I live in Michigan now, to put it bluntly this place sucks. I miss home, I miss Portland. I remember quite clearly that I used to think Oregon was boring and lame but as I look back I realize now that it was just the naivety of youth at work.
I took a lot of things for granted. Man how I wish I could just step out of the house and catch a bus tomorrow and have it drop me off smack dab in front of the Division Street theater (you know the one that is built in the same spot where my beloved Rose Moyer theater used to stand. Or how about taking the bus a bit further and hoofing it to the in my opinion superior Century 16 theater where you can get an awesome (but not cheap) milkshake with your movie. Or you could always go the other direction into Gresham and seek out the Mt. Hood theater for some second run goodness. Movies not your thing? Well it is officially summertime now, that means that there is probably going to be some fun to be had at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Hell what about grabbing the nieces and nephews and planning a trip up to the Enchanted Forest, put the little suckers in the front seat on the Ice Mountain Bobsled and let them learn the hard way just how cold that water is (we had to learn that way right?). Don't forget the beach, you could head up to Cove Palisades, don't forget to check out Rooster Rock. Maybe even head out to Lincoln city head and fly a kite out on the sand (don't step on any washed up jellyfish). Want something to do just for the day? Ok then find your way over to the Willamette and take a spin on the Sternwheeler. Or you could do my favorite head up to Grand Ronde and spend some time in the Spirit Mountain casino.
You could always skip going out and stay at home, maybe sit out on the porch during a shower and breath in the fresh air that is fragrant with clean smell of new rain. Or Maybe take a drive at night and realize how beautiful the city can be.My god how the fuck did I ever find that place boring?
...All of that and I didn't even break into all of the awesome stuff you can do if you go up into Washington...Fort Vancouver on the 4th of July for instance (are they having it this year I wonder?)
Here is some youtube
A day in Portland
A ride on MAX
A day at the Enchanted Forest
The Rose City at night
4 comments:
Wow! OR sounds like heaven! You aren't the only one suffering from West Coast-itis. I miss the only place I have ever known where people actually use those squishy things in their head. I live in a state that can't get over the Civil War; we surrendered..it's OVER! Where "new and exciting" means something relevant to getting a Tandy and the idea of the "perfect person" is everything I'm not. I too miss things like mass transportation, festivals, having to spend longer trying to decide what to do because there is just so MUCH, day trips to the beach, night trips to theater. I miss all that! I don't even have a movie theater in this dang town!! That's a sin! Things are just so much more alive and exciting over on the West Coast. It's funny as I know there are people out there on the West coast that long to be over here..to which I will do my best not to smack them. However, I will say..wanna trade????
Anyway, don't worry Pierce, the heart always has a way of leading you to the place you belong. You'll get back to OR and stay there. It'll happen :)
Ash
Pierce, I've debated (myself) about sending you this link because you will either love it or it might drive you into massive homesickness meltdown mode. It's mostly shots of the incredible architecture of downtown Portland. I love the juxtaposition of old buildings against modern buildings. Kind of a weird architecture fetish I have (don't ask, trust me) and send this link to Kim, your fellow Portlander in crime. She'd dig it too.
http://www.throwbackmax.com/pdx.html
You can always move back. Start looking for gainful employment in PDX...then just do it!
And don't forget Powell's on Burnside, I actually got lost in that bookstore once, again, don't ask.
Trade are you crazy Ash? I've put so much work in the crazies around here it isn't funny. For the record if I hear one more "Michigander" (that is what they call themselves) mispronounce Oregon I am going to snap. Should they mispronounce it directly after I have pronounced it correctly in front of them the ordeal may end in a concussion (I just don't know whose yet).
Robert, I'm glad you decided to share the link with me, those pictures are great! I'll try to refrain from asking about your architecture fetish, but I will mention that the last picture on that page did remind me that one of the few places I never made it to that I really wanted to was the Fox Tower 10 theater.
Yeah, it was late when I was writing it all out and I missed some pretty big areas that I should have included. Powell's being one of the biggest (literally and figuratively) I completely understand getting lost in there, even with the map to guide you. I also should have mentioned the yearly jazz festival, and believe it or not the public library system. What they have set up here is terrible.
Haha! I meant trade is one of those lost fools from the West coast yearning to come to the East coast..I'll gladly switch. :) Now you have me self conscious about my pronunciation of Oregon. :/ I'd hate to be the one to deliver the concussion. I just know that people around here pronounce it in this way...it's more like Organ...I do shudder at that. I also don't pronounce it in that way either. :)
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