"I realize that Portland's national reputation is still spotty. Businesses are leaving downtown and everyone is working from home or whatever. I'm not saying that stuff isn't true. I'm just saying I've spent all summer in Portland and this town fucking rules."
"The restaurants, the rivers, the group bike rides. The cars stopping to let my kids cross the street. The bar around the corner where I play pool with a sixty year old black dude and a 25 year old reformed Christian that grew up in the suburbs of the Couv. Portland is awesome. Turn off the internet. Go for a walk."
Despite a spotty national reputation and businesses leaving downtown amid more remote work, Portland retains lively local life. Restaurants, rivers, and organized group bike rides draw regular outdoor activity. Drivers frequently stop to let children cross streets, reflecting neighborhood safety and courtesy. Local bars host intergenerational and cross-cultural interactions, from a sixty-year-old Black pool player to a 25-year-old reformed Christian from suburban Vancouver. Daily moments of communal kindness, walkable streets, and accessible social spaces create a strong sense of place. Turning off devices and walking the neighborhoods surfaces the city's strengths and everyday pleasures.
Read at Portland Mercury
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