignore people acting oddly either.

Casportsfan · 05-12-2009, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wholoveskitty

Thank you soooo much for your positive ( and realistic) views of Portland. I am from AZ where we know about real homelessness, poverty and gang activity. Its hard to tell if its as bad as people are saying or just a view of someone who hasnt experienced other major cities. I CAN'T WAIT TO VACATION THERE IN jANUARY AND MOVE IN A YEAR!!!

Trust me, I am being very honest when I say that I saw nothing. I didn't even see the sideways hat ebonics speaking wannabees that are all over the place here. No homeless people or "crazies" bothering me, and I was in the heart of the city, and then in the "pearl district". Zero problems whatsoever and the people I talked to by and large were pretty friendly. I was there all day Friday and then Friday night, and then again on Sunday. Seemed like a much safer downtown than even Sacramento, and I gaurantee you there are none of these types in either of the hills.

Maybe there is some really bad part of Portland that they are in, but I had a friend that moved to North Portland (which is supposedly the bad area) and I visited him last year. You could tell his outlying areas were a little seedy, but seriously, it wasn't anything to really freak you out. It was still pretty mild compared to other bad parts of big cities, which every city has.

The other thing was, for me the panoramic views of the city are amazing, cheap entertainment. If you have enough money to fill a tank of gas, you can drive up to the hills on one side and get a georgeous view of the entire city in a Rose Garden, and then you have the Tram for 4 dollars on the other side for another picturesque view. I love these sorts of things, and they are free there! Nothing like that here in Sacramento.

backdrifter · 05-13-2009, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casportsfan

Trust me, I am being very honest when I say that I saw nothing. I didn't even see the sideways hat ebonics speaking wannabees that are all over the place here. No homeless people or "crazies" bothering me, and I was in the heart of the city, and then in the "pearl district". Zero problems whatsoever and the people I talked to by and large were pretty friendly. I was there all day Friday and then Friday night, and then again on Sunday. Seemed like a much safer downtown than even Sacramento, and I gaurantee you there are none of these types in either of the hills.

Maybe there is some really bad part of Portland that they are in, but I had a friend that moved to North Portland (which is supposedly the bad area) and I visited him last year. You could tell his outlying areas were a little seedy, but seriously, it wasn't anything to really freak you out. It was still pretty mild compared to other bad parts of big cities, which every city has.

The other thing was, for me the panoramic views of the city are amazing, cheap entertainment. If you have enough money to fill a tank of gas, you can drive up to the hills on one side and get a georgeous view of the entire city in a Rose Garden, and then you have the Tram for 4 dollars on the other side for another picturesque view. I love these sorts of things, and they are free there! Nothing like that here in Sacramento.

You were in downtown on a good day.

The crazies and homeless and panhandlers aren't dangerous or intimidating, they're just annoying. And they ARE there. Trust me, I lived right downtown near the Pearl. There are the regulars like the old, hunched lady with one eye and a cup who stands outside the entrance to Whole Foods. There's the drunk who sits across from Powell's or in front of Pita Pit and asks if you can help him say "Thank you" in every language. It makes doing anything or going anywhere a very trying experience.

I worked at the Safeway downtown and I saw the mentally distressed and/or strung out and/or homeless people first hand and had to interact with them day in and day out, everyday. And the Central Library is basically a glorified daytime homeless shelter. And not to mention riding the streetcar. After a while you really get tired of the smell of lots of people with poor hygiene crammed in a small space close to you.

I agree though, downtown Portland feels much safer (to me) than downtown Sacramento. Sac felt pretty sketchy in comparison actually, but maybe it was just the area I was in when I was there. It's relative of course. Nothing like bigger cities.

Minervah · 05-13-2009, 12:37 PM

Just visiting and living are two different animals. Next time you visit, I will show you what people have to see on a daily basis. I am not saying other cities aren't worse but as I have said time and time again I do not live there I live here. It's not that it's dangerous so much as it is annoying to be asked for or demanded of money each and every day early in the morning on certain routes on the way to work. And they do know the routes. Most folks from out of town don't.

I have posted before that the neighborhood homeless are more gentle souls trying to make a living out of doing odd jobs or collecting cans and bottles. But recently a friend told me that a co-worker's neighbor had a homeless guy bang on her door and demand money. She called the cops. Sure this is one isolated incident and will probably never happen to me or anyone I know but the point is, there are homeless or street people or whatever you want to call them who do bother others and to come here for a day or two and declare it doesn't exist is like calling a woman beautiful before you see her without her makeup.