My first time in Portland Oregon was 2007 during my crosscountry roadtrip. It was spring, the weather was perfect, and I had a gracious host who showed me around the city and gave me an experience where for the following 6 years I spoke of my utopia, Portland.
It took me 6 years to make it back. Pedalpalooza, three weeks of themed bike rides including the famed naked bike ride, goes through the month of June. I came up with my cycling group to see first hand how Portland does it. Being part of a very bike oriented subculture, we were excited to see it all.
I additionally came to Portland because I am in such a transitional state, I viewed this trip as that extra push towards Portland, my utopia, and making a life here.
My first group ride in Portland was a Farm to Farm ride, which took us to urban farms through the city, all with different layouts and stories with how they came into fruition. The turn out was inspiring, people of all different ages, who like me loved bikes and farms and were looking for their own way to put it all together. It was a great crowd of people to be surrounded by.
I am camping in a backyard of a beautiful home, next to some chickens, along a busy bike boulevard. The traffic of bikes far exceeds that of cars. It is beautiful.
There are local artists everywhere, and I have already been invited back with a place to stay and the urging to come sale my jewelry at their last Thursdays on Alberta, where I won’t need a permit or to worry about tax!
The road infrastructure seems to be the representation of complete streets- set up to account for pedestrians, cyclists, and cars. And the awareness of all three by each group creates a carefree trip around the city.
But, I don’t want to move to Portland.
Although in Portland I feels safe, I can easily find farms to volunteer at, I could sell my art, I could meet thousands of people with similar interests, and everything cool thing I could think of (bicycle repair + bar, urban farm + dinner club, delicious themes doughnuts, to name a few) have already been done, time and time again, it is lacking a few important things.
Growing up in the Bay Area I am not accustom to such a lack of ethnic and cultural diversity, and being surrounded by a variety of different ways of thinking. I don’t crave being different, but I do crave being opened and challenge by the people around me. I don’t know if I would get that from Portland.
I want to live in a place where much of the good ideas already in place in Portland could be beneficial and flourish. I don’t want to compete with a large number of businesses with the same mission or idea. I believe I would feel more fulfilled bringing these things to a community that doesn’t already have it.
Of course I’d be a fool to stay away for another 6 years. Portland really is a mini utopia, and has a lot to offer in terms of ideas and inspiration. But for now, the search for the right place for me continues.
Gatherparadise 