Take Me Back To Portland, Part 1

I always find myself attracted to areas of the world that rarely see sunshine. Which is odd, because if anyone knows me, they know I love ridiculously warm California weather.

Voodoo Doughnut truck, Portland.

But those who know me, know I love food more than sunshine. And Portland has some damn good food. Home of the famous Voodoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee, this city has been calling my name for a while. I was too distracted in Amsterdam to hear it.

One thing about Portland shocked me: people are nice. They strike up friendly conversation with people and are actually interested in what you have to say. For example, my mom and I walked into Deschutes Brewery for some pub food, Oregon microbrew, and most importantly, to stare at the TV screens broadcasting the Giants game. The host, a bit puzzled as to why I was so excited that "the game" was on in Oregon, asked why we were visiting Portland (guess tourist season isn't in March). When I answered, "to look at graduate schools," he asked, "what schools?" (my main choice: University of Oregon) and responded with a "Go Ducks! Good luck with schools!"

My mom and I were dumbfounded. Smiling, friendly individuals despite their residency in a city with little sun. Clean sidewalks in the Downtown districts. Free and rather spotless public transportation.

I didn't want to return to San Francisco.

True, there's no other city where I could spend an entire afternoon wasting away in Dolores Park with a tall can and a burrito, then head back to a friend's house and play Zelda: Ocarina of Time on his N64. But after a short ride on the L train back to my house, I would trade anything to reside in Portland. Portland was so friendly and familiar, filled with eco-friendly individuals and practices. Although the sun rarely shines, the citizens of Portland always have a smile on their face, welcoming you to their wonderful city. Delicious food, artisan beer and coffee, and heart-stopping doughnut toppings are only a few things that make this city amazing.

PS: I believe the writers of Portlandia would have so much material if they had chosen to focus on San Francisco rather than Portland. Because in reality, I've seen more fixies and dirty hipsters lying around the Mission in the past few hours than I did the past few days in Oregon.