<p>So Seattle is beautiful, but my neighborhood that was ostracized when we moved here over 25 years ago, by people who said " why are you moving there?" 
, when it was a semi industrial blue collar place- have practically remade it into a place that is too hip to live. ( I only hope they do the same to Bellevue)</p>
<p>But Portland is a more or less hidden gem, " hidden" just because it is " on the west coast and it rains all the time".</p>
<p>However if NYT and TIME magazine has their way- that won’t be for long.</p>
<p>[Stumptown</a> Coffee vs. Starbucks: Portland, Seattle Rivals - TIME](<a href=“http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1970653,00.html]Stumptown”>http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1970653,00.html)</p>
<p>*"Starbucks laid the path. They made people aware. *</p>
<p>I’ve been going here, since it was a coffee cart on Capitol Hill in 1987ish
[Welcome</a> to Espresso Vivace](<a href=“http://www.espressovivace.com/]Welcome”>http://www.espressovivace.com/)
the best.</p>
<p>even though I don’t even drink coffee everyday anymore- just to have it available is enough- I can’t ever leave the northwest.
sigh</p>