After reading some of the comments above, I wonder if I am confused about the transportation on the west coast. Could it be Portland that had the reputation of a great transit system?

Light rail has been a topic for the politicos down here and it apparently has just been defeated. I thought that the model system that was referred to was in Seattle, but could it have been Portland?

Forgive my ignorance.

Yes, Portland has great public transportation. That is probably what you read.

Light rail is BRAND new in Seattle, seriously just this month was barely the first day.

We have a very good bus system (Metro, Sound Transit) and also lots of ferries and Amtrak train.

We have the highest pedestrian fatality rate in the nation.

It's interesting that Portland's public transit system is so well regarded. One of the key highlights of the system - our "fareless square" - is actually being partly done away with. Although the proposal to eliminate it is in the approval process, I see it as a done deal. I believe that by early next year, only the MAX train and the streetcar will be fareless; buses won't be. Tourists probably don't care, but some of us residents do use the fareless square buses.

Also, as I've said here before I'm sure, I have several complaints about our much-touted "MAX" light rail system. It's really a hybrid between a street car and a commuter train. When it's a streetcar (e.g. downtown) it stops often and goes really slowly, along city streets, and that really slows the transit time of the trains. No one traveling from Beaverton (west of Portland) to the airport (east of Portland) wants to putter through downtown Portland stopping every other block where there are about ten stops. And our trains are limited to two cars only (the size of one city block). Seattle's new system seems not to have either of these constraints, which I see as a huge improvement.

I concur with those who suggest you stay on Capitol Hill.