Yes and no...

What I liked about Portland:

• lots of bike riders
• riders and drivers follow the rules of the road - they actually know what a directional is and know how to yield!
• lots of coffee!!!!
• beautiful nature with TAAAALLLLLL trees
• cool small neighbourhoods instead of just one huge city
• great healthy, yummy, local food
• the food carts! Not at all like the grease trucks in NJ
• great music and seeing a SUPER band reunite
• lots of indie stores
• going to Reading Frenzy and stocking up on Brainscan and other zines
• getting two - count 'em, TWO! - Love and Rockets anthology books. 37 years old and reading comics!
• the amazingly high quality of the tattoos on everyone - b/c everyone has them! - puts the Northeast to shame
• bumping into an old friend working at Powell's Books
• fancy pants hotel for not-fancy pants price
• the great public transportation

What we did not like about Portland:

• the overnight takeover of the downtown by drunk frat and sorority types on the weekend for the annual Oregon Brewer's Festival.
• getting spit on by one of the above mentioned goons - though I have been spit on before, you never get used to it

So, basically, we loved the place. It was so cool flying in and seeing nothing but mountains and tall pine trees. No flatness. Blue lakes. Rivers. It is such a walkable city and there were so many Arts and Crafts style houses, we were overwhelmed. And everyone had bounds of lavender, rosemary, roses, etc. in their front yards! And multiple types of lavender. So of course I touched it all! It was just a real different place and we actually felt like we fit in - like our little freak town at home, but bigger.

But I will say, the Brewer's Fest made me realize one thing - I DESPISE drunks. You can try to tell me to respect people's decision to get inebriated, but I can't. They are loud, obnoxious, disgusting to look at and contribute nothing to enhance one's experience. It was just horrible watching these people and having to dodge them on the sidewalks. Hubby said it must be like his parents living in New Hope - the locals avoid the touristy areas on the weekends. Oof, I forgot how much I can't stand sloppy drunks. It all came rushing back to me in a jiffy.

So I took 248 pictures and two rolls of film. The city isn't that old and the buildings have that frontier town feel - all late 1800s and such. But the trees and the flowers! Oh to live in a zone 9 or 10! The Rose Test gardens were amazing and apparently their peak is June! I thought what we were seeing was amazing! And just so many things to do... We must go back...