I've lived in Rip City for about a year and a half-ish. I was living in Michigan, where I was on the better-late-than-never plan at Michigan State University. After I barely scraped by and got my worthless liberal arts degree in Religious Studies, I was convinced by a few of my old Michigan friends to join them out in Portland. (I didn't have anywhere else better in mind, figured what the hell.) So I packed up all my belongings in my station wagon and drove across the country to a city I'd never set foot in, and I lived in their basement for over a year. I've been in Southeast my whole tenure in PDX... my basement dwelling was in a house by Colonel Summer's Park in the Hawthorne area, and now I live off Belmont. I dig southeast. It's weird for the sake of weird, and super laid back, which I would say reflects my personality fairly well.
2) What fills up your days (or nights) in Portland?
I work at Starbucks, which is pretty much the quintessential Portland starter job. It's been a decent 'pay the bills' sort of gig, even if it wakes me at ungodly hours of the morning. I also have been known to write words in my spare time, in the afternoons when most of my friends are either working or sleeping. I like to do this in weird places sometimes... take my journal and my pipe and hit up one of the many parks, camp out in coffee houses or go to bars in the early afternoon when no one else is there. People watching never fails in Portland, and it's proven to be immensely helpful in writing fiction. I've based several short stories on random stuff I've encountered here... from a young lady's odd expression on a packed Trimet bus to a grocery bag with three abandoned baby shoes on Taylor street. Of course, I also kill waaay too much time on Netflix.
3) Where are some of your favorite place to go and things to do in Portland?
I love the beer and coffee culture here in Portland. I come from a place where you had to hunt for a good microbrew, and where Starbucks was the best cup of java around. In Portland, great beer and coffee are EVERYWHERE. Barbershops have beer, bike shops have extensive espresso bars. So I love bouncing around, trying to find eclectic places. (Roadside Attraction, the Doug Fir, and Central are some of my personal favorites, places with character.) There's always a good show going on too... I'm really into the indie music scene here. And the existence of Powell's books and the copious amount of record stores keep me from saving too much money.
4) What are some different things about Portland that make it Portland? I'll answer your question with an anecdote. In April of 2011, I was walking down SE 20th street on the way to 7-11 on Hawthorne. I was promptly passed by a man in a handlebar mustache and suspenders, riding a double-decker bicycle, with a dead Christmas tree slung over one shoulder.I decided to myself that this was my kind of town. 5) Do you plan on staying in Portland for a while? Well, I dig Portland. I don't really have a reason to leave. Made some great friends, go to a great church, (doorofhopepdx.org) and I find that people here think outside the box. Which is cool. I'm also applying for Seminaries, of which there are several great ones in the area. But in general, I enjoy living in a town where I can walk down the street and not get funny looks. It's pretty rad.
Also, I like seeing mountains. Mountains, Gandalf!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment