Please tell me about Portland OR
 

I have to travel to Portland, Oregon for work. I have never been there before. Can someone please tell me what kind of city this is? Will I be bored to death?

Is there a lively gay population, or do a bunch of church ladies preside over the city?

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

Have you been to Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco, CA? This was my impression of Oregon :))

And no, it's definitely not a church city!

If you are lucky and there is no rain, you'll walk off several pairs of shoes! Portland is beautiful!

While Oregon in general has one of the nation's lowest proportion of church-going people (like 50% I think), there are plenty of churches in Portland. I within walking distance of at least 10 of them (although I don't attend any of them). Still, it's true that Portland itself is a quite liberal city, so its religious folk tend to be more on the liberal-Christian side not so much fundamentalists (though you find those too). The suburbs, especially east of Portland and Vancouver, WA, tend to be more conservative and fundamentalist.

But there's a strong counterculture vibe in Portland especially in the SE neighborhoods and lots of people with piercings and tattoos all over the city; I'd call them pretty much mainstream here. Yes, there are plenty of gay and lesbian people in Portland and they have a well-regarded pride parade every year. I don't think there's really a "Castro District" here, gays and lesbians are comfortable all over the city (Portland proper I mean, perhaps less so in the more conservative suburbs).

You won't be bored. Check out Powell's books if you like to read. Check out the Pearl District, NW 23rd Avenue, SE Hawthorne Blvd, SE Clinton Street (if you are more of the counter-culture type), N. Mississippi Avenue. Pick up a Willamette Week or a Portland Mercury free weekly when you arrive to learn what's happening in music and cultural events here.

Yep, Faina's right. Portland is secretly in competition with San Francisco over which city can out-liberal the other. You should fit right in, but you might want to tone your dress down a bit. We're pretty casual here.

Portland's an easy city to navigate; where you can't get on foot, you can easily get on public transportation. We've got great restaurants, and a decent music and arts scene. Don't remember exactly your beverage of choice, but while we pride ourselves in micro-brews and world-class pinot noir, we enjoy a good martini every now and then.

You mean no one will be impressed with my Ferragamo headband and Prada tennis racket cover? I can't imagine toning down my dress. I do have t-shirts, but Theory is as casual as I get.

Love great restaurants and martinis, sweetie darling.

I think Portlanders are more impressed by what's under that headband, sweety pie!

Oh Great and Powerful Thingorjus, I shall be most interested in hearing what you think of Portland. Faina is correct; it's what's under the headband that counts there.

LOL, marginal..just pack some really casual clothes including fleece (or whatever in the heck they call it) and you will fit right in. Love you and love your shoes!!

The NW area at 23rd St, Mississippi Street and Alberta Street have cool restaurants, boutiques, and a funky atmosphere. The Pearl District is more upscale but a great place to check out art galleries, shops, etc.

If you love good restaurants - you will love Portland! I think they have some of the best world class eats of any city I've been to.

You can visit the Rose Garden, the OMSI, the Portland Art Museum, drive out to Sauvie Island, go to the Columbia River Gorge.

I am still cracking up over the thought of Portland being presided over by church ladies!!!

Thank you for all your help.

I do have a fleece-y Miu Miu jumper. I hope that is good enough because I would rather stab myself than order something from the--I am gagging--LL Bean catalogue.

Thingorjus

thinorjus - you will look dashing in your fleeced "thingy" and the locals will perfer you in that i'm sure, because L.L.Bean clothing seems to mainstream for most portlanders!

Thin precious!
There is a lively population in Portland, gay and everything else too..you will love it!
I doubt you will be bored to death...and everyone is very nice, they are friendly and smiley and even if their hair is purple and they have 30 earrings in their noses and ears, they will be nice ...I totally enjoyed our time living in Portland, and we have very fond memories of the people there.

Martini?
Then go to the place that was across from where we lived ( how is that for conventient?) Vault Martini..lovely place, if it is cool and damp, they have a fireplace, if it is warm and dry, you can sit outside ( after 4) and drink the best martinis ( according to the Yankee) or my favorite, a Blood Orange Margarita..spoiling me for all Margaritas since.
bluehour also has a lovely bar and outdoor dining space, good for tasty drinks and eats.
Fenouil is my all time favorite restaurant..lovely place, lovely food and lovely view...sigh..just loverly.
Go to Pearl Bakery and get a coffee ( the Yankee loves the Costa Rica, I only drink cappucino) and a Gibassier..perfection and good fuel for walking the town.
Hop a streetcar if your Ferragamos get tight.
There is a Nordstroms if you want to go slumming and Saks is in the Pioneer Place Mall.
There is a coffee shop or two on every block..
And if you are on the lookout for a church lady ...
walk over to NW 19th and Couch..there is a beautiful little park and a wonderful Temple and a fabulous Church complete with nunnery and private gated gardens..
Portland has it all, sweetie ((L))

Actually darlin', if you want to meet a church lady or two I am embarrassed to say I could give you a letter of introduction. One doesn't have control over what actvities and interest family members by marriage have does one? I don't know who would be the most shocked..them or you, lol!

LL Bean? For shame! Portland is Columbia Sportwear country or possibly North Face.
Portland has a nice Saks with an excellent men's store, if you start to miss your designer labels too much, have a wander in there.
If you can manage to shop in Wilkes-Barre, you'll do fine in Portland.

If you want culture shock, do a day trip to Eugene. The second night after we moved there, we went out for dinner at supposedly the best restaurant in town and dressed as we would have for a meal in Rittenhouse Square.
We were walking to the restaurant when a pickup truck full of mossnecks (the local variety of rednecks) stopped at a traffic light and screamed at us: Go back to California, you f**king yuppies!
DH left them befuddled by calmly answering: I'm Canadian.

heck believe it or not, my gay friends even go down to Portland (from Seattle!) to party on the weekends.

LOL BTilke...left them with their mouths hanging open trying to figure that one out! That's great.

I think Portland is best for the outdoorsy kind of a person. Mountainous landscapes as far as the eye can see, fresh blooming azaleas, the John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor with waterfalls, grand mountains and deep canyons, it’s a hiker’s paradise. When away from work, you can go windsurfing and swimming, if it's up your alley!

Think Nike, Adidas, Columbia, REI, etc. Load up on fleece (no slaes tax here) and buy some Keens, Tevas or Birkenstocks. Add some cargo shorts and hit the Saturday Market :D

Can't wait to hear what you think of it here!

Actually, even dowdy coal-cracker-country Wilkes-Barre has a Macy's. But, I only buy groceries and gas there when I am not "at home" at my palatial Victorian manse in suburban Philadelphia.

BTilke, from Allentown to Eugene to Berks. My, how you have climbed in this world. :)

As long as I can get a gin martini I sould be fine.

Allentown? Pfft, as if. I'll have you know I grew up in Beverly Hills!
Admittedly, Beverly Hills 18036 may not have the same rep as Beverly Hills 90210, but hey, for a while it was THE glamour address of Lower Milford Township.