Did You Know?

Since moving to Portland two years ago I've tried to do what I can to make the best of where I'm living.. Visiting touristy and local hot spots alike. Trying out and exploring the culinary scene that makes Portland a foodies-wet-dream. Just generally trying to familiarize myself with the ins-and-outs of this new town. 

So when a friend forwarded me this "9 Facts You Might Not Know About Portland, OR" I was so up for the challenge!!

Here they are:

9. Portland is the only city with an extinct volcano within city limits. Yep. Mt Tabor. Not too far from where I live too. 

8. Portland has more movie theatres and restaurants, per capita, than any other city in the United States. Now while I didn't necessarily know this exact fact it's hard to not believe it. Especially where McMenamin's often times combines both in one establishment.

7. Portland has the second largest hammered copper statue in the world (the first is the Statue of Liberty). I did know this. Her name is Portlandia and she lives on 5th in Downtown. Depending on what angle you look at her she's either beautiful or a bit scary. 

6. More than 20 Farmer's Markets and 35 Community Gardens provide access to fresh, locally sourced food. Yes I did know that. And I've been to a number of them. :)

5. Saturday Market is the Largest continuously operating open-air crafts market in the United States. So while I did not know this I also don't agree with it...mostly because Saturday Market does shut down January and February (understandably so). So does that still count as "continuously"? I think this is a prime example of Portland just wants to be #1 at whatever it can. 

4. Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest in the Nation. Believe it or not, I did know this. Mostly from my time working at the Portland Rose Festival. The garden was opened/started in 1917 and is actually 5 gardens in one.

3. Portland has more microbreweries and brew pubs than any other city in the nation. Again, I did know this. And because we're the microbrewery capital of the USA that means it's damn impossible to find a freaking liquor store anywhere!! Actually I have no idea if one is because of the other but it sounds like a good blame.

2. Portland is home to the nation's largest urban park - the 5,000 acre Forest Park. Look at me go! I knew this too!! I also know that Portland houses the smallest park in the WORLD!! Mills End Park. It's a whopping 452 sq. inches

1. Portland's nicknames include "Rose City", "City of Bridges", "Rip City", "River City", "Stumptown" and "Puddletown". Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! Although the "official" nickname is "City of Roses".

So in the end. I'm very proud of how much I've learned about my new town in the last two years. :)

I Need to Move.

According to OKCupid, I live in "the most promiscuous city in the nation".... I'm obviously living in the wrong city....

*          *          *

Which U.S. Cities Have The Most Casual Sex?

www.huffingtonpost.com

Unless you're reading this in Portland, the most promiscuous city in the nation, you have some work to do -- at least according to OkCupid.com. The start-up dating site has taken on the envious job of determining which cities are most likely to engage in casual sex. Along the way, they've also compiled some sex-related infographics correlating the mundane and the risque (for instance, a ven-diagram of 'people who eat oatmeal,' and 'people who, like, really go at it').

How were these distinctions awarded? OkCupid told the HuffPost it all ties back to the percentage of users in each city who list "Casual Sex" as one of the relationship types they seek. While we're thrilled two of HuffPost's Locals broke the top 10 (Denver and San Francisco), we're disappointed neither of them grab number one by the... uh, never mind.

10. Houston, TX

9. San Diego, CA*

8. Denver, CO

7. San Bernardino, CA*

6. Dallas, TX

5. San Francisco, CA*

4. Miami, FL

3. Pittsburgh, PA

2. Seattle, WA

1. Portland, OR*

*          *          *

Oh and I have lived in (or very close too) 4 out of the top 10 (marked by *).... I think I need to start rethinking where I move to. Where's the list of the top 10 cities to find someone to settle down with?
 

*          *          *

I wrote the above piece first thing this morning. This afternoon I came across an email that has some interesting overlap. This article was called "Top 10 Cities for Single Women" - based on surveys and research done by Rent.com (I know such a well known research institute) the following ten cities were considered most desirable for single woman (based off what their research found single woman found "desirable").

10. San Jose, CA

9. New York, NY

8. Las Vegas, NV

7. Los Angeles, CA

6. Chicago, IL

5. Washington DC

4. Denver, CO

3. Austin, TX

2. Seattle, WA

1. Phoenix, AZ

So wait, if you combine the two lists does that mean the promiscuous single women live mostly in Denver and Seattle?

Just kidding folks. Although it does make you wonder who is looking for "Casual Sex" in those first Top-10 if not the "Single Women"?

Portland: Childless by Choice

(Article was the headline news of the Oregonian today).

Fewer Oregon homes include children, new census data show

By Nikole Hannah-Jones, The Oregonian

Susana Holloway is a college-educated foodie who owns a business, shares a cute red bungalow in Northeast Portland with her husband, and loves children.

She just doesn't want any.

In Portland, the 37-year-old can feel at home. The city known for its young creatives should perhaps be known for its young and childless.

Just 30 percent of households in Oregon have children, the lowest rate among all but seven states, according to U.S. Census data released today. The picture is even starker in Portland, where only one in four homes includes a child 17 or younger.

But while an aging population helps explain the dearth of households with children statewide, Portland is bulging with residents of prime child-rearing age. Fully 36 percent of Portlanders are ages 25 to 44, the highest share among Oregon communities of at least 10,000 residents.

Yet the city's population of school-age children shrank over the decade even as the city grew. According to the 2010 Census, Portland is home to about 76,300 children ages 5 to 17, down by more than 2,800 from 2000.

"Young people come here not to raise families but because the urban core is a place with close proximity to jobs, nightlife, good restaurants and having fun," said Charles Rynerson, a demographer at the Portland State University Population Research Center. "Many people who come here either haven't started a family here yet or they will somewhere else."

The past decade, as many baby boomers aged from parents with children at home to empty-nesters, showed a sharp decline in the share of households with children -- nationally, in Oregon and in Portland. Oregon's rate of households with children dropped from 33 percent to 30 percent, paralleling a 3 percentage point drop nationwide to 33 percent.

Clackamas County showed an even steeper decline, from 37 percent in 2000 to 33 percent in 2010. Clark County was part of the trend, too, with a drop from 40 percent to 36 percent.

Americans gave birth to fewer babies in 2010 than in 1990, according to preliminary census tallies, despite tens of millions of immigrants entering the country. Twenty-three states saw a net loss in children since 2000. Oregon's under-17 population inched up during the decade, but the adult population grew much faster.

Rynerson said a few factors link Oregon with the other states -- Maine, North Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Vermont -- with the lowest rate of households with children. They all have a larger than average population of baby boomers. And except for Florida, they are very white states. White women have the lowest fertility rates.

Yet according to the most recent national census study of women who reached their early 40s without having children, education is a greater influence than race or ethnicity on whether a woman becomes a mother. While Portland's population is young, it maintains a thriving creative class that is highly educated and tends to put off or eschew child-rearing.

"This is a city of young foodies, designers and artists, and they don't have the energy or the time to want to start a family," said Holloway, who decided not to have children because of overpopulation and who runs a cooking school called Portland's Culinary Workshop. "It's such a creative city that people feel like they can make a go of it, and that's what they focus on. I joke that my business is my baby."

Portland's Karen Foster published her book "No Way Baby!: Exploring, Understanding, and Defending the Decision NOT to Have Children" this year and said the census reflects a trend toward waiting for or forgoing children.

"Many of these people simply haven't had children yet," said Foster, 43 and childless by choice. "People live here because they want to as opposed to going somewhere because of a job, so the city attracts people who are taking advantage of the lifestyle and may put off child-rearing."

Progressive cities such as Portland apply less pressure to have children, particularly at a young age, she said. But she bristles at the "Portlandia" notion that the city is full of adults who refuse to grow up.

"People accidentally get pregnant, but they don't accidentally not have children. That takes planning," she said. "Sometimes it's a very grown-up decision."

PSU's Rynerson said having fewer households with children carries positive and negative effects. Fewer children relative to adults means fewer tax dollars spent on children's services. But it also means fewer people to pay into Social Security to care for an aging nation and to take jobs to fuel the economy as earlier generations retire. Locally, a dwindling youth population leads to school closures and other upheaval.

But if Portland is unusual in its childlessness, one need look only a few miles away to find very different landscapes. More than 50 percent of households have children in Bethany, Cornelius and Sherwood. In Happy Valley, it's 49 percent.

Jason Gardner, a 35-year-old real estate agent and father of three, moved to Sherwood 11 years ago and has watched it flourish as families planted roots. While Portland is heavy on rental housing -- 46 percent rent -- Sherwood draws families, and 75 percent of residents own their homes.

"People typically don't move here to have babies, but I see people more times than not coming here to purchase when they already have young children," he said. "The biggest reason people move here is because it seems to attract people who want an environment where they can raise their kids peacefully and safely, and send them to good schools. Sherwood is a haven for those types of families."

28 Day Challenge - Day 9 Check In

"Today, I will try to feed myself when I am hungry.

Today, I will try to be attentive to how foods taste and make me feel.

Today, I will try to choose foods that I like and that make me feel good.

Today, I will try to honor my body's signals of fullness.

Today, I will try to find an enjoyable way to move my body.

Today, i will try to look kindly at my body and to treat it with love and respect"

-Live Well Pledge

Today we took my coworker out to lunch for his birthday (that was this past week). He just started a 28 day (different challenge) cleanse - eating (in phases) only raw food at the moment. So we went to a Vegan restaurant in town called Blossoming Lotus.

Even though I'm far from vegan (there's just no way I could abandon cheese) and I just can't wrap my head around the idea of "nut-cheese". I still had a yummy lunch; the Southwest Bowl - brown rice, spicy butternut & black bean chili, steamed greens topped with avocado ranch, roasted pepper sour cream, scallions and cilantro.

While I felt (very) out of place and the lunch was good, a friend put it best when she said "a plate of fried chicken and mashed potatoes covered in country gravy wouldn't be sitting as well right about now".

I came back to work and have done one quick lap of stairs (a figure eight basically) - down one, up another two (don't ask how that works). 

I plan on another few of those laps as the afternoon goes. (But I'm trying to be productive at work at the same time). :)

28 Day Challenge - Day 3 Check In

So I've had a jam-packed busy day today. One meeting after another after another. However, I knew that today was going to be busy and it would be hard to find time to do a walk at lunch (in all honesty it's 3:48 and I haven't taken a lunch break yet - I ate my salad in between meetings but no real break). 

So, since I knew I had a busy day planned, and the weather has been so agreeable lately, I took the bus this morning instead of the train. 

May not seem like a big deal. EXCEPT....

When I take the train to work I only walk from the house to the car, the car to the train, the train to a bus and a bus to work. In total I walk (maybe) 3 blocks. And if you've ever been to Portland you know we have teeny-tiny blocks.

However, when I walk to the bus (that takes me directly to the office and requires me being out of the house a 1/2 hour earlier than the train) I walk a 1/2 mile! (and then another 2-3 blocks to get to the office). 

I count today as a success. A half mile in the morning, taking the long way to get places today in the office, and I plan to take the long way (walking) when getting home this evening.

(We'll see how I'm feeling when I get home. We might have a 2-part day).

Becoming a Portlander

So I've lived in Portland for over a year (17-18 months) and when people ask "How do you like Portland?" I always seem to give a "It's nice" level answer. It's pretty, it's got so much, it's nice to be near family, blah blah blah. But nothing committal. 

I just haven't found my groove as it were. I always have "blamed" it on where in town I live. I'm a 30-45 minute car ride away from the City Center (which is a 45-60 minute ride via public transportation). And the neighborhood I currently live in isn't conducive to walking out the front door and experiencing Portland. 

Adjusting to any new town or city isn't easy. There are things that set you apart from "locals'. Things here and there that people consider initiation into being a Fill-in-the-Blank-er. So here I am 18 months into living in Portland and looking to become a Portlander (without being eligible as a cast member on Portlandia). 

A few months back the Willamette Week (an alternative newspaper in town) published their Finder magazine which includes "100 things you must do to be a Portlander" (by Matthew Korfhage, AP Kryza, Aaron Mesh, Becky Ohlsen and Chris Stamm).....Warning to readers. The Willamette Weekly can and is not PC, it is sarcastic, crude and airs on the side of asshole-ish. So if you are easily offended you might want to stop reading here.

So here we go. What they think I need to do to become a Portlander (and my thoughts on their suggestions)

*     *     *

100 Things You Must Do to be a Portlander

1. Throw away your umbrella - I don't think so. First I've heard this from people about Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. I've seen locals using umbrellas in all these places. And truth be told - a hat messes up my hair, a hoodie is not appropriate for my job and I don't want to look like a drowned rat to or from work. So I carry an umbrella with me at all times. Guess I'm just destended to not be a Portlander from the start.

2. Apply for a job at Powell's - I don't remember if I applied at Powells or not when I was seeking employment upon arrival. The cool thing I heard recently though is Powells prefers to higher people with higher education degrees. So if the gig I have fails at least I know I'm not over qualified for them. :)

3. Sell books at Powells - Haven't done this yet either. 0-3 so far. I tend to either not get rid of books, give them to friends and/or donate them to the Goodwill. 

4. Get a Multnomah County Library card (it's free) - Everyone in Portland reads! That's not a gross over generalization or blanket statement. Men, women, upperclass, homeless....they all have books and they'r always reading. I love that about Portland. Unfortunately I haven't gotten my butt up and around to getting a library card. I have plenty of books at home for now.

5. Get thrown off the MAX - No thank you. I have no desire to cause such a disturbance that I am thrown off the MAX! I have a trimet pass anyway. 

6. Thank your bus driver - Politeness for the win!! I do this every time whether I get off through the front or back doors. Nothing wrong with being grateful. 

7. Call a Radio Cab because TriMet doesn't run early enough to get you to the airport in time for a cross-country flight you booked before thinking about how you would get to the airport - Um.....? No? Yes I've called a cab (although not Radio Cab). Not to or from the airport.  And even if my flight was that early I know there are friends/family who would help me out. 

8. Learn how to pronounce Couch - For those of you who don't know...it's pronounced Kooch. *pause* Okay. Done giggling? Couch was a Portland founding father, blah blah blah. Yes I know the proper pronunciation and no I don't giggle over it. 

9. Cancel your social plans because it's raining too hard. - I don't think I've canceled on anyone because of the rain. There are days when it's raining so hard I decide not to venture out doors but I wouldn't cancel on friends due to the weather. 

10. Get a Netflix account, then get a Movie Madness account because you feel guilty.  - I have no idea what Movie Madness is. I'm assuming a more local version of Netflix (?) So another "no".

11. Join a food co-op or produce delivery service - Nope.

12. Eat meat surreptitiously. - Not going to happen.

13. Realize too late that city parking tickets double after 30 days - and keeps going. - Nope. Don't drive so I don't have to worry. 

14. Stand with a gaggle of misdemeanor offenders in the obscenely long metal-detector line at hte Multnomah County Courthouse. - Not yet.

15. Go to a strip club to play pool - Not that I don't have plenty to pick from but it hasn't happened.

16. Grow a half-beard. - I think that even though this hasn't happened to me, it's not going to count against me either. 

17. Get a haircut drunk - Never! No matter where I live!

18. Attend a themed pub crawl, like Santacon in December or the Urban Iditarod in March. Never do it again. - I had someone suggest I do this next year....Doubt it will happen.

19. Work off a hangover with an afternoon of Skee-Ball at Avalon Theatre and Wunderland Nickel Arcade  - Not yet and I'm not really a big fan of arcades....

20. Flirt at the Doug Fir fire pit. - Nope.

21. Watch the sunset from Mount Tabor - No objections to this, just hasn't happened

22. Forward a Portland-related story from the New York Times website - Of course I have! Forwarded them to folks living here as well as soon-to-be visiting friends. 

23. Deplore the Mexican food, until you discover a burrito cart - So I haven't discovered a burrito cart but we have found a few restaurants that satisfy us enough....for now (Don Pedro, Por Que No, La Isla Bonita)

24. Apply to grad school and don't go - Haven't applied. Thought about it but didn't even get to the application process part

25. Endure seasonal affective disorder (aka November) - Or you know...September through June...but whatever.....

26. Explain how you're still feeling bad about what happened to Elliott Smith. - Not so much

27. Use Craigslist to befriend somebody with a medical marijuana card. - Not going to happen...ever

28. Discover sliding-scale therapy. - Know it exists but haven't used it.

29. Walk the Eastbank Esplanade. - I've walked along the west side of river but never the east

30. Develop a passive-aggressive method to deter people asking for change and/or your signature. - I probably have but being passive aggressive just haven't realized I've developed it....denial stage still. :)

31. Take a bag of empty bottles to the grocery store return station for that precious $3 - We give them to my sister who does.

32. Sleep with somebody who works at New Seasons. - Haha. No. Haven't done this either. 

33. Experience Starbucks shame - This is not a Portland only concept. But since Starbucks not only gave my younger sister her first job ever, has treated her well and has given her insurance...Starbucks haters can kiss my ass.

34. Hate California - Never going to happen. Sorry folks. I still have my California ID

35. Quit a yoga class - Haven't joined one (yet)

36. Pick a side of the Willamette River (you're either a westsider or an eastsider. You can't be both). - This is soooo true! I was talking to a co-worker (who lives on the eastside) about how I was thinking of moving to the westside to be closer to work...the look she gave me!! You would have thought I just told her I decided to become a cannibal!

37. Gentrify a neighborhood. - Nope.

38. Pick berries on Sauvie Island- Nope.

39. Pretend to listen to OPB- Nope.

40. Embrace soccer. It's inevitable. - Nope.

41. Be outraged that Brandon Roy is dissed by NBA All-Star voters- Who?.That's soccer right? Oh! Basketball...got it!

42. Complain about mild traffic. - Get over it Portlanders. You don't like the traffic go try commuting home in LA

43. Shop for a station wagon - Volvo or Subaru - Haven't.

44. Buy a backyard chicken - No...and I honestly can't see this ever happening. Please if it does commit me!

45. Have an opinion on Oregon pinot - Why?

46. Vote! It's by mail, so you have no excuses. - Of course!!! A few times at this point!

47. Dance at the Fez, the Goodfoot or Ararat- Haven't.

48. Pull a phone number at a dog park.- Haven't.

49. Buy some outdoor gear (You don't have to use it).- Haven't.

50. Accidentally fuck up the compost bin at a Burgerville - I don't know! :S

51. Develop a deep-seated scorn for those tax dodgers in Vancouver - Whatever! I can't blame them for wanting to not pay Sales Tax either! If I lived in WA I'd try to get away with it too!!

52. Pretend you don't recognize somebody is a Suicide Girl- Haven't.

53. Be proud of your black friend. - Oh WW

54. If you've read Chuck Palaniuk, pretend you haven't, or vice versa - Again a town of liars?

55. Get laid off, join the creative class- Haven't.

56. Buy clothes from Red Light and try to sell them at Buffalo Exchange- Haven't.

57. Find a dress at the Red White & Blue Thrift Store.- Haven't.

58. Wear it to the Red Dress Party- Haven't.

59. Get lost in outer east Portland - I live in the OUTER east Portland so getting lost doesn't really happen. Now the west? That's a different story. 

60. Float down the Little Sandy River with liquored-up rednecks.- Not yet

61. Wait in line for brunch - There's no way around this. Portland is OBSESSED with breakfast/brunch. No matter where you go - if it's a weekend brunch you're going to wait. 

62. Crash your bicycle on the streetcar tracks while distracted by the sign warning you not to crash you bike on the streetcar tracks. - LMAO! I want to meet someone who has just to shake their hand. I wish I could say I've done this!

63. Drive over the Cascades at night. - Not at night.

64. Don't buy tire chains, then complain when Les Schwabe runs out during the annual snowstorm. - Snowstorms? Please. Yes, I bitch and moan every winter (I've been through two) but snowstorm? Unless you're commuting outside of Portland you don't need tire chains. And at this point everyone is so panicked from a few winters ago (when it did snow so hard the town of Portland shut down) that they all own snow tires or tire chains at this point.  

65. Be forced to disembark public transit because it's stuck in snow. - See above.

66. Hug a stranger at the Oregon Brewers Festival - Haven't gone to a Brew Fest yet so no stranger hugs.

67. Learn how hard it is to be pregnant and vegan - Well. Let's see. I haven't been pregnant and don't plan on being vegan...so I don't think this one is going to happen either. 

68. Take a filmmaking class at the NW Film Center - Haven't.

69. Watch The Big Lebowski with beer at a theatre- Haven't.

70. Mistake Gus Van Sant for a homeless person - I have to admit. I had to look him up. No clue who he was. So I may have....haha. 

71. Adopt a favorite homeless person, the only one you'll give money - I do have a  favorite in the sense of the most creative sign I've seen. I gave him the hot leftovers from my breakfast the one (and only) morning I saw him....but I would never just give one person money only. (Oh the guys sign said something along the lines of "Allergic to Jail. Too Ugly to Prostitute. Too old o work.")

72. Watch your favorite shitty bar get replaced by a condo - My favorite bars are far from shitty and none have been replaced by condos. 

73. Give your house a stupid name, as if it's a real music venue - Never going to happen.

74. Complain about a free concert - Bitch bitch bitch.

75. Britt Daniel - Um? Who?

76. Ride the 14-line Bus of Shame - Now I have ridden the 14-line but it was after a pot-luck and in the early evening. There was no Ride-of-Shame involved.

77. Distrust the police, even though all your interactions with them have been without incident - I've met a number of police offers and they've all been super polite and kind. However, I am an educated white woman. They (the police) have been a little trigger-happy lately if you ask some people. Doesn't mean I'm going to develop a distrust for them. 

78. Visit the Paul Bunyan statue in Kenton - No, but I WANT TO!!

79. Stop thinking the pronunciation of Couch is funny. - Already have. 

80. Get an Oregon drivers license (it's $60) - I was just talking about this with someone. My Cali ID is good until 2015...we'll see what happens then. 

81. Wait patiently in Camas for someone to pump your gas - Okay. So it wasn't Camas. But it was in Washington. We'd only been living in Oregon two months. We were on our way home from Thanksgiving dinner in WA and stopped for gas in the little town before we headed home. We didn't wait long luckily but it was that "Oh yea!" moment when we realized no one was going to come and pump our gas for us. 

82. Join an ironic/drunk sport - Probably not going to happen.

83. Fall asleep in a public place and have nothing bad happen to you. - Haha. I think I can say yes to this one. :) I wasn't feeling well and was on my way home from work. I closed my eyes on the bus and didn't realize when we pulled into the transit center (last stop - where I was to get off and transfer). A nice gentleman came and touched my shoulder letting me know it was time to get off. 

84. Become an Internet reverend. - Whatever. We did this in college. 

85. Take out-of-town relatives for an exciting "sway and dip" ride on the Aerial Tram. Realize there's nothing to do at OHSU unless you're sick. Ride back down. - Yea. You're not getting me on that Aerial Tram. Not going to happen. 

86. Get stuck on a bridge. - Hasn't happened. Yet.

87. Refuse to attend a party ~~ on the other side of the river - No. 

88. Show up an hour late to a show, and be angry it's already started - Is it just me or do Portlanders seem to be self-entitled whinny bitches?

89. See the Vaux's swifts fly into the Chapman Elementary School's chimney on a September evening. - I didn't even know about this but now I want to!

90. Own a Richmond Fontaine record - Nope. 

91. Talk about how much you enjoy Wordstock, even if you've never been - Is Portland also a town full of liars?

92. Take the farmers market for granted - Never. I'm so excited they're opening up again soon!

93. Follow a food cart on Twitter - I do have a Twitter account but I don't think I follow a food cart.

94. Combine your love of found art and recycling at Last Thursday - Never been. 

95. Crash a Wieden+Kennedy office party- Never been.

96. Have a long conversation about Noam Chomsky - Is it bad I don't know who this is?

97. Love Bud Clark - I'm just not allowed to be a Portlander because I have no idea who any of these people are!!

98. Refer to your spouse as your "partner" - There's nothing wrong with using all inclusive language....I don't do this but still....

99. Travel to Cannon Beach or Newport for Mo's clam chowder  - Now I went to Newport this past February for my birthday. And we ate at the ORIGINAL Mo's. My sister and her boyfriend both got the clam chowder (I tried some of theirs) and really it was nothing special. I won't be going out of my way again to eat there. 

100. Get caught in the rain at Cathedral Park; take shelter under the St. John's Bridge. (Bonus points: Fall in Love).  - Haven't been to Cathedral Park, taken shelter under the bridge but wouldn't be against getting a few bonus points (at this point I need all I can get).

*     *     *

So what do you think? Which numbers should I strive for to become more Portlander-like?

Making the Most of Where I Live

Whenever I go on vacation, or travel to visit friends, I always plan ahead. I think of places I want to visit while I'm there - sometimes the activities are super touristy and sometimes they aren't...even if it's a town I've been to before I always have a list of things I want to do (call me OCD if you want but I'm a born planner)! When I visited friends in Seattle this past 4th of July, eating at Sky City (the Space Needle restaurant) and visiting Pike Place MarketSan Diego Zoo and my favorite restaurant Spread are always on my to-do. were both a must. When I travel to San Diego to see friends and family the

Back in 2007 two of my favorite actors (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) teamed up for a movie called "The Bucket List". While I enjoyed the movie (and this isn't a movie review folks) it approached the idea of a "Life To-Do" list a bit more...somber if you will. I mean I get it..."Bucket List"...before you "Kick the Bucket"...but I don't want to be running around my few last months of life trying to accomplish things. I want to come to the end of my life having confidence that I did the things and went to the places I wanted to.

After the movie it was almost an epidemic of websites and books giving tips and pointers to people looking to make their own Bucket List. Ideas ranging from 101 Things To Do Before You Die to websites encouraging people to have Bucket List items like "Be Financially Stable" and "Find and Marry the Love of Your Life". 

However, it wasn't any of these websites that inspired me to create my own "Bucket List"...it was a friend and co-worker. A few months ago she decided to create a Bucket List for the city she was living and attending school in. She decided to explore and do/see as much as she could before graduating school (and thus possibly moving away).

I moved to Portland, Oregon in October 2009 and have done fairly well at exploring my new home. I bought the Secret Portland book (as well as a number of other Portland Tourist books) and have been inspired by a number of the entries. Now I want to go a step further. I've decided I want to take as much advantage of Portland as I can (since I do not know how long I will be a Portland resident). 

I've consulted with friends and family, as well as just my knowledge of Portland have come up with the following:

Places/Things I want to do:

-OMSI

-Portland Art Museum

-Oregon State Fair

-Japaense Garden

-International Rose Test Garden

-World Forestry Center (going on Sept. 7th)

-Portland Walking Tours (underground tunnels!!)

-PSU Farmer's Market

-First Thursday

-Last Thursday

-Hoyt Arboretum

-Pittock Mansion

-Ashland Shakespearian Festival

-Mt Hood

-Mt St. Helens (okay I know it's in WA but its close)

-Oregon Coast Aquarium

-Wine tasting tour

-McMenamins

Places/Things Accomplished:

-Powell's Bookstore (done a few times over)

-Multnomah Falls

-Portland Spirit Cruise along the Columbia River

-Pioneer Cemeteries (work in progress)

-Portland Zoo

-Summer Concert at the Zoo

-Train from Seattle to Portland

-Hawthorne Blvd

-Portland Rose Festival (heck I worked for them!) <3

-Chinese Garden

-The Grotto

-Peacock Ave at Christmas

-NW23rd Neighborhood

-McMenamin's Tots @ McMenamin's Edgefield (8/21)

-Gresham Farmer's Market

-Saturday Market

-Seaside (In November so it was super cold. Would like to do again when warmer)

-Tillamook Creamery (2x)

-Oregon Coast & Coast Highway (2x)

-Voodoo Doughnuts (duh!)

-Stepping Stone Cafe (recommendation from my BF after watching the Travel Channel)

-Portland Epicurian Walking Tour (8/24)

-Por Que No

-The Space Room

If you live (or have lived) in the Portland area and have ideas, suggestions, or recommendations - please feel free to pass them along. 

Heck, if you've never been to Portland but have seen somewhere on the Travel Channel or Food Network - pass that along too!!

Portland Fashion

Can this be explained to me please? 
Are we the Wicked Witch of the West's color blind cousin? 
We on our way home from a clown gig and didn't change out of costume fully? 









Or am I just missing something?

Fashion Follow Up: Bus Manners

Anyone who has ridden public transit - doesn't matter where - is familiar with the signs about giving up your seat to the elderly and disabled. But I've started to notice an unspoken bus rule...if you have the choice between people, give your seat up to the better dressed.

Now I do believe in coincidences and of course this theory could be isolated to just my route; which goes from the town center of the neighboring city (with a reputation of Tweek-Central), through East Portland and then into Downtown. The patrons on my route range from the elderly Russian Grandma stopping at the local Russian market and deli for her weekly shopping, the fourteen year old mother getting off at the county clinic with baby in tow, the hipster couple toting yoga mats and gym clothes in hand, well dressed business wo/man heading to work in one of downtowns city center buildings, and everyone in between.

Most days coming home from work there is standing room only and on most days I stand with the others, holding on like Gibbons in a tree. I have had people offer up their seats to me a few times, usually their stop is coming up and they need to make their way to the doors.

Then there were the other times. Times when a man jumped out of his seat to stand and offer it to me - instead of the woman in jeans and a sweatshirt who was closer to him.

The Asian Grandpa that tried to have a young business man take his seat - the younger man declined and insisted the older man stay seated.

The scowling woman who refused to move her knitting bag until a well dressed woman with Prada and Smartphone needed a place to sit.

So what is it that I'm witnessing?

A random group of coincidences where people would rather give up their seat to the business dressed 20something over the 40something in t-shirt and jeans?

Is there some unwritten rule someone forgot to tell me about when I joined the 20somethings?

Enjoy the view - for now.

As I was sitting outside, on my lunch hour enjoying the brief half hour of S-U-N Mother Nature gave me, I began wondering am I missing something?

Is that why my 20-somethings feel slightly off? But what could it be...I don't feel "incomplete" but somehow I don't feel complete either.

Hm? Something to ponder I suppose. For now I'll enjoy the view.

Dress code

Everyone's familiar with Taz, the Tasmanian devil from Warner Brother's cartoons, right?  He spins and spins, like a whirling dervish gone wrong, then stops to grumble incoherently and then spins and spins and spins some more. All the while destroying everything in his path....that was me this morning getting ready for work.  

I had known pretty much all week what I was going to wear today; having just bought a new blouse this past weekend and getting up at 6:00AM to be on public transit by 7:00AM, I need to plan a little in advance. Jeans and undergarments on, i watched myself turn into the Tasmanian devil trying one shirt on after another, throwing clothes across the room in frustration, tripping over my Momma-Cat as she was wondering what the hell was wrong with me. It wasn't that I was having a moment of I-hate-my-body (which I have had plenty of in my lifetime) it was just every shirt I put on wasn't the "right-one"...didn't say what I wanted it to.   

But what is it exactly that I was looking for it to say?  

*    *    *  

I moved to Portland, Oregon almost six months ago and have been shocked by the overall "style" (or in my opinion lack-thereof) in Portlanders. Everyone appears to have a uniform - with some room for variation of course: sneakers or hiking boots, jeans or sweatpants, a giant oversized fleece coat (typically multi-colored), scruffy beards for the men and lifeless cuts for the women. 

Yes, I moved during the Fall/Winter when people are looking to bundle up and stay warm - but can't you do that with some style? I mean New York and Chicago folks are known for pulling this off just fine.   


I never had thought of myself as one of the "better" dressed people anywhere I've lived, until I moved to Portland. Now this isn't to say that all Portlanders dress this way. The men and women in my office are all very stylish and "dress-to-impress" for the most part. Perhaps this is because of where I work? Public representatives. Physical embodiments of an iconic Portland event? I don't know. I do, however, know that my "casual" seems to be pretty dressed-up around the home of Portlandia.  

*    *    *  

This morning's whirling dervish extravaganza got me thinking about why I put so much effort into my appearance? Why I feel it necessary to slap on some mascara and eyeliner before venturing outside my front door? Is it a manifestation of this fictional 20-something lifestyle I've been brainwashed to believe I need to obtain?  

I was a techie in theatre during high school; so the uniform for those four years was a pair of jeans and t-shirt to make crawling around in costume closets and hauling lumber for sets easier. When I started college the uniform wasn't much different: jeans and tanks - perhaps the occasional skirt or sarong. Then about my senior year I started wearing high heels to class, coordinating my earrings to whatever color my blouse was that day.   

What was it that changed?   

I wasn't ambushed on some style television show about how to dress my body. No one told me "Morgan you look a mess" No life altering event took place other than being well into my early-20s.  

Now here I am in my mid-to-late20s and I can't help but wonder: 

What does a 20-something dress like?