things to love {about portland}

by Stacey, a new blog friend

1. It’s green. No, I don’t mean environmentally friendly (though it is). I mean good old-fashioned green: all of the streets of downtown are lined with trees, bushes, and flowers…it makes Portland feel more homey and less hectic.
2. Portland is equal distances from the mountains, the desert, and the beach. Whatever scenery you want, you can get it in less than two hours.
3. The quirkiness. I’ve never seen another city put random punctuation marks on their sidewalks, or go nuts over a shop called Voodoo Donuts (that really sells voodoo donuts, with pretzel stakes through the hearts), or put on shorts and sandals when the weather hits 60 degrees (it’s like the tropics!).
4. We like to eat organic, local food here in Portland, and it’s easy to find. There’s at least one farmer’s market every day of the week here in town, full of local farmers selling their produce, beef, salmon, cheese, jams, and bread.
5. There are distinct seasons, but they’re mild. We get blissfully perfect 80-degree summers, magnificent autumns, winters with just the right amount of snow (enough to build a snowman, but not enough to block up the roads), and sweet, delicate springs. (And yes, it rains quite a bit, but we're used to it.)
6. The public parks are some of the best in the country. From Forest Park in the West Hills (one of the largest in the country, with extensive trails), to the beautiful Rose Garden at Washington Park, to the world’s smallest park (Mill End Park, 0.3 square meters in size), Portland knows how to rock the outdoors.
7. The people are friendly. They’ll chat you up in line at the grocery store, smile at you as they walk past on the sidewalk, and run after you if you drop so much as a quarter on the ground so they can return it. It’s just grand.

Well, I'm ready to pack my bags and move up north to Portland. I love green. I love mild seasons. I love quirk. Before Stacey sent in her list, I'd heard of Voodoo Donuts and I love that such a wacky bakery is a city trademark. Her lovely photos only add to the list's charm. My favorite thing about this post is that David and I will be in Portland in approximately 2 weeks and we get to witness the lovely things Stacey shared with us. Well, we probably won't go to the beach and the mountains while we're there, but I'm excited for local produce, beautiful parks and friendly people. Thanks for sharing your list, Stacey! I can't wait until I'm there myself!