Why I love Portland

Keep Portland weird, indeed. 

Here's the gist.  My boyfriend finished law school (hooray), we moved back to Portland (hooray), I'm still working for that coffee joint, and he's looking for work.  That just about sums it up.  It feels really great to be back in the Pacific Northwest.  Sure Portlandia is funny, but it gets a bit old being called a hipster and putting birds on everything.  There are a lot of bitchin' reasons to explain my being happier in Portland, some are little, some are big, I selected a few to highlight.

Almost all of my family lives in town or at least in the same time-zone (excepting for my Kauai-dwelling mother).  It is so great to be able to call up a sibling and shout, "Hey, sucker!  Let's go see a movie!'  Or to be able to watch sporting events with Nana.  Some could make an argument that her favorite grandchild is my boyfriend... he is the only person we know that enjoys sports as much as she. 

I also love the weather.  Portland is infamous for gray and rainy days.  Do I need to explain myself?  Maybe.  Unlike the midwest (known for tornadoes and harsh summers and winters), Portland doesn't get too hot or too cold.  It's comfortable and predictable.  Plus I get to enjoy my favorite season, autumn.  I can wear scarves and jeans and sweaters for months.  

Portland is also known as Beervana.  There are so many breweries with so much variety I don't have to spend more than a moment's thought on finding something new or different.  In addition to the fantastic array of brewpubs the happy hours are phenomenal.  You can go almost anywhere in town and get a frosty pint of a microbrew for only three or four bucks!  Now don't go calling me a lush, I just appreciate a good deal and an early bedtime.  More on happy hours another time.  

Portlandia is right about one thing: local.  Local beers, cheeses, distilleries, bakeries, doughnut joints.  You name it, there is someone making an artisan or craft version of that.  It can get pretentious but it's also pretty cool.  When my gluten-intolerant cousin visits, she has her choice of gluten free bakeries.  My vegetarian boyfriend pretty much has his pick of the city for delicious meat-free cuisine.  It's an eclectic town, but it's my eclectic town.