<p>I visited my D last weekend- not only did I appreciate less traffic, more choices for walkable restaurants, less expensive " vintage" stores, cheaper drinks ;), & I hardly saw * any* condos, but this I love
[In</a> Portland, Ore., parking laws include police](<a href=“http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_police_parking_ticket.html?source=mypi]In”>http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_police_parking_ticket.html?source=mypi)</p>
<p>That sounds heavenly EK!</p>
<p>Yesterday my son and I observed an on duty police officer make an illegal U-turn while illegally talking on his cell phone. I guess some people are above the law.</p>
<p>The Pearl District is loaded with new condos as is the river front south area. Maybe not as much in the SF neighborhoods yet.
I agree, I like Portland >>Seattle. Too late to move though.</p>
<p>I sure hit a lot of traffic trying to get to the Portland airport from the south side last week…it crawled for the last 30 miles! It was around 5pm so I expected some traffic but it was definitely worse than I had expected. Maybe that’s unusual or maybe Seattle is just so bad it seems light to you by comparison?
I will say we loved our time in Oregon though…I am looking forward to visiting my daughter frequently!</p>
<p>Shhhhhhhh! Don’t spread the word about Portland, please. For us old timers here, the crowding and traffic are getting bad, and we don’t want a bunch of people moving in. The neighborhood in which I grew up used to be widely spaced single family homes. Now every bit of space is being filled in with new developments of houses on small lots or, yes, condos. But at least there is still the Springwater Trail out our way, which is quite nice. It used to be a railroad track when I was a kid, and we would wander down it to find tadpoles at the pond.</p>
<p>C’mon down! We love living in Portland. :)</p>
<p>It makes me so happy to see this as a headline! On these beautiful summer days, with the mountains in full bloom, it’s a hard place to beat!</p>
<p>Now in early March, on the other hand…</p>
<p>Sadly, the only time I was in Portland it was early March. Not only that my windshield wiper motor decided to die on me!</p>
<p>But I did like it.</p>
<p>Portland’s amazing! I spent time in Seattle and Portland a few months ago, and I enjoyed the former so much more than the latter.</p>
<p>The weather’s lousy in Portland - it rains too much, is overcast and dreary too often, and it’s too cold to go in the ocean without a full wetsuit - oh wait, you’re from Seattle - never mind!</p>
<p>I’ll take rain over traffic ANY day!</p>
<p>Lot’s of us Seattle folks have a secret desire to move to Portland. It just seems to work better than Seattle without all the long debates and passive aggressiveness. I bet they even are more friendly to newcomers.</p>
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Maybe it’s just too rainy out to go anywhere!</p>
<p>My uncle was raised in SoCal and then moved to Portland. Went into a deep depressive cycles due to the weather.</p>
<p>I couldn’t handle it. I’ll take sun/heat/traffic over cold/wet any day.</p>
<p>D lives a block away from Hawthorne- virtually all her friends ride bikes- they kept stopping by and then a herd of them would go off.
I hardly ever go to the Pearl district or even through it, except when maybe I take the train. ( and the confluence of the bridges and the various freeways drive me nuts)</p>
<p>I like the Hawthorne district although since it was close to Reed, I had already explored it several times over the years ( plus it has two Powells- that are of manageable size)</p>
<p>But last weekend I ventured to Alberta street- and found a whole new area to explore.
[Hipper than Fremont](<a href=“http://www.portlandoctopus.com/portland-neighborhoods/alberta/”>http://www.portlandoctopus.com/portland-neighborhoods/alberta/</a>)</p>
<p>I visited older S in Portland in May, and I fell in love with that city and area. Beautiful scenery, progressive people, reasonable cost of living, excellent public transportation. I just wish they got more sunshine.</p>
<p>here Kitty, Kitty…how about the east coast Portland?? I think we get MORE sun…and lots of other advantages!! It is nice though that you like the city your daughter lives in…that is a blessing in itself…makes visiting a positive…I miss my son’s college town…I liked the shops, I liked the restaurants…and since it is 4 hrs away, unlikely to be on our itinerary… I have a friend with a business apartment in NYC and we have used it for visits and it is just fun to have a place that is “away” but is also “familiar.” That is what I think it will be like to visit my own child when they have moved away. I hope I like their choice as you do your daughter’s, Emeraldkity…</p>
<p>Seattle is much more vibrant than PDX. Better weather too. More and better museums, beautiful water, ferry, Space Needle, Rainier, Pikes, Ivars, UWub, Lake Washington, seals and salmon with in the city, closer to skiing, whale watching, fishing, air connections. Home to Costco, Microsoft, Boeing, Calabas, Safeco, Farmers Ins.</p>
<p>More interesting CC people are also in the Seattle metro area. </p>
<p>I think you are just fine in Washington.</p>
<p>But I have lived here for 50 years- I am sick of the condos, I am tired of the sucky public transportation ( I don’t dare ride my bike much, because so many people run lights), Im tired of everything having to be Starbucks/nordstroms/amazoned-tired of the high sales tax & of property taxes that increase so much that I am being forced out of my house.</p>
<p>( Portland has Mt Hood for skiing- which my family likes better than Alpental- they have Costco too & now even have IKEA 
)</p>
<p>Pearl Jam doesn’t play here anyway :p- & if they manage to hit the Gorge I can just as easily drive up from Portland.</p>
<p>I like John Rodericks column- but I have to mention I didn’t see any jugglers or mimes in P-town. ( no- I did not stop by Reed)
[Reverb</a> - Seattle News, Events, Restaurants, Music from Seattle](<a href=“http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2008/06/seattle_uber_alles.php]Reverb”>http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2008/06/seattle_uber_alles.php)</p>
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<p>we don’t need another Abercrombie & Fitch or Barnes & Noble.
I live here and sometimes I can’t tell what city I am in.</p>
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<p>Oh and the latest " good Seattle idea" is going to be charging shoppers $.20 for plastic or paper bags. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Plus we have Mayor Greg Nickles- who decided that “affordable housing” requirement could be met by a studio apt going for $1,115.000 a month.</p>
<p>I also like OMSI way better than PSC.
Imax is cool though
I do like the ferries & the islands-I like the saltwater beaches in Seattle & Bumpershoot.</p>
<p>Vancouver, WA is nice.
Oregon has the 9% flat income tax. and the ~2% property tax based on real market value with an allowance to increase 6% per year. PDX has an additional property tax supplement to maintain the school system (their HS are less than 1000 students but built for 2000, grade schools have empty rooms, high student to teacher ratios) . There is a reason why Vancouver WA is growing.</p>
<p>I have a client who was Tboned last week by a SUV on her bicycle. She is lucky to be alive and fortunately only bruised and shaken. She had the right-a-way.</p>